French
My
family and I moved to Brittany, in France, when I was 13. Since then I have been
trying to learn French. Because I didn't go to school I didn't learn French from
the other children, in the way that most English children do when they move over
here. We also didn't know many French people, so I didn't have much opportunity
to hear or to speak French. The way I learnt was through reading. I started with
simple children's books that looked interesting, and I also read comic books
like Tintin, and Asterix and Obelix.
The real breakthrough came when I decided to read the
Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas. I had already read a translation and
was amazed to discover how much better it was in French. Even though I knew no
grammar I read it from beginning to end and found it remarkably easy to
understand.
The more I read the more I understood, and I learnt without
realising I was learning. When I decided that it was time to study tenses, etc.
I found that I already knew them.
My spoken French is not fast and fluent but, through reading,
I am able to understand, write and read it surprisingly well.
French Books I Have Enjoyed
Tintin by Hergé - These comic books are good for beginners, because the pictures explain what is happening. Don't be disappointed, however, if you don't find the text all that easy; until you are familiar with Hergé 's style the French is quite tricky.
Le Comte de Monte-Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - Once you have learned Alexandre Dumas's favourite words this is quite easy, and the thrilling story will keep you turning the pages. Dumas's other books are equally easy to read, but I don't like them so much.
Molière
-
Molière lived in the 1600's and wrote plays that were performed before the
French king, Louis XIV. He is France's most famous author and I have read many
of his plays. As with Dumas, once you have picked up Molière's most-used words
he is easy to follow, and is thoroughly enjoyable. It is best to buy a version
of his plays that includes explanatory notes, as some of the words he uses
cannot be found in the dictionary. For those reading Molière's plays for the
first time, I would recommend those written in prose, rather than those which he
wrote in rhyme, just because these are easier to understand.
My favourite Molière plays are:
Les
Femmes Savantes (The Learned Women) - This is in rhyme.
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (The Middle-Class Gentleman) - This is a nice short
play - don't feel that you have to read the interludes, which were written to be
performed by the court ballet.
Les Fourberies de Scapin (Scapin's Tricks) - In prose, but quite lengthy.
Le Malade Imaginaire (The Imaginary Invalid) - In prose, and one of my
favourites.
Le Misanthrope - Molière's most famous play. This is in rhyme.
Marivaux - This is another playwright from the 1600's. His plays are quite easy, they are in prose, and they have only a few characters. His vocabulary is quite similar to Molière's, so once you can read Molière quite well, you should be able to understand Marivaux's plays. They are easy to follow, and have an old-fashioned innocence and simplicity that make them very appealing. I have particularly enjoyed:
Le
Jeu de L'amour et du Hasard (The Game of Love and Chance) - This is Marivaux's
most famous play, and I think it is my favourite.
L'École des Mères (The School of Mothers)
La Mère Confidente (The Confiding Mother)
Les
Essaies - Montaigne - Montaigne is the star of French literature. In my
opinion he and William Shakespeare are the two greatest western writers of
the last five hundred years.
Michel de Montaigne lived in the 1500's, during a time of
terrible civil wars. Hatred and violence were everywhere, but even though he knew
the future king (who was at the heart of the conflict), and was elected mayor of
Bordeaux, Montaigne remained aloof from the fighting.
He
spent much of his time in a tower on the edge of his estate, writing down his
thoughts about life. These writings are divided up into little chapters, on
different topics, and he called them his "Essaies" (or Essays).
Although this collection of essays is quite lengthy,
Montaigne contrives to keep details about his private life away from the reader.
All that is clear is that he is a kind-hearted, humorous, modest person, who has
thought about the questions which most people try to ignore.
He writes simply and unpretentiously, but the modern reader
may be daunted by the amount of Latin quotations. Montaigne happened to be
fluent in Latin (a result of his extremely unusual upbringing), and there is
a good deal of it in the Essaies. I wouldn't let this put you off, however. I
normally read the translation of the quotation and hurry on - it doesn't do to
get bogged down.
Another thing is that it helps to know something about
Ancient Greek and Roman history. This isn't essential, but it does make reading
Montaigne's Essaies easier, and more enjoyable.
Even though Montaigne does write simply, and sticks to quite
a limited range of vocabulary, I cannot conceal the fact that he wrote in old
French. The Essaies are difficult to understand, and I often find myself reading
the same sentence again and again, in an effort to puzzle it out. However, if
you just keep persevering, it does get easier, and the wisdom and originality of
whatever you do understand will make all the effort worthwhile.
As a final word, make sure sure that you buy an annotated
edition, or you really won't stand a chance.