Published in 1666, Antoine Furetière's Le Roman Bourgeois (The Bourgeois Novel) is a rebellious, funny book that tossed out the rulebook. While everyone else was writing about heroic adventures and tragic love, Furetière pointed his pen at the everyday people of Paris—the lawyers, the clerks, the families scrambling for status.

The Story

Don't expect a single, straightforward plot. The book is more like a series of connected sketches from the same neighborhood. We follow characters like Javotte, a young woman whose main job is to land a rich husband, and her mother, who sees marriage as a financial transaction. We meet pretentious poets writing awful verses to flatter potential patrons, and lawyers obsessed with their public image. The 'action' happens in drawing rooms and at awkward social gatherings, where the stakes are reputation and money, not life and death. It's a sharp, often silly, parade of human vanity.

Why You Should Read It

I loved this book because it's so human and surprisingly modern. Furetière wasn't trying to create perfect heroes; he was holding up a mirror to the ridiculous things people do to fit in and get ahead. His humor is dry and observational—you can almost see him rolling his eyes at the characters' schemes. Reading it, you realize that the urge to keep up with the neighbors, to flaunt fake success, and to chase shallow validation isn't a product of our internet age. It's a timeless comedy. The characters are flawed and familiar, which makes their failures both funny and a little poignant.

Final Verdict

This is a perfect pick for readers who love historical fiction but want a break from kings and battles. If you enjoy satirical authors like Jane Austen or enjoy seeing the silly side of social ambition, you'll find a kindred spirit in Furetière. It's also a great, accessible window into 17th-century French life from the ground up. Just be ready for a book that's more about clever moments and sharp jokes than a driving plot. Think of it as people-watching in literary form, with 350 years of dust brushed off.