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Category French

2008-06-26
12:21 PM

Madame de Lafayette - The Princess of Cleves

This was a required reading by one of my English lit professors. She was an interesting older woman and mentioned that she lived by that book for a very long time. Idealistic a bit

2006-11-11
2:29 PM

Choderlos de Laclos, Pierre -- Les Liaisons dangereuses

(Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)
by

2005-06-01
12:17 PM

Rostand, Edmond - Cyrano de Bergerac

it's a lovely story. I think i read it in highschool. very said though so i don't think i'd read it again.

2005-06-01
1:33 PM

Sartre, Jean Paul

The Transcendence of the Ego

I believe i read this one in college either in Philosophy class or one of my English classes i don't remember which one the topic of Existentialism came up. Sartre is perhaps the greatest philosopher of 'our' time and is said to be the father of Existentialism movement. This was Sartre's first philosophical book that brushed away phenomenology and presented existential-phenomenology. )His beleafs went along with Nietzsche, who was also existentialist)
some quotes:
"Existence is prior to essence. Man is nothing at birth and throughout his life he is no more than the sum of his past commitments. To believe in anything outside his own will is to be guilty of 'bad Faith.' Existentialist despair and anguish is the acknowledgement that man is condemned to freedom. There is no God, so man must rely upon his own fallible will and moral insight. He cannot escape choosing."

Flies--
it's a play about human guilt and social order. A modern remake of Oresteia.

2005-03-04
10:55 AM

Golon, Serge and Anne - Angelique

Angйlique, The Marquise of the Angels (Angйlique, Marquise des Anges)
Angйlique, the road to Versailles (Angйlique, le Chemin de Versailles)
Angйlique and the King (Angйlique et le Roy)
Angйlique and the Sultan also known as Angйlique in Barbary (Indomptable Angйlique)
Angйlique in Revolt (Angйlique se rйvolte)
Angйlique in Love (Angйlique et son Amour)
The Countess Angйlique (Angйlique et le Nouveau Monde)
The Temptation of Angйlique (La Tentation d'Angйlique)
Angйlique and the Demon (Angйlique et la Dйmone)
Angйlique and the Ghosts (Angйlique et le Complot des Ombres)
Angйlique а Quйbec (not translated yet)
Angйlique, la Route de l'Espoir (not translated yet)
La Victoire d'Angйlique

one of my absolutely favorite romantic novels loosely based on French history (Sun King and such)

2005-03-02
5:34 PM

Marie de France - Lais

marie de France is a female author in the day when few women were literate... not only that she wronte in vernacular (French/English) rather than in Latin
not much is known about her we can only guess from her work what she was about
Her stories are written for entertainment and are of romance and adventure providing an interesting perspective on courtly love.

read in one of my english classes good

2005-03-02
7:22 PM

Moliere - Tartuffe

How dare you even hinder or annoy,
When I've the means to ruin and destroy
You should have thought before my toes you trod.
Attacking me, you set yourself 'gainst God!--


it's fabulous it's all about this hypocrate who takes advantage of the noble family

2005-02-22
5:35 PM

Laclos, Choderlos De - Dangerous Liasons

have to admit it... read this one pretty recently, ok just finished it... saw the movie dangerous liasons (with John Malcovich and Glenn Close and Michelle Pfiefer and... (star cast)) and the remake with Reese Witherspoon and her hubby Cruel Intentions, so based on the fact that i loved both movies decided to read a book.
yes it's slow paced yes the language is full of florish idioms and is often boring... yet it keeps you going. Even though i knew the story line, it was interesting to see how the language changes from letter to letter... all the little nuances..
a pleasure

2005-02-08
2:05 PM

Hugo, Victor - Les Miserables

read this after seeing the musical 2500 times
like the musical better probably because of the score.
However, the book is a classic of course.

It is set in 19th century France during revolution and deals with love, hatred, betrayal and virtue. A great romantic story.

2005-01-22
12:19 AM

Druon, Maurice - Les Rois Maudits

This is the most amazing 7 book series. It deals with the demise of the Kapetian dynasty and beginning of 100-year War. It begins with Philippe the Fair and friday the 13th, and continues through out generations to follow the French monarcy curse.

