While 20th of March is celebrated as French Language Day, it is also the International Day of La Francophonie. Palmerston North City Library have French books for all ages available in print and online. This year we went to Alliance Française, located in Square Edge to find out more about the language. Flavie has provided some wonderful observations below on some of the classics and why they have left a lasting impression:
"In French, we have the word ‘prose’ which describes a form of written or spoken language that does not have a metrical structure, but still incorporates elements of flow and rhythm. It is most commonly used to write fiction and non-fiction works. After passing the French university entrance, I had a long list of required summer reading before entering university. As I was reading classical French literature books, I remember needing a pause to imprint the words in my brain and soul as what I was reading was so beautiful.
I remember La Princesse de Cleves (1678), a beautiful historical novel by Madame de La Fayette about a beautiful and tragic love story in a poetic style. It explores the passions of a woman. It was a rare topic for the period which explains why the novel was published anonymously at first.
French language is often used to depict pretty scenes but also very tragic ones. For example, in Le Dormeur du Val (1870) by Arthur Rimbaud, an incredible poem often studied in French elementary school, the beautiful prose tells the story of a soldier sleeping in a natural, almost magical scenery but at the end we learn that he is actually dead. This poem aims to contrast the beauty and innocence of nature in comparison to the violence of men.
French prose has evolved with time and throughout history, and language is often used to take a political stand. Djaïli Amadou Amal, a fabulous French-writing contemporary author from Cameroon, won the French Literary award ‘Goncourt des Lyceens’ in 2020 for her book Les Impatientes in which she tells the stories of various women fighting against the oppression and violence of forced marriages in Cameroon. The French language is as diverse and powerful as the stories it relates.
At Alliance Française, once a month we host a ‘club de lecture’ (book club) in which we put a book in the spotlight. Strong stories and portrayals of important messages. Last month we read the book Pina by Titaua Peu. A narrative in which Pina, a young Tahitian girl, is at the centre of the story. The reader follows her in her daily life alongside other members of her family, between violence and poverty. We also provide French language classes for all ages and levels. Our classes will help you understand the depth of the French language and the diversity of French-speaking cultures. And maybe one day you too will be able to read all these stories in French."
