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Au revoir, Tristesse : lessons in happiness from French literature
- Author / Creator
Details
- Creator
- Viv Groskop
- Format
- Books
- Language
- English
- Contributors
- Publication
-
- New York : Abrams Press, 2020
- Physical Details
-
- 1 online resource
- ISBNs
- 9781683357971, 1683357973, 1419742981, 9781419742989
- Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI Available via World Wide Web.
- Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Introduction: Happiness is . . . pretending to be French -- 1. Don't judge yourself for being young and foolish: Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan: (Or: Interfering in your father's love life can have dire consequences) -- 2. When memories visit you, soak them up: À La Recherche du Temps Perdu by Marcel Proust: (Or: Find excuses to eat your favorite cake) -- 3. Sometimes you've just got to make the most of what you've got: Gigi by Colette: (Or: Don't let someone publish your work under the name Willy)
- 4. No one can be truly happy while others suffer: Les Misérables by Victor Hugo: (Or: There are times when you need to write in your underpants) -- 5. Self-deceit is the surest path to misery: Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Choderlos de Laclos: (Or: Do not use your naked lover as a writing desk) -- 6. Do not judge your own happiness-just let it be: L'Amant by Marguerite Duras: (Or: Avoid excessive alcohol consumption) -- 7. True happiness may involve quite a lot of hypocrisy: Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert: (Or: Beware people who dump you by leaving a note in a basket of apricots)
- 8. Our greatest weaknesses conceal our greatest strengths: Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand: (Or: Be proud of your huge nose) -- 9. It's all very well to be ambitious as long as you are willing to pay the price: Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant: (Or: The bigger the moustache, the greater the fall) -- 10. Social climbing rarely pays off, but you'll probably want to do it anyway: Le Rouge et Le Noir by Stendhal: (Or: Don't flirt with the woman who pays you to teach her children Latin)
- 11. If you're going to behave badly, then do it in style: La Cousine Bette by Honoré de Balzac: (Or: Use your disappointing looks to fuel a campaign of revenge against your more attractive cousin) -- 12. Freedom matters more than anything: L'Étranger by Albert Camus: (Or: Don't take a gun to the beach) -- Conclusion: Happiness is not feeling that you have to pretend to be French -- Acknowledgments -- A Note on Other Writers -- Recommended Reading