According to French author Hortense de Monplaisir, Le Dossier is a study of 'English behaviour'. Having moved from Paris to London 10 years ago, Hortense has learned to love and hate many things about the English and formed strong opinions about the vast differences between them and the French in areas such as education, food and family. While some parts are witty and humourous, most of the book is pretentious. An example is when she writes about how the English queue for everything. Queues make sense to me - if other people have arrived before me to buy something, then it only seems fair that they get served first. Au contraire says Hortense, for the French are far too important and intelligent to waste their time waiting in line when they could just push to the front and be served straight away! Hmm.
I learned a lot of interesting aspects about the French while reading this book. They are remarkably disciplined, take pride in their appearance, are passionate and understand the importance of good parenting. They also lack in certain areas too, such as the ability to have a carefree attitude even for a second.
Three things I should note:
1. I was told that even French people hate Parisiennes and Hortense is one through and through, so it wouldnt be fair to generalise too much. My comments are based only on what she has already described the French to be.
2. There is a bit of French blood in me, so I'm careful not to be too unpatriotic!
3. I love anything French - the people, food, and any books that provide an insight to their culture, so Le Dossier is still very enjoyable to read.
No comments:
Post a Comment