SparkNotes en francais, s'il vous plait.

April 30, 2009 9:11 AM

Help me find a (really) quick, easy way to familiarize myself with French literature. (more inside)

So in two weeks I'm scheduled to write an exam that is based heavily (one-third of the grade) on French literature, mostly classic, some modern.

Problem? I haven't done so much as a page of Camus in my life. So I'm basically looking for the French version of SparkNotes- a site which has plot summary, character and theme analysis, important quotes, et al. I'm fluent in French, so language isn't an issue. Free resources would be preferred over paid, though.

posted by Tamanna to education (3 comments total)

Just to cover the obvious: You do realize that the big names in French Lit are covered by the English-language Sparknotes, correct? Unless there's some problem in studying in English and taking an exam in French, why couldn't you study Dumas, Hugo, Camus, Sartre, Saint-Exupéry, etc. on the Sparknotes you know? Quotes would be different, obviously, but that doesn't sound like an impediment with your skill set. Are there other authors you need coverage on? Is the French canon or the reading list for the course totally incompatible with the western canon which is covered on sparknotes?
posted by cowbellemoo at 9:29 AM on April 30

Yup, I did check out the English Sparknotes, but there are a lot of linguistic nuances that are lost in translation- turns of phrase and the like. I was hoping to get a feel for the vocab as well as the literary bit. If nothing else, I'll go with the English ones, but I was really hoping for study guides in the original French.
posted by Tamanna at 9:58 AM on April 30

The equivalent of Sparknotes in French would be Balises from Nathan Publishers:
fnac.com/Balises-Nathan

There are about 220 booklets available, around 5 euros each in France (a bit more pricey at amazon.com).

The purists prefer a similar collection by Gallimard publishers, "Foliotheque", although the booklets are much more demanding, and cost about 10 euros each:
fnac.com/Foliotheque-Gallimard

Frankly, if the exam is in two weeks, I can't see how you can make it. May I suggest you shift plans and buy only one book, this one:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Talk-About-Books-Havent-Read/dp/1862079862

Good luck!
posted by dov at 1:38 PM on April 30