Study Of France

FRENCH MONUMENTS ACROSS THE WORLD AND FRENCH AUTHORS

This was a curricular activity undertaken by the students studying French as their 3rd language. An extended research activity conducted, which was not part of the school curriculum, so that the students can acquire an increased knowledge of French culture and France. The data collected was presented in the form of a power point programme Date:

25th October 2008

Participants: Students of Std. VIII & IX Age:

13 years – 14 years

Objective: The objective of this activity was to make the students aware of French empire across the world. How and where France left its mark globally. In addition to this the students were also exposed to French literature in a small way. They learnt about some famous French authors whose works have been appreciated not only in France but also all over the world. Evaluation: Questionnaire on the information administered on the student viewers to evaluate the understanding.

French being a foreign language for the students, it becomes necessary for them to learn about how the French influence spread globally. The French Colonial Empire is spread all over the world, from North America, Canada, large portions of South Africa and our very own India too. The aim of this activity was to make the students aware of France and its colonies across the world. Students have only heard of the British Empire not realizing that the French colonial empire was the 2nd largest after the British. French literature, one of the world's most brilliant, has been for centuries an impressive facet of French civilization, an object of national pride, and a principal focus for feelings of national identity. A high proportion of European literary trends have originated in France. Knowledge of French literature, in short, is the key to an understanding of the French people.

CONTENTS 

Global Colonial Empire of France

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Map of French colonies

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French monuments across the World

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French Literature

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Famous French Authors

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Supplementary Activity

GLOBAL COLONIAL EMPIRE OF FRANCE France had colonial possessions, in various forms, from the beginning of the 17th century until the 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, its global colonial empire was the second largest behind the British Empire. At its peak, between 1919 and 1939, the second French colonial empire extended over 12,347,000 km² (4,767,000 sq. miles) of land. Including metropolitan France, the total area of land under French sovereignty reached 12,898,000 km² (4,980,000 sq. miles) in the 1920s and 1930s, which is 8.6% of the world's land area. Currently, the remnants of this large empire are various islands and archipelagos located in the North Atlantic, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, the South Pacific, the North Pacific, and the Antarctic Ocean, as well as one mainland territory in South America, totaling altogether 123,150 km² (47,548 sq. miles), which amounts to only 1% of the pre1939 French colonial empire's area, with 2,564,000 people living in them in 2007. All of these enjoy full political representation at the national level, as well as varying degrees of legislative autonomy.

France leaves it’s mark!!!!

MAP OF FRENCH COLONIES

FRENCH MONUMENTS ACROSS THE WORLD The following colonies had various monuments constructed in remembrance of France. •

Canada – Québec City

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Pondicherry - India

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New York – U.S.A.

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Algiers - Algeria

Canada – Québec City

Wolfe-Montcalm Monument The French and the Canadians jointly erected this monument, featuring French General Louis-Joseph Montcalm with an angel over his shoulder. Montcalm had overseen four major battle victories in North America before finally losing in his most famous battle, the one that ultimately cost France the territory of New France, which at war's end was ceded to Britain. It is an excellent stop when seen in conjunction with Military Cemetery.

Parc Jeanne D'Arc The Parc Jeanne D'Arc (in English, "Joan of Arc Park") is famous for its gardens, a hybrid of both French and English styles. Perhaps fitting for a country exhibiting influences from both cultures, this garden varies between the strict geometric symmetry of French gardens with the chaotic splendor of an English garden. Located in Battlefields Park, it features a statue of Joan of Arc, in front of which Canada’s national anthem ("O Canada") was sung for the first time

Pondicherry - India

The memorial to French soldiers of world war one Joseph Francois Dupleix, a great statesman was the Governor of Pondicherry between 1742 and 1754. His life was greatly associated with the people of the Pondicherry. He had tried his best to prevent British Supremacy from Indian Territory by making alliances with local princess. In the struggle for power between British and French, finally French was defeated in the Second Carnatic War. Hence Dupleix relinquished his Governorship and returned to Paris in disgrace. His memorial statue is located at Goubert Avenue

