Windows are the eyes to the facade of a house, their shape, size and style gives immediate character to a building, so how are the typical french country windows"

The first thing to know is that French windows open in to the room, not out to the garden.  Don't ask me why, that's just the way things are.  And the answer to your next question is no, it isn't annoying or inconvenient.  I have never had anything knocked over by an open window, but of course it does restrict the use of the window sill.

Window panes are medium to small in size.  In our house, the glass in our windows is mostly still the original pane, and as we look through some of them the image is distorted by the wavy uneven thickness of the glass.
I guess they were originally made smaller because it was easier to make, and also less expensive to replace in the case of breakage.
Shutters are most often outside, but on some grander homes with higher ceilings
and higher heating bills  you can have shutters inside too.

 Sometimes windows are lined up in straight rows; 

and sometimes they have to ...well, adapt to the shape of the house!

If wooden frames aren't your thing, then there is an old French tradition for narrow iron frames that is very popular again today

  don't you love this old illustration for window design"

And finally the hardware.  Traditionally a tall vertical bar, the crémone, which is actioned by a turnin...