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?
