At first glance, I found this novel quite interesting. Keeping the title from being translated seems to make it appear more authentic and true to its originality. As a student who is also currently taking french classes this term, I was able to interpret the meaning of the title. Nonetheless, I can see why readers […]
I think Cecile would have benefited greatly from the positive influence Anne brought with her. It was hard to see her destroy Anne and her father’s relationship especially once she began to bond with Anne. The environment Céline was raised in blinded her to what Anne’s intentions were, even after the time they spent together after her mother’s death and how “embarrassingly fond of her” (7) she was. Her actions came from fear and selfishness to keep her way of life from changing. Without giving praise to the main character I will say I found her scheming and frivolous lifestyle to be quite entertaining. On page 18, Cécile declared that she tried to base her life on Oscar Wilde’s quote “Sin is the only note of vivid colour that persists in the modern world” and Anne came in as a representation of everything Cécile hated. With the best intentions, Anne wanted to marry her father, but Cécile’s lifestyle and fundamental identity were immediately threatened. First with Anne’s involvement in her studies and then her interference in Cécile’s relationship with Cyril. I thought after the conversation Anne and Cécile had about the future on pages 104-5 along with some other bonding moments between the two, Cécile would put an end to her plans. Even though it was in her nature, I was disappointed that Cécile could not grow from the idea of how she was supposed to live and make room for Anne and her preparations for the future.
Overall I like how this reading depicted Cécie and her father’s inability and unwillingness to change. The ending was sad, but it left me wondering if the three of them would work as a family or if Cécile would continue to find new ways to get rid of Anne? Cécile was heartbroken losing Anne, but if she never felt the loss, she would have probably never fully realized the consequences of her actions.
My question for the class is Would Cécile be better adjusted to cope with the changes Anne brought to her life if her father raised her to be more disciplined?
Posted in Blogs, Sagan | Tagged with family, life, relationships
I think Cecile would have benefited greatly from the positive influence Anne brought with her. It was hard to see her destroy Anne and her father’s relationship especially once she began to bond with Anne. The environment Céline was raised in blinded her to what Anne’s intentions were, even after the time they spent together after her mother’s death and how “embarrassingly fond of her” (7) she was. Her actions came from fear and selfishness to keep her way of life from changing. Without giving praise to the main character I will say I found her scheming and frivolous lifestyle to be quite entertaining. On page 18, Cécile declared that she tried to base her life on Oscar Wilde’s quote “Sin is the only note of vivid colour that persists in the modern world” and Anne came in as a representation of everything Cécile hated. With the best intentions, Anne wanted to marry her father, but Cécile’s lifestyle and fundamental identity were immediately threatened. First with Anne’s involvement in her studies and then her interference in Cécile’s relationship with Cyril. I thought after the conversation Anne and Cécile had about the future on pages 104-5 along with some other bonding moments between the two, Cécile would put an end to her plans. Even though it was in her nature, I was disappointed that Cécile could not grow from the idea of how she was supposed to live and make room for Anne and her preparations for the future.
Overall I like how this reading depicted Cécie and her father’s inability and unwillingness to change. The ending was sad, but it left me wondering if the three of them would work as a family or if Cécile would continue to find new ways to get rid of Anne? Cécile was heartbroken losing Anne, but if she never felt the loss, she would have probably never fully realized the consequences of her actions.
My question for the class is Would Cécile be better adjusted to cope with the changes Anne brought to her life if her father raised her to be more disciplined?
Posted in Blogs, Sagan | Tagged with family, life, relationships
For this weeks reading I read Bonjour Tristesse by Sagan, Françoise. The text was an easy and enjoyable read. The narrator Cecile was an intriguing narrator I was constantly hooked into what she would do or say. She was unpredictable. Her lifestyle of living in the moment caused her many problems because she put no thought into how her actions would effect her future. This is where Anne would have brought a positive influence into the ‘live for now’ dynamic Cecile had with her father. I found it crazy how on page 25 Cecile’s father said why should Cecile get her diploma “I never got any diploma and I manage to live very well. . . . My daughter will always have a man to take care of her.” This explains a lot about the relationship between Cecile and her dad because he doesn’t expect anything of Cecile and this reinforces her carelessness about her life.
