Les Français

Thoroughly revised and updated to reflect changes in French society over the last generation, and now illustrated with full-color photos, the Fourth Edition of Les Français retains hallmarks of the pioneering work in cultural anthropology that distinguished Laurence Wylie's First Edition—work that has long since helped make Les Français the most illuminating French-language introduction to French society and culture for the needs of North American students. The Fourth Edition also remains rooted in the comparative approach of previous editions, analyzing outlooks and practices that undergird the social fabric of France from the perspective of those approaching them from a North American background. Ranging from discussions of distinctively French perspectives on time, space, human nature, and the body, to norms of childhood socialization and family life, to the key elements and entities of social and cultural life, Les Français illustrates ways in which the French are "made not born," all while pointing up contradictions and paradoxes in French life and reflecting the greatly diversified demographic and social makeup of today's France.