Letter From Paris: Books with French Twists

There are genres of literature I call "Life in Paris or France" and "Adventures in France." These books are usually fun reads that allow Francophiles to dream their dreams of living in the land of luscious patisseries and Winged Victory--or give readers the space to imagine fulfilling their own private wishes, whatever they are and wherever they may be.

I happen to be a reader of fiction and nonfiction. (Don't understand people who only do one or the other, but hey.) In some ways, truth fascinates me more, but I much prefer living in my own little bubble of unreality day-to-day than subsisting on the barrage of news we're hit with on an average day. The majority of "news" we now get is not news at all--it's spin--focused on some angle that creates a sense of scandal or rage. The Internet has increased a thousand fold the "scandalicious" nature of stories and pounds that tabloid-esque attraction into our brains. As we know, this Internet power lies in its access and speed. "Scandalicious for all" is the call that sites that act like they're delivering the news are actually transporting to our consciousness.

Luckily, the books below, that the authors were kind enough to send me, do not fit the above scandalacious category. Author/Illustrator Lucy Knisley's mother sent me Lucy's book French Milk. Ms. Kinsley, what a lucky young woman you are for a mom to help with the grind that is marketing. And author Laurel Zuckerman sent me her book Sorbonne Confidential after our trying to meet up didn't pan out.

French Milk by Lucy Knisley

French Milk is a fun romp through Paris with Ms. Knisley and her mom, and it's filled with Ms. Knisley's illustrations and photos. The story is told--musings are made about her life and adventure in Paris--through the words and images she created. It's an adult picture book, coolly current with Ms. Knisley's artistic multi-media.

Sorbonne Confidential by Laurel Zuckerman

Sorbonne Confidential is the fictionalized story of Laurel Zuckerman's actual experience working to become a teacher of English in the maddening French school system--one that denigrated her native speaker's knowledge about her own language. The book caused a bit of an uproar in France with some in the French academic community sending Ms. Zuckerman accolades and others decrying her exposure of their cherished if antiquated system!

This is something of a generalization, but: If there's one thing the French have a problem doing, it's changing something that they've been doing for sometimes, literally, hundreds of years. When you have the most wonderful culture in the world (true), why change? Answer: Because one needs to at least once a century. Umm, which side of this debate are English-speaking readers on?

With the speed of the world today, one might need to make changes about every two weeks.

Photos taken by Beth Arnold with her iPhone.

Beth Arnold lives and works in Paris. To see more of her work, go to www.betharnold.com.

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Comments

[classicalgeek]

I used to live in France, and I can tell you that the French have many misconceptions about the way English is used. I have had numerous French academics tell me that the "h" in "hour" is pronounced, and told me that only Americans don't pronounce it. When I came up with examples in New Zealand, Australia, and the UK, they told me that it had been pronounced until recently. When I came up with historical evidence, they denigrated my research skills. When my research skills proved adequate, they told me that they preferred to make the distinction.

Despite all that, it is a wonderful place to live. And my efforts to speak French were always encouraged and rewarded generously. Thanks to their encouragement and generosity, I even managed to get a job taking dictation. How my French teacher would have been proud of me!

[mediamarv]

Hi Beth, aren't you friends with Adrian over at parlerparis.com?
I seem to recall her mentioning a recent event in which you participated there in lovely ol Paree.

[Beth Arnold]

Yes, indeedy.

[Beth Arnold]

Paris is the most beautiful city in the world. Magical. And the French are pleased when anyone makes an attempt to speak their language--as are people everywhere over the globe.

French bureaucracy is famously maddening--we do it this way because we do it this way and you can't do anything till you do it this way unless we change our minds and add something for you to do that way. I've never been part of the French school system. My opinion is based on what people have told me and what I've read. But this is what I've gathered: the schools are institutions that give excellent educations with a Cartesian iron fist. The French are proud of them. Rightly so. But it's methods are wrapped up in a tight little box that can be stifling.

[cktirumalai]

Some people seem pleased if you can muster even a smattering of their language. But the French, who are as proud of their language as of their food (and they did produce Pascal, Racine, and Flaubert), from all I have heard, are not particualrly pleased unless you speak as their most articulate do.
As for a native speaker being chastised for her use of English, I can only conclude that in the French system of schooling, which may have a strong element of central direction, how you teach somehting may be as important as what you teach. French pronunciation is more orderly than that of English. I wonder if this orderliness of approach applies to their schools as well.
I must say that the three days I spent in Paris in 1973 are ringed by enchantment: the brilliance of its architecture, its stylish denizens, its status as a center of literary innovation, which somehow seemed to pervade the atmosphere of the city.

[overcat]

Having spent quite a bit of time in France over the years but being a marginal speaker of French at best, it's always been my experience that any real effort to speak French is appreciated. Though my pronunciation can be quite good my grammar can be quite poor, however I have never run into any crap over that from the French. Sure, I've encountered the occasional impatient and difficult individual, there's nothing uniquely French in that. In general, it's the effort one makes that counts.