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Can you find an illustration called "The Faune" by George Barbier? Because I can't. [more inside]
posted by Joan Rivers of Babylon on Feb 17, 2020 - 5 answers

What are your favorite French-language family saga novels or novels that recount the story of a life? [more inside]
posted by andrewesque on Oct 6, 2017 - 7 answers

I have a small stack of French language more-or-less classic books to read. My French reading is okay but I need a dictionary frequently. My aims in reading them are to improve my reading knowledge of French and to reduce the number of books I have bought but not yet read. (And also to enjoy them in the usual way.) What is a sensible order to tackle these in so that the exotic-ness of the vocabulary, and any other sorts of language comprehension demands, rise progressively? [more inside]
posted by bertran on Jan 6, 2014 - 6 answers

Recently, I purchased a complete set of Balzac's Human Comedy for my Kindle. At roughly the same price as my morning coffee. Balzac was a infamously productive writer. So I'm asking for some recommendations to help me navigate this hyoooge corpus. [more inside]
posted by jason's_planet on Sep 1, 2013 - 4 answers

Help me identify this (French) Rilke poem. Details within. [more inside]
posted by naturalog on Jul 3, 2011 - 2 answers

I read a quote once, that is failing to come to mind... something like 'voila, la fenêtre', from a piece of french literature, or perhaps a play. it was meant as a darkly comedic response to a heartfelt expression, kinda like Catherine Keener's character did in Being John Malkovich. Anyone have an inkling?
posted by drgonzo on May 17, 2011 - 3 answers

I am looking for new books in the same category as Le Petit Nicolas, Gian Burrasca, and, kind of, Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. [more inside]
posted by bq on Apr 9, 2011 - 9 answers

Looking to identify a passage from Shakespeare that someone gave me written in French. [more inside]
posted by anonymous78 on May 16, 2010 - 5 answers

I need help building my French-language library. I'm looking for good books in French that aren't too tough for someone who isn't used to the language. All genres are welcome, but non-fiction and YA especially. [more inside]
posted by Tamanna on Mar 19, 2010 - 13 answers

I'm trying to learn French. I'm in France, which is a great start. I find I can just about manage with Tin Tin books so reckon that comics (BDs for the more francophone amongst you) or children's fiction will be a good way to relax whilst getting extra practice. Can you recommend some comics or kids books that are in French and not overly complicated linguistically? (I have tried Asterix, but the puns just fly past my confused brain).
posted by handee on Jul 15, 2009 - 25 answers

Help me find a (really) quick, easy way to familiarize myself with French literature. (more inside) [more inside]
posted by Tamanna on Apr 30, 2009 - 3 answers

Why is French language so mangled in David Foster Wallace's novel Infinite Jest? [more inside]
posted by elgilito on Mar 7, 2009 - 16 answers

Looking for a good english translation of the essay Les portes de l’opium by Marcel Schwob.
posted by jammy on Jan 11, 2009 - 2 answers

What book is this? I remember an intro that describes Paris, focuses on gold, and has some analogy about the city's inhabitants being like wheat or grain. [more inside]
posted by conch soup on May 9, 2008 - 4 answers

I need some help finding French poems that meet some specific guidelines. I'm currently in my 5th year of high school French. I'm going to a competition where I'll be reciting some memorized poetry, but I haven't had much luck finding anything good to memorize. I need some suggestions of French poems that are *good*, fairly long but not too long, and use moderately advanced vocabulary. I've looked, but I need some guidance from people who know more about this than me. [more inside]
posted by MadamM on Mar 13, 2008 - 25 answers

Help me truly cite this Antoine de Saint Exupery quote: "A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." [more inside]
posted by josh.ev9 on Mar 13, 2008 - 8 answers