“Nights in a city: A year of Reading French Lit2022-2023
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Reflections on a Year of Reading French Literature
Books read:
This Little Family by Ines Bayard
In Praise of Love by Alain Badiou
he(art) by Zane Frederick
Lie With Me by Philippe Besson
About France-
Commons elements and themes of the four books I have read were identity, unity, coming of age and intersexuality. With these common themes from the books I have read on French Literature, I learned the different culture customs that people from France do. I noticed that in most of the main character or if not all of them, they were never left alone. Unity plays a huge role within these books and it seems like it is a custom amongst French culture tooIn This Little Family by Ines Bayard, Marie’s husband always tried bonding with her and making sure she knew that he loved her, even though she was losing a mental battle within herself. In the book Praise of Love by Alain Badiou, I learned that people seek for that feeling of love from not only a partner but from family and friends too. In he(art) by Zane Frederick, I learned that the main character was constantly surrounded and supported by his friends when it came to him finding his true sexual identity. In the very last book that I am still reading called Lie With Me by Philippe Besson, the two boys are together and when they do separate to lead on their different lives, they eventually come back together. I feel like that these books are trying to indicate that things are better with someone or matter if its good, bad, small or big. I also noticed the small sprinkles of the importance of architecture of the country. In Lie With Me by Philippe Besson, we see the author use sensory detail and figurative language to describe the architect of building and life in the city of Paris also known as the city of love.
My books-
The first book that I read was This Little Family by Ines Bayard. Resiliency is a theme that I picked up from the book. Marie went through a traumatic experience and the author did not sugar coat Marie’s feelings and thoughts after her sexual assault. Although Marie gets sexually assaults and gets her job and life threatened, she survived. Several sexual assault survivors pass away due to either the intensity of the attack or of the intensity of the battle they are constantly fighting. Marie got back up after the attack and managed to find love within herself, husband, friends, family and her child. I am definitely taking away that factor of resiliency that Marie used to pick herself back up after her attack.
The second book I read was In Praise of Love by Alain Badiou. I learned a lot about the word love and how French people view the word. Many people go to France to celebrate love and the Effie tower is a big symbol of love to not only couples but to family and friends too. One thing that stood out to me were the many definitions of love. The same word isn’t used to describe the same feeling of love between a married couple and the feeling of love between a mother and a daughter. The French languages uses different words to describe these different feelings.
The third book I read was he(art) by Zane Frederick. Although it was a non fiction book, I learned to never wait for something you want to happen. In the book, the narrator (who never said their name) waiting until his crush made the move. His crush never made a move and dated other people including girls. Throught the book, we see the narrator struggling to make amends with the boy but fails to every initiate the conversation. Eventually, the narrator held off talking for to him for too long and only admired the boy from afar which made the feelings that he felt for him even stronger but in a negative way since he couldn’t act on those feelings.
The last book that I read was Lie With Me by Philippe Besson. In this book, I learned about the discrimination that the LGBTQ+ community went through during the 1980s in France. Although in 2023, times have changed, there were moments in the book where I felt odd because the scene was during a time where there wasn’t a lot of representation on Television, music, or awareness in general but those same things still happen in the early months of 2023. I felt like there should be more change because those moments in the book happened about 40 years ago but it seems like very little has changed from then and now.
About me
I learned a lot about myself throughout the year of reading French literature. I learned that I developed a new hobby of reading and that I really like it. I really like reading at my own pace and that’s how I enjoy a book. I remember in AP Language and Composition with Mr.Fineran, we had to read the book at a fast pace and take quizzes on it and discuss the book. I loved talking about the book as a class and with my teacher but with the assignment, I couldn’t really talk to my peers about what they thought of last nights chapter because we weren’t reading the same book. I dot read books on my own but often I have friends that have also read that same book or are reading it at the same time so I was never reading a book alone. I learned to enjoy a book alone and how to have my own opinions and thoughts whereas I would almost rely on others to see what they thought to create my own opinions. I also used to cringe at romance books but I unintentionally chose to read a ton of book with the theme of love. Romance books are actually not cringy at all! I really liked reading the emotional connections between two characters whether it was between a husband and a wife or a son and father.
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Week 20 blog
Pages read: 70-100
Lie with me
Philippe Besson
Summary:
As the school year comes to an end, Thomas and Phillppe managed to keep their relationship a secrete throughout the school year. Although there were several times they were almost caught by the teachers and several suspicious teachers. There was never any actual proof that they were in a relationship. Thomas and Philippe say their farewells after Thomas’ family decide to move to Spain.
Critical Analysis:
The authors choice of diction really help make up the emotional aspect of the story. On page 75, the author Philippe Besson wrote “The sigh you take when you fall into bed. The sound of a waterfall crashing into a deep river. Just perfection.” Apart from the choice of words that the author uses to describe characters or the setting, the author also uses the strategy of diction and figurative language to further express the emotions of peace. The author could have simply said “A sigh of peace.” but instead the author went to use metaphors to convey his feelings of serendipity and euphoria when Philippe is with Thomas.
Personal Response:
I think this is one of the most intense books i have ever read. The way that the author uses figurative language and diction so that the readers feel immersed into the book is so perfect. I have read a ton of books about love and romance but I have never read a book where the techniques that the author uses really created the book. In the past, I have always struggled to visualize what the characters in the book might look like, the scenery or even the emotions. Maybe it is French literature but I think Philippe Besson does a great job at making the words flow together in a way where I can visualize what I am reading. So much so, I went to Netflix searching up “Lie With Me” expecting to continue the next episode of the show but in reality I was just imagining the book visually.
