How to analyse and comment on a literary extract in French
A commentaire littéraire (also called commentaire composé) is a structured analysis of a literary extract. Unlike a summary, it does not recount the plot — it explains how the text creates meaning through its language, style, and form.
The commentary has three parts: an introduction that situates the text, a développement of two or three analytical axes (axes de lecture), and a conclusion that draws together the interpretation.
| Part | Content |
|---|---|
| Introduction | Author, work, literary period; brief summary; problématique; axes |
| Axe 1 | First analytical thread + textual evidence |
| Axe 2 | Second analytical thread + textual evidence |
| Axe 3 (optional) | Third thread or deepening of analysis |
| Conclusion | Synthesis of axes; broader literary reflection |
The introduction must situate the extract in its context before any analysis begins. Mention the author, the work, the literary period or movement (courant littéraire), and the genre. Then give a very brief neutral summary of what happens in the passage. End with a problématique — your analytical question — and announce your axes.
The développement analyses how the text works. Identify the main thèmes (love, power, illusion, social class, death) and the procédés stylistiques (stylistic devices) that carry them. Always link device to effect: naming a metaphor without explaining what it achieves is not analysis.
| Device (procédé) | French term | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Semantic field | Champ lexical | Creates a coherent atmosphere or theme |
| Metaphor | Métaphore | Transfers meaning; creates imagery |
| Repetition / anaphora | Anaphore | Emphasises; creates rhythm |
| Hyperbole | Hyperbole | Exaggerates for effect; irony or intensity |
| Irony | Ironie | Creates distance; critiques implicitly |
| Personification | Personnification | Animates the inanimate; emotional weight |
A commentaire requires precise metalanguage — the vocabulary used to talk about literature. Using correct terms signals analytical sophistication. Always follow a device with its textual location ('au vers 3…', 'dans la ligne 12…') and its interpretation ('ce qui crée un effet de…').
Each axe de lecture (analytical axis) should focus on one coherent idea — for example, 'the construction of illusion', 'the critique of bourgeois society', 'the tension between appearance and reality'. Support each axis with citations from the text followed by analysis.
The conclusion synthesises the axes into a unified interpretation and opens a broader literary reflection: how does this extract relate to the author's wider work, or to the literary movement?
| Move | Phrase |
|---|---|
| Open an axis | Dans un premier temps, il convient d'examiner comment… |
| Cite the text | Ainsi, lorsque l'auteur écrit «…», on perçoit que… |
| Analyse a device | L'emploi de la métaphore «…» suggère que… |
| Link axes | Cet aspect s'articule avec notre deuxième axe: la… |
| Conclude | En définitive, cet extrait illustre magistralement… |
| Ouverture | Cette analyse invite à s'interroger sur la place de… |