Wednesday 17 April 2013

Le Bourgeois gentilhomme

  Bonjour! This post shall be en français as I have a French oral exam in two weeks (yikes!). So, I need to practice, practice and practice! 


  ‘Le Bourgeois gentilhomme’ est la raison principale pour ma place à l’université de mes rêves. Pourquoi, vous demandez ? C’est parce que pendant l’interview, les profs et moi ont discuté ce livre (qui est aussi une pièce) pour quelques minutes et je pense que le livre me fait sembler profonde, MDR.
  
   Je dois avouer (avec un peu d’honte) que j’ai fini le livre en quatre mois car je suis une fille paresseuse…non, je plaisante. Je  ne l’ai lu guère à cause du fait que je n’ai pas beaucoup de temps de lire en ce moment à cause de la stresse de mon année finale à l’école. Ajoutons à cela le fait que je tergiverse beaucoup.
  
   Je voudrais dire que je suis une étudiante de français qui est très dédiée et donc, j’ai découvert Le Bourgeois gentilhomme moi-même mais  malheureusement, ce n’est pas le cas. Ma professeure préférée m’a donné le livre avec plusieurs autres comme un cadeau quand elle a quitté le pays et mon collège pour enseigner au Viêt-Nam ! Merci beaucoup, Mademoiselle Emma.
  
   Le Bourgeois gentilhomme est une pièce par le dramaturge et l’auteur français, ‘Molière’ qui est né Jean Baptiste Poquelin. Il est souvent cité comme un de maîtres de comédies le plus grand dans l’histoire de la littérature du monde Occidental et son talent avec la comédie est évident dans cet œuvre.
  
   Le récit est d’un homme, Monsieur Jourdain qui a une ambition et c’est qu’il veut être «noble». Pour réaliser son rêve, il fait de nombreuses choses bêtes ; par exemple, il fait des leçons avec un maître d’armes, un maître à danser, un maître de musique, un maître de philosophie, il veut que sa fille épouse seulement un homme avec «un  grand nom» et plus. Monsieur Jourdain est un homme très simple et donc, il est souvent trompé par des gens qui lui flatte pour recevoir des choses et sa femme, Madame Jourdain, la seule voix de raison dans la comédie est régulièrement agitée.
  
  Molière inclure des moments pour les chansons, les danses et le ballet dans cette pièce et on peut dire que c’est en fait une comédie musicale. Je l’ai trouvé absolument hilare et j’ai ri beaucoup en le lisant. D’abord, le titre est un oxymore- ce n’est pas possible d’être un gentilhomme et bourgeois au même temps- on est né en noblesse, on ne peut pas le devenir. Avec les tentatives de Monsieur Jourdain, Molière fait la satire du monde des classes supérieures et leurs pratiques ridicules dans le 17ème siècle. Il me semble que Molière a voulu partager le message que quoi qu’une personne soit «noble» ou «riche», cette personne n’est pas nécessairement meilleure que les autres. Je crois que c’est un thème très fort qui est aussi valable de nos jours car beaucoup de gens veulent être «bourgeois».
   
   Ma seule critique est l’utilisation de plusieurs danses et chansons mais peut-être je ne suis pas familière avec le style de Molière. En guise de conclusion, je suis très heureuse que j’ai fini (finalement !) cette pièce et je vais lire sans aucun doute une autre œuvre de Molière quand j’ai plus de temps. 

Rating 4/5 ****


Thursday 11 April 2013

The Great Gatsby

   I read 'The Great Gatsby' for the first time when I was in Year 11, aged 15, and I really didn't like it. When I got to Year 12, my English teacher told me that The Great Gatsby was one of our compulsory coursework texts. So, I re-read it, still holding all these negative thoughts about it and after closer study of the book, I now love The Great Gatsby and see why it is constantly hailed as a literary classic. I also got an A in my coursework, holllaaa. I think the reason why I disliked it so much before was because I wasn't mature enough to fully understand it but it is amazing how much a person can grow in the massive jump from Year 11 to Year 12.

  The Great Gatsby is often considered F Scott Fitzgerald's greatest work and it chronicles the capitalistic and materialistic world of the 'Roaring Twenties' in America after World War 1. This was a time of loose morals, money, prohibition, crime and a strong belief in the American Dream, themes that Fitzgerald explores in his work. Although The Great Gatsby is quite short, a lot can be taken from it. The story is told from the perspective of Nick Carraway, a man who is somewhat detached from the world of the affluent. His neighbour is the mysterious Jay Gatsby (the novel's title adds to this mystery, making him seem like a magician) who hosts lavish parties in order to catch the attention of his old flame, Daisy Buchanan (Nick's cousin), who lives across the bay in 'East Egg', whereas Nick and Gatsby live in 'West Egg'. It is implied that Daisy rejected Gatsby in the past due to his lack of fortune, making her his prime motivation to become a millionaire. The different 'Eggs' emphasize the disparities between 'Old Money', those who were born into wealth like Daisy and her husband, Tom Buchanan, whereas West Egg is for the 'New Money', those who had just made their fortunes. The Great Gatsby follows the titular character's intention of re-doing the past (reuniting with Daisy) and the consequences of the worlds of the 'Old Money' and 'New Money' colliding.

    When most people read The Great Gatsby, it is the character of Daisy Buchanan that they hate but for me, it was Gatsby himself. Yes, Daisy is extremely selfish and heartless with a high opinion of herself but in my opinion, Gatsby contributes to this by practically worshiping her, inflating her ego even more. However, you can't help but pity him slightly- he is only in love but this 'love' is questionable as he barely knows Daisy. Does he just want her as a living trophy to add to his already plentiful 'accomplishments'? In the novel, Fitzgerald explores themes such as the hypocrisy and callousness of the upper classes, a theme that is particularly evident in the novel's denouement. Another very important theme in The Great Gatsby is the corruption of the American Dream and this is shown through the way that many of the novel's characters have lost their moral compasses, Gatsby especially, who has gained the Dream through possibly illegal means. Fitzgerald stresses a very old message: money does not always bring happiness- neither Gatsby nor the Buchanans are content with their wealth.

  On the surface, The Great Gatsby is simply the ill-fated love story between Gatsby and Daisy but on a deeper level, it is so much more and a strong commentary on the society in that time and how over-indulgence can lead to a fall and in reality, the consumerism lead to the Great Depression of the 1930s.

  I'm very very excited that there is another film version of The Great Gatsby coming out this year. It is directed by Baz Luhrmann and I love his work, Moulin Rouge especially. It is an all star cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby (Robert Redford just didn't do it for me in the '74 adapation), Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan (I mention her here) and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway (Spiderman, anyone?). I'm also a huge fan of 'Gossip Girl' and I think some of the characters could have been inspired by The Great Gatsby. I mean, there's the whole Upper East Side (East Egg) vs Lower East Side (West Egg) thing and I surely can't be the only one that sees Serena van der Woodsen as Daisy and Dan Humphrey as Gatsby/Nick, right?

 Anyway, I am deviating from the book.To wrap this up, The Great Gatsby is great, even though the eponymous protagonist might not be. This post has been quite long because I just have so much to say about it. I'd really recommend it but be sure to read it with an open mind, even if some characters end up irritating you, *cough* Daisy *cough* Gatsby *cough*. However, in my opinion, a book is a good book if the characters strongly affect you.

Rating 4.5/5 ****

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Gatsby-F-Scott-Fitzgerald/dp/0241965675/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365642486&sr=1-3&keywords=the+great+gatsby