How Many Books Did I Read For My French Degree At Oxford University?

If you’re considering studying French at Oxford University, one of the biggest questions is: how much reading is there, really?

The short answer: a lot.

I read 66 books for my final exams alone – and that’s not including weekly essays and critical reading.

The year before I went to university, I read 75 books. In my first year of university, I probably read 5 books at best.

Why?

The reading list at Oxford is, quite frankly, insane.

No matter what degree you study, you’ll be presented with a very long reading list each week for a new essay.

But if you study a literature degree (i.e. Modern Languages, English, Classics), then you’ll also have to read the set texts.

Keep on reading to find out just how many French books I read for my Modern Languages degree at Oxford University.

I studied French at Oxford, which means I only studied one language as opposed to two, which is the norm.

This meant that I studied one more ‘content’ (rather than ‘language’) paper than the average modern languages student at Oxford. This is already a tonne more than Modern Languages students at other UK universities, where non-literature modules, for example, culture, history, politics, film, are also offered.

During my fourth and final year at Oxford University, I had to reread many of the texts I’d studied (and then promptly forgotten) in second year.

I made list after list of all the options I’d already studied and then whittled it down to the bare minimum I had to read to get through the exams (can’t say I ain’t efficient!).

The list I’ve made is therefore not even all the books I studied throughout my degree, it is simply those I chose to write about in my final exams!

How the reading works at Oxford

For my Oxford final exams, I sat four literature papers and one linguistics paper.

I haven’t included any mention of the latter here because it required a completely different set of skills.

The literature papers were split into:

• 2 special authors (studying one author in depth)
• 2 period papers (covering multiple authors across a century)

Although I only wrote on three topics in the final exams, I had prepared eight for each paper, which gives you an idea of the volume involved.

Oxford French Reading List

There are many, many options on offer for French at Oxford but the ones I chose were:

Special Authors: Molière, Racine, Flaubert, Stendhal

Period Papers: C17th, C18th, C19th, C20th literature (i.e. basically everything.)

From those options, I chose to read the following texts:

Molière (8)

This module was focused on classical French theatre and satire.

• L’École des Femmes
• Tartuffe
• Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme
• Dom Juan
• Le Misanthrope
• L’Avare
• Les Fourberies de Scapin
• Le Malade Imaginaire

Racine (6)

This module was centred on tragic theatre, with a strong focus on structure, style and classical themes.

• Iphigénie
• Athalie
• Andromaque
• Britannicus
• Bérénice
• Bajazet

Stendhal(4)

This was more novel-focused, exploring themes of ambition, love and society in 19th-century France.

• Le Rouge et le Noir
• La Chartreuse de Parme 
• Vanina Vanini 
• De l’amour 

Flaubert (4)

This module looked at narrative style, idealism vs realism, with a particular focus on character and detail.

• L’Éducation Sentimentale
• Madame Bovary
• Les Trois Contes
• Bouvard et Pécuchet

17th Century (1)

A brief introduction to early French literature, focused on fables and moral storytelling.

• Les Fables de la Fontaine

18th Century (16)

These titles include Enlightenment literature, philosophy and satire.

Voltaire (5)

• Lettres philosophiques
• Zadig
• Candide
• Micromégas
• Le Taureau blanc

Rousseau (2)

• Discours sur les sciences et les arts
• Discours sur l’origine et les fondements de l’inégalité parmi les hommes

Diderot (3)

• Supplément au voyage de Bougainville
• Ceci n’est pas un conte
• Mme de la Carlière

Marivaux (3)

• L’Île des esclaves
• La Double Inconstance
• Le Jeu de l’amour et du hasard

Beaumarchais (3)

• Le Barbier de Séville
• Le Mariage de Figaro
• La Mère coupable

19th Century (12)

This included a mix of short stories and novels, often exploring realism, the supernatural and social change.

Mérimée(1)

• La Vénus d’Ille

Gautier(3)

• La Cafetière
• Pied de momie
• Arria Marcella

Maupassant (8)

• Un fou?
• Le Horla
• Sur l’eau
• Qui sait?
• La Peur
• Apparition
• Lui?
• La Main

20th Century (9)

These works include more experimental and philosophical literature, including theatre and existentialism.

Ionesco(3)

• La cantatrice chauve
• Tueur sans gages
• La Leçon

Genet (3)

• Les Bonnes
• Le Balcon
• Les Nègres

Albert Camus (3)

• L’Étranger
• La Chute
• Le mythe de Sisyphe

Extended Essay (6)

This module required a deeper focus on one author, allowing for more detailed and sustained analysis.

Duras

• Un barrage contre le Pacifique
• L’Amant
• L’Amant du Chine du nord
• Moderato Cantabile
• Le Ravissement de Lol V Stein
• Le Vice Consul

So… How Intense Is It?

In total, I read 66 books just for my final exams, and that’s only the set texts!

On top of that, there was:

• weekly critical reading
• essays every 1–2 weeks
• language work

The biggest surprise for most people is that the reading is done outside term time. Oxford terms are short, so you’re expected to arrive having already read the primary texts.

Then, during term time, you are supposed to be reading critical reading, and God knows how many of those books I read in the last-minute scramble before finals!

If you fall behind, it’s very hard to catch up.

To anyone considering studying languages at Oxford, or more specifically, French at Oxford, I would suggest that you think long and hard about how much you like literature and reading, because those modules will dominate your degree and take up far more of your time than any of the language work. 

If you love reading, it’s incredibly rewarding.

If you don’t, you’ll fall behind very quickly.

For more posts about life as an Oxford University student, check out these blog posts:

8 Do’s and Don’ts When Choosing an Oxford College
What is it like to study French at Oxford University?
10 Reasons to Apply to Christ Church, Oxford
My Oxford Interview for Modern Languages
10 Most Beautiful Oxford Colleges