Cecile’s relationship with her father also affected her relationship and view of men in general. This can be seen when Cecile says “I much preferred my father’s friends, men of forty, who spoke to me courteously and tenderly treated me with the gentleness of a father – or lover” (21). However I did not think Cecile’s relationship with her father was as bad as some of the other readings, like Agostino, but the way he raised her brought up all sorts of other problems. Also it contributed to how stubborn she was when it came to her father’s engagement to Anne. Anne valued all the things that Cecile could not stand. Anne came in the way of the life that Cecile built with her father and she was too stubborn to accept help until it was too late. Anne was the only person who held Cecile accountable especially when it came to her education. If Cecile could have embraced Anne into their family it would have benefited her to have this respectable role mode in her life, but instead she was left with an incredible sadness and no improvement to her lifestyle.
I thought this book gave an interesting perspective on this young girl’s life and how the choices she made could effect the lives of the people around her. This read held my interest from beginning to the end. I also enjoyed getting to see the dynamics of a blended family and the relationship between a daughter and her perspective step-mother.
My question for the class is How would Cecile be different if her father raised her with more important morals?
Posted in Blogs, Sagan | Tagged with coming of age, family
For this weeks reading I read Bonjour Tristesse by Sagan, Françoise. The text was an easy and enjoyable read. The narrator Cecile was an intriguing narrator I was constantly hooked into what she would do or say. She was unpredictable. Her lifestyle of living in the moment caused her many problems because she put no thought into how her actions would effect her future. This is where Anne would have brought a positive influence into the ‘live for now’ dynamic Cecile had with her father. I found it crazy how on page 25 Cecile’s father said why should Cecile get her diploma “I never got any diploma and I manage to live very well. . . . My daughter will always have a man to take care of her.” This explains a lot about the relationship between Cecile and her dad because he doesn’t expect anything of Cecile and this reinforces her carelessness about her life.
Cecile’s relationship with her father also affected her relationship and view of men in general. This can be seen when Cecile says “I much preferred my father’s friends, men of forty, who spoke to me courteously and tenderly treated me with the gentleness of a father – or lover” (21). However I did not think Cecile’s relationship with her father was as bad as some of the other readings, like Agostino, but the way he raised her brought up all sorts of other problems. Also it contributed to how stubborn she was when it came to her father’s engagement to Anne. Anne valued all the things that Cecile could not stand. Anne came in the way of the life that Cecile built with her father and she was too stubborn to accept help until it was too late. Anne was the only person who held Cecile accountable especially when it came to her education. If Cecile could have embraced Anne into their family it would have benefited her to have this respectable role mode in her life, but instead she was left with an incredible sadness and no improvement to her lifestyle.
I thought this book gave an interesting perspective on this young girl’s life and how the choices she made could effect the lives of the people around her. This read held my interest from beginning to the end. I also enjoyed getting to see the dynamics of a blended family and the relationship between a daughter and her perspective step-mother.
My question for the class is How would Cecile be different if her father raised her with more important morals?
Posted in Blogs, Sagan | Tagged with coming of age, family
I want to start by saying that I enjoyed this week’s reading due to it being a linear storyline which makes it much easier to read but also by the fact that it is narrated which for me makes you feel much more in interaction with the reading and everything that is happening and because […]
Wow. This book floored me. On its own, it’s an incredibly engaging and well-written novel. However, it’s rendered so much more impressive when you factor in how young Françoise Sagan was when she wrote it. The uniqueness of a teenage author writing this narrative centered on the interpersonal relationships and teen angst of an adolescent […]
Posted in Blogs, Sagan | Tagged with coming of age, family, love, summer, teenager, youth
Sagan’s Bonjour Tristesse was an interesting read. I enjoyed reading about the privileged Cécile and her problems, more so because her issues seemed both superficial and deep simultaneously. While reading this text, I couldn’t help but make parallels to Moravia’s Agostino because of how the genders have reversed in Sagan’s text. Cécile is more mature about her feelings for her father as opposed to Agostino, a boy at the verge of puberty. I found the bond between Cécile and her father quite interesting because of the possessiveness she has over her father and how she views him more as a friend than a father in most situations.