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“Of course along the way, Thomas would stop and just stare at the beautiful city streets. Everything was just older there. There was a sense of history, in every stone, and in every building.”(92)
Lie with me
Philippe Besson
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“Maybe it was because of the sharpness of his jaw. Or the way his veins stood out on his forearms. Or the way he was slowly tracing the rim of his water glass like it was smooth skin.”(87)
Lie with me
Philippe Besson
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“The sigh you take when you fall into bed. The sound of a waterfall crashing into a deep river. Just perfection.” (75)
Lie with me
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Week 19 Blog
Pages: 50-70
Lie With Me
Philippe Besson
Summary
The writer Philippe writes about the relationship that he has developed with Thomas; his first love. After interacting with Thomas son, Philippe is reminded of Thomas after noticing the resemblance between Thomas and his son. Thomas and Philippe had an intense relationship back in 1980 in France. Thomas loved Philippe but was afraid of societies thoughts if they were to make their relationship public. On the other hand, Philippe was comfortable with himself and his relationship with Thomas but decided to respect the others feelings.
Critical Analysis
Through the book, the author uses a lot of diction to showcase the different emotions the he feel towards Thomas or his parents. On page, I was a child. I remember I remember it’s worrying my mother. ‘Stop with your lies!’ She would say. She used the word ‘lies’ instead of ‘stories’”
Personal Response
I think the author does a great job describing what it is like to be part of the LGBTQ+ community in France in the 1980’s. During those times, being part of the LGBTQ+ community was looked down up of and the discrimination that all LGBTQ+ people faced during that time was fatal and brutal. Phillppe Besson does a great job at writing about the secrecy that the two lovers in the book; Thomas and Phillppe, go through as they start to develop intense feelings for each other. I am nervous to see how will Thomas and Phillppe will conquer high school.
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“I was a child. I remember I remember it’s worrying my mother. ‘Stop with your lies!’ She would say. She used the word ‘lies’ instead of ‘stories’” (68)
Lie with me
Philliippe Besson
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“I’m thinking he doesn’t know me at all. Of course he’s probably seen me, but there can be nothing fixed in his memory.” (52)
Lie with me
Philippe Besson
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Week 18 Blog
Praise for Lie With Me
Philippe Besson
Pages read: 20-50
Summary:
The first couple of pages are dedicated to the narrator to talk about their past. The book starts off with the author being seventeen years old. With the
Critical analysis:
It might be because it is the first couple of pages and usually those pages are often devoted to being the introduction pages of a book but I really like the narration of the book. The author is speaking in a way as if I was speaking to a friend my age. With the narration, the author is helping the readers make meaning to the actions they do by writing in a way that the readers will understand
Personal response:
I really like the way the author writes in the book so far. With the different
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“If I shut up, it’s just to avoid being confronted by violence. Is it cowardice?”
(38)
Lie With Me
Philippe Besson
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“He was the first male sex I had held in my hand. My first kiss was the one he gave me. My first embrace, skin against skin, was with him.” (13)
Praise for Lie With me
Philippe Besson
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“I’m seventeen years old. I didn’t know then that one day I won’t be seventeen. I didn’t know that youth doesn’t last, that it’s only a moment and it disappears and by the time you finally realize it, it’s too late. It’s finished, vanished, lost. There are some around me who can sense it; the adults repeat it constantly but I dont listen.” (5)
Praise for Lie With Me
Philippe Besson
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“‘what’s you type?’
‘you.’ He lets that word stir me up. Then he says, ‘obviously.’”(150)
he(art)
zane frederick
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“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.” (142)
he(art)
zane frederick
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“he opened the box, surely to find that the feelings were reciprocated.” (137)
he(art)
zane frederick
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Weekly blog post
Pages read: 110-130
he(art)
Zane Frederick
Summary
The main character of he(art) begins to use his time to right poetry in a way to express his feelings towards the love of his life or just boys in general. He doesn’t want anyone to read his poetry and letters and often hides them in boxes under his bed. The main character has started to try dating woman in order to conceal his confusing feelings of attraction when it comes to men. Once the girl he is dating wants something serious, he embarrassed himself by backing away and running away. He continues running towards the house of his crush and tries to knock on the door to officially confess his feelings. Through the book, there are pages of poetry written from the cookie box of where he confesses his feelings.
Critical Analysis
The use of poetry throughout the book really helps readers capture the reality of being part of the LGBTQ+ community. He hides his feelings in writing and in boxes and shows a different persona when it comes to his friends and family. In the poems, he writes “I feel trapped with my own feelings and who i actually am.” He clearly can’t come into terms to even accept his own self and struggles to find peace with himself. With the poems being written in the book, there is a sudden change
Personal response
I really like the aspect of the poetry because it feels like I know his thoughts and feelings more than he does. He seems to be writing what he feels without understanding why is he feeling that or what exactly is he feeling. I do think that soon he is going to confess and come into terms with himself being gay because of the sudden change of in actually saying that he wants his crush.
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“i got set up with girls. non of them were like him.” (125)
he(art)
zane frederick
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