New York – USA

Algiers - Algeria

This War Memorial was erected in of the martyrs of the war of The Statue of Liberty was presented by theremembrance people independence from France of France to the people of the United States in 1886 to honor the friendship between the two nations. Today, it is recognized as a symbol of liberty throughout the world

FRENCH LITERATURE

French literature, one of the world's most brilliant, has been for centuries an impressive facet of French civilization, an object of national pride, and a principal focus for feelings of national identity. Because the French are a literate people, passionately interested in questions of language and in the exploration of ideas, the influence of French intellectuals on the course of French history during the last three centuries has been great, and remains so today. A high proportion of European literary trends have originated in France. The continuing prestige of literature in France is evidenced today by the innumerable private societies devoted to individual authors and by the large number of literary prizes awarded each year. Knowledge of French literature, in short, is the key to an understanding of the French people.

“A word is a bud attempting to become a twig. How can one not dream while writing? It is the pen which dreams. The blank page gives the right to dream.” Gaston Bachelard (1884-1962), French scientist, philosopher, literary theorist.

FAMOUS FRENCH AUTHORS •

Honoré De Balzac

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Jules Verne

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Victor Hugo

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Molière

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Alexandre Dumas, père

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Jean de La Fontaine

Original name Honoré Balssa French literary artist who produced a vast number of novels and short stories collectively called La Comédie Humaine (The Human Comedy). He helped to establish the orthodox classical novel and is generally considered to be one of the greatest fiction writers of all time. Some of his famous works are: A Drama on the Seashore

A Man of Business An Episode under the Terror A Passion in the Desert Christ in Flanders El Verdugo

Jules Verne 1828 - 1905 Verne, Jules (1828-1905), French author, who is often regarded as the father of science fiction. He was born in Nantes, France, and ran away to sea at the age of 11. After he was sent home in disgrace, he vowed to travel only in his imagination. He carried out this pledge in more than 50 works that combine scientific fantasy and exciting adventure. Verne studied law in Paris, and from 1848 until 1863 wrote opera librettos and plays. Many publishers rejected his work, until one publisher suggested he rewrite it in the form of an adventure story. The result was Cinq semaines en ballon (1863; Five Weeks in a Balloon, 1869). Its success encouraged Verne to write other tales of adventure in distant lands. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Part 01 1870 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Part 02 1870 A Captain at Fifteen 1878 A Journey to the Interior of the Earth 1864 An Antarctic Mystery 1897

Around the World in 80 Days

“ Each man should frame life so the at some future hour fact and his dreaming meet” Victor Hugo was born on February 26, 1802 in Besancon, France. He was a poet, novelist, and dramatist and the most important French Romantic writer of the 19th Century. Hugo is best known for his novels “Notre-Dame de Paris” (a.k.a Hunchback of Notre-Dame) (1831) and “Les Miserables (1862). Hugo created poems and novels that integrated political and philosophical questions with stories of his times. Many of Hugo's poems addressed the social disquiet of postrevolutionary France and others to the glory of Napoleon. He wrote with simplicity and power of the joys and sorrows of life. Hugo authored an enormous body of work. Every morning he would write at least 100 lines of verse or 20 pages of prose.

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, also known by his stage name, Molière (1622 - 1673) was a French playwright and actor

who is considered one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature. Among Molière's best-known dramas are Le Misanthrope, (The Misanthrope), L’ Ecole des Femmes (The School for Wives), Tartuffe ou l’ Imposteur, (Tartuffe or the Hypocrite), L’Avare ou l’ Ecole du Mensonge (The Miser), and Le Bourgeoise Gentilhomme (The Bourgeois Gentleman). From a prosperous family and having studied at the Jesuit Clermont College. Molière was well suited to begin a life in the theatre. Thirteen years as an itinerant actor helped to polish his comic abilities while he also began writing, combining Commedia del’Arte elements with the more refined French comedy

Alexandre Dumas, père July 24, 1802 – December 5, 1870 Alexandre Dumas, père (French for "father", akin to Senior in English), born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a French writer, best known for his numerous historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world. Many of his novels, including The Count of Monte Christo, The Three Musketeers, and The Man in the Iron Mask were serialized, and he also wrote plays and magazine articles and was a prolific correspondent.

