To many readers of literature, in both French- and English-speaking countries, the 19th century in France is preeminently the age of the novel-nearly all the important literary figures chose it as their major form of expression. Throughout the late 19th century and part of the 20th, the popularity of French fiction was demonstrated by many editions of collected works by major realist authors. Naturalism can be considered an exaggerated form of realism. In general, the naturalists writings were characterized by emphasis on the sordid and the details of the lives of those at the lowest social levels.

20 entries include: Maurice Barres, Edouard Dujardin, Anatole France, Pierre Loti, Guy de Maupassant, Jules Valles, Jules Verne, Emile Zola.