I studied English literature in college as well as some upper level French, but this is my first serious endeavor to study French literature. I like the structure and organization of the book very much! There is plenty of cultural, historical, and literary context for each movement, as well as introductions to each author and suggestions for further study. Each poem has a page by page translation to help with vocabulary building, but no other critique offered on the poem itself.I like the book because it is well balanced but allows the reader to explore at his or her own pace. With plenty of information to read, but structure to skip over what you like, I think this book is well suited for those who would like to peruse it in their own leisure!