Jean de La Fontaine July 8, 1621 – April 13, 1695 Jean de La Fontaine French fabulist and probably the most widely read French poet of the 17th century. According to Flaubert, he was the only French poet to understand and master the texture of the French language before Hugo. A set of postage stamps celebrating La Fontaine and the Fables was issued by France in 1995. A film of his life has been released in France in April 2007 (Jean de La Fontaine - le défi starring Laurent Deutsch).

was the most famous

Among La Fontaine's major works are CONTES ET NOUVELLES EN VERS (1664), a collection of tales borrowed from Italian sources, tales of Boccaccio, Rabelais, and other medieval and renaissance masters, and LES AMOURS DE PSYCHÉ ET DE CUPIDON (1669). His FABLES CHOISIES MISES EN VERS, usually called 'La Fontaine Fables', was published over the last 25 years of his life. The first volume appeared when the author was 47. The book includes some 240 poems and timeless stories of country folk, heroes from Greek mythology, and familiar beasts from the fables of Aesop, from which La Fontaine unhesitatingly borrowed his material.

EXTENDING THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE: This activity was conducted as an Extended Learning Experience outside of the curriculum. This was more of a research activity, where the students were divided into groups and asked to find out details about different aspects about France. For e.g. French Monuments in France, French flag, the national anthem of France, wine, cheese and fashion etc. Questionnaire on the information in the different aspects of French Culture and Monuments were administered to the students; prizes were given to students who proved their excellence in assimilating the data presented.

CONTENT OF THE PRESENTATIONS ON FRENCH MONUMNETS & CULTURE

Symbols of the Government of France

The current coat of arms of France has been a symbol of France since 1953, although it does not have any legal status as an official coat of arms. It appears on the cover of French passports and was originally adopted by the French Foreign Ministry as a symbol for use by diplomatic and consular missions in 1912 using a design drawn up by the sculptor Jules-Clément Chaplain.

Le Drapeau de la France The French national flag, the tricolore, consists of three vertical bands of equal width, displaying the national colors of France: blue, white and red. The blue band is nearest the flag-staff, the white in the middle, and the red on the outside. The flag-staff is surmounted by a fer-de-lance (lance head) and on all military flags appears the motto: République Française: Honneur et Patrie (French Republic: Honor and Country).

The National Logo The Prime Minister (Lionel Jospin) authorized the use of a state logo (shown above) to be used on all the documents of French ministries and administrations. It is now widely used on

government documents. The attractive logo depicts Marianne, on a background based on the French tricolore flag, with the motto of the French Republic below it.

The National Anthem

La Marseillaise

On 25th April 1792, Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle, a Captain of the Engineers in the Rhine Army, composed a marching tune for the French army at the request of the Mayor of Strasbourg. The song was originally entitled Chant de guerre de l'armeé du Rhin (War Song of the Army of the Rhine). It was first played at a patriotic banquet where it captured everyone's attention with its stirring melody. It became so popular with volunteer army units from Marseilles that it was renamed after those units, coming to be called ‘La Marseillaise’.

La Tour Eiffel The Eiffel Tower is the tallest iron structure, constructed by Gustave Eiffel in 1889. The tower has become a global icon of France and is one of the most recognizable structures in the world.

Château de Versailles

The Château de Versailles, or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles, France. From 1682, when King Louis XIV moved from Paris, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in 1789, the Court of Versailles was the centre of power in France. Versailles is therefore famous not only as a building, but as a symbol of the system of absolute monarchy which Louis XIV espoused.