I was quite perplexed about what to feel for Anne, as our narrator herself kept swaying between love and hate for her. Initially, she was excited at the prospect of her joining them, but over time she grew more impatient with her because of Anne’s need to ‘fix’ her. Moreover, it was hard to tell who was being ‘dramatic’ and who wasn’t solely from Cécile’s perspective because she switched from emotion to emotion herself. I found her awareness of her privilege and her spoilt lifestyle quite funny because of how openly she expressed her joy for the frivolous parties she attended. Her father supported this and even found joy in the fact that she thought this way. His character was also a weird one, and I found Cécile’s description of him as a ‘big baby’ to be quite accurate.
Often, it felt as if Cécile played the role of the parent instead of her father. This was an intriguing dynamic to read because both made careless, impulsive decisions, often without considering others. Overall, I found this portrayal of frivolity to be humorous to read.
Additionally, I agree with the idea proposed in the lecture that certain words and phrases cannot be translated as their meaning is only conveyed in the intended language. I find how Cécile welcomes this feeling of melancholy funny, purely because she adds her twist to it with the sarcastic tone she seems to say it with.
All in all, I enjoyed this text thoroughly. My question to the class would be: what did you think about Cécile’s privilege? How do you think it impacted the decisions that she made and the way she views people?
Posted in Blogs, Sagan | Tagged with family, narration, relationships
Sagan’s Bonjour Tristesse was an interesting read. I enjoyed reading about the privileged Cécile and her problems, more so because her issues seemed both superficial and deep simultaneously. While reading this text, I couldn’t help but make parallels to Moravia’s Agostino because of how the genders have reversed in Sagan’s text. Cécile is more mature about her feelings for her father as opposed to Agostino, a boy at the verge of puberty. I found the bond between Cécile and her father quite interesting because of the possessiveness she has over her father and how she views him more as a friend than a father in most situations.
I was quite perplexed about what to feel for Anne, as our narrator herself kept swaying between love and hate for her. Initially, she was excited at the prospect of her joining them, but over time she grew more impatient with her because of Anne’s need to ‘fix’ her. Moreover, it was hard to tell who was being ‘dramatic’ and who wasn’t solely from Cécile’s perspective because she switched from emotion to emotion herself. I found her awareness of her privilege and her spoilt lifestyle quite funny because of how openly she expressed her joy for the frivolous parties she attended. Her father supported this and even found joy in the fact that she thought this way. His character was also a weird one, and I found Cécile’s description of him as a ‘big baby’ to be quite accurate.
Often, it felt as if Cécile played the role of the parent instead of her father. This was an intriguing dynamic to read because both made careless, impulsive decisions, often without considering others. Overall, I found this portrayal of frivolity to be humorous to read.
Additionally, I agree with the idea proposed in the lecture that certain words and phrases cannot be translated as their meaning is only conveyed in the intended language. I find how Cécile welcomes this feeling of melancholy funny, purely because she adds her twist to it with the sarcastic tone she seems to say it with.
All in all, I enjoyed this text thoroughly. My question to the class would be: what did you think about Cécile’s privilege? How do you think it impacted the decisions that she made and the way she views people?
Posted in Blogs, Sagan | Tagged with family, narration, relationships
Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan was a bittersweet book about Cecile, a 17-year-old girl, as she grows up and learns…
Posted in Blogs, Sagan | Tagged with coming of age, France