If you're into french history it's a must.

(read in russian translation)

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Druon">Wikipedia</a>

2005-01-22
2:24 PM

Duras, Marguerite - Hiroshima, Mon Amur

very touching , full of amazing visuals
it's about a brief affair of french actress and a japanese architect... during she tells him of another affair, a forbiden one, she had with a German soldier, and its consequences

2005-01-22
8:27 PM

Dumas, Alexandre - The Three Musketeers

Ten Years Later
Twenty Years After
The Vicomte De Bragelonne
The Man in the Iron Mask

absolutely positively a favorite read and reread many many many times and keep doing so ALL of them.

Complitely annoyed with Hollywood's attempts at making movies out of those. Pathetic! truly.

The only 3 muskeeters movie i utterly adore happens to be russian musical version.

2005-01-22
8:31 PM

Dumas, Alexandre - The Count of Monte Cristo

2008-02-13
bought it reread it.
no. i have no sympathy for Danglars or Fernando or prosecutor.
yes Danglars and Fernando rose from the bottom but at what cost? i see nothing respectable or honorable about that. i find my sympathy entirely on Edmond's side.
this is not a dilemma. this is as clear cut as one can get!
yes Dantes has his regrets at the end when an innocent is killed as a result of his plotting but he was willing to sacrifice the innocent right from the start - Valentine was suppose to fall at the hands of her stepmother and Albert was suppose to be killed in a duel. does this make Dantes character dark? yes. but it also makes him human. when rage and thrist for revenge overtake reason.

i can justify rage and wish for revenge i cannot justify cold blooded plotting out of jealousy.

nothing to say if you haven't read it READ it NOW
stuff the dreams made out of

2005/03/30 -- was talking to someone yesterday who apparently enjoyes this novel as much as i do. His take on novel was that he likes characters like Danglar far better than Edmond Dantes. His reasoning was that not many men make themselves bankers coming from such a lowly background, even through conniving was envolved he is a character worthy of admiration. he also suggested that Danglar's daughter Eugenia might be gay. Interesting thought. Being a tomb boy myself I didn't see this when i was reading the book. Looking back it is all but possible. Searching google i found this: <a href="http://www.novelguide.com/thecountofmontecristo/characterprofiles.html">Eugenie Danglars: She is the daughter of Danglars and his wife. Though she was supposed to marry Albert and then Andrea, Monte Cristo ruins both marriages, causing Eugenie to flee with her lady "friend" to become a musician or artist.</a> that "friend" is pretty indicative that my friend is not the only one thinking that.
Conclusion, reread the book more carefully :) now that i'm not 12 anymore i probably will have a different perspective on a number of things :)


2005-01-22
8:33 PM

Dumas, Alexandre - The Black Tulip and The Two Dianas

The Black Tulip
lovely, different from his other stuff. It's a love story which incorporates a number of historically accurate events that took place in Holland.

The Two Dianas
The two Dianas are Madame de Poitiers and her daughter Madame de Castro. The period is 1521-74, and includes the taking of Calais, the battle of Saint-Quentin, the death of Henri II. and the First Religious Wars.

2005-01-22
11:04 PM

de Saint-Exepury, Antoine - The Little Prince

sweet story about child prince living on his little planet and meeting a pilot. They talk and the prince tells him of his trip to earth
sweet

tried reading other stuff by exupery but don't like war,soo...

2005-01-22
11:16 PM

Flaubert, Gustave - Madame Bovary

aaahhh another wonderful tale of a fallen woman...
classic

2005-01-21
9:50 PM

Balzac, Honore

Lost Illusions
Cousin Bette
The Bureaucrats

life of French auristocracy , fictional

2005-01-21
11:44 PM

Capellanus, Andreas - The Art of Courtly Love


interesting read
basically mediaval rules of courtship
forced in college english class, somehow i enjoyed it:

The Art of Courtly Love], Book Two: On the Rules of Love
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