Notre Dame de Paris Notre Dame de Paris, known simply as Notre Dame in English, is a Gothic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in Paris, France. It is still used as a Roman Catholic cathedral and is the seat of the Archbishop of Paris. It is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. It was restored and saved from destruction by Viollet-le-Duc, one of France's most famous architects. Notre Dame translates as "Our Lady" from French.

L’ Arc de Triomphe The Arc de Triomphe is a monument in Paris that stands in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle. The arch honors those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars, and today also includes the tomb of the unknown soldier.

The monument was designed by Jean Chalgrin in 1806, and set the tone for public monuments, with triumphant nationalistic messages, until World War I.

Basilique du Sacré-Cœur The Sacré-Cœur Basilica (French: Basilique du SacréCœur, "Basilica of the Sacred Heart") is a Roman Catholic basilica and popular landmark in Paris, France, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ.

Le Musée du Louvre The Louvre (French: Musée du Louvre) in Paris, France, is the most visited and one of the oldest, largest, and most famous art galleries and museums in the world.

The Louvre has a long history of artistic and historic conservation. The building was previously a royal palace and holds some of the world's most famous works of art, such as Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, The Virgin and Child with St. Anne, Madonna of the Rocks, Jacques Louis David's Oath of the Horatii, Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People and Alexandros of Antioch's Venus de Milo. Located in the centre of the city of Paris, between the Rive Droite of the Seine and the rue de Rivoli in the Ier arrondissement, it is accessed by the Palais Royal — Musée du Louvre Metro station. With 8.3 million visitors in 2006, the Louvre is the most visited art museum in the world.

Le Fromage Français (French Cheese) Gen. Charles de Gaulle, remarking on the difficulty of uniting the French on a single issue after WWII, famously grumbled: “You cannot easily bring together a country that has 265 kinds of cheese." These days, France’s cheese count is upwards of 500 types.

Le Fromage Français (French Cheese)

The French consume lots of cheese, Camembert is the undisputed favorite. French cheese is made from cow,

goat or sheep milk. The milk can be pasteurized or raw – the French prefer cheese made from unpasteurized milk.

Le Vin Français France is one of the oldest wine-producing regions of Europe. The production of wine in France has its origins in the 6th century BC, with the colonization of Southern Gaul by Greek settlers. During the Middle Ages, monks maintained vineyards and, more importantly, wine making knowledge and skills during that period.

France now produces the most wine by value in the world. The Bordeaux, the Bourgogne and Champagne are important agricultural products.

ABOUT FRENCH FASHION One of the most fascinating aspects of French Fashion is the way it is embedded in French society. Paris continues to be the Fashion Capital of the world and it is no surprise to see why. Considering that Paris is home to a gigantic fabric industry that works with couture houses. French Fashion will always produce different styles that will push the envelope and influence future generations of fashion.

PARIS-The Fashion Capital

Paris, France, along with Tokyo, London, Milan, and New York City, is one of the world's fashion capitals. The city has been an international fashion center for hundreds of years, and is home to several premier fashion houses. Haute couture originated in Paris and is thriving to this day. Many of the world's top designers were French, including Chanel, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Lanvin, Chole, Hermes, Alaia, Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Louboutin.

TEACHER’S VIEW: This activity which was conducted inside the French class rooms were very well received by the students. They gathered most of the information on specific topics identified by me and helped me to compile the powerpoint presentation. It was a very rewarding experience for both the teacher and the learner. We could understand the extend and spread of French culture and institutions across the world. Out of the 13 students on whom the questionnaire was administered, 5 could get all correct-20 out of 20, 4 could attain 16 out of 20, 3 students 11 out of 20 and 1 student 9 out of 20. We decided to embark upon such type of learning adventures on chapters which are part of the syllabus. Mrs. Rachna Bakshi French Teacher, Std. VIII