French Club | Organizations | Language, Literature and Writing

French Club? What? When? Where?

French CookThe weekly "Rendez-vous des amis" is the weekly heart of the French Club, meeting every Monday at 4 p.m., in the Calahan Reading Room (Third floor of the Student Union). It usually starts seriously, with the reading of a text in French about French culture, but as anyone always starts voicing an opinion about the text, it also usually ends up with a discussion for everyone to share a piece of their experience with French culture. Everyone is invited, so:

you don't need to speak French
you don't need to have experience about French culture

This semester should be different though, as a lot of events are to happen. We are always interested in meeting people who just want to know a little more!

Le Petit Prince

Last semester, we decided to read parts of "Le Petit Prince", a book written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry "for kids and grown-ups". The easiness to read (for the kids), and the philosophical content (for the grown-ups), but also the proficiency of French culture elements, makes it the perfect book for our French club!

Here is a note that Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote for the book, expressing pretty well the intention and easiness of the book:

A LEON WERTH,
Je demande pardon aux enfants d'avoir dédié ce livre à une grande personne. J'ai une excuse sérieuse: cette grande personne est le meilleur ami que j'ai au monde. J'ai une autre excuse: cette grande personne peut tout comprendre, même les livres pour enfants. J'ai une troisième excuse: cette grande personne habite la France, où elle a faim et froid. Elle a bien besoin d'être consolée. Si toutes ces excuses ne suffisent pas, je veux bien dédier ce livre à l'enfant qu'à été autrefois cette grande personne. Toutes les grandes personnes ont d'abord été des enfants. (Mais peu d'entre elles s'en souviennent.) Je corrige donc ma dédicace:
A LEON WERTH, quand il était petit garçon

FOR LEON WERTH,
I apologize to kids for dedicating this book to a grown-up. I have a serious excuse: this grown-up is the best friend I have in the world. I have another excuse: this grown-up can understand everything, even books for kids. I have a third excuse: this grown-up lives in France, where he is hungry and cold (book written during World War II). He needs to have this little happiness. If all these excuses are not enough, I agree to dedicate this book to the kid whom this grown-up used to be once. Every grown-up has been a kid. (But only a few of them remember.) I stand corrected:
FOR LEON WERTH, when he was a little boy