Tuesday, October 6, 2009
En Francais Flaubert!
At least I wish my skills were still good enough to make it possible. I'm reading Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary. I can't say it is one of my favorites, but maybe I will like it better after I finish. Right now Madame Bovary, herself, is really bugging me. I detest selfish, self-absorbed main characters! I think I would also enjoy it more in French as I feel there is something lacking in the English translation (though, I am reading a copy using the claimed "best" translation). I think, also, there are some things going on in my personal world that contribute to an annoyance with such a character. Real life, right? There ARE some people out there that are like this...but sometimes, I think we can all show some similar characteristics and that's probably what bugs me: mine.
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Behold! I was correct in thinking there was much lost in the translation! French is a beautiful language and the time Flaubert used to find the perfect word was well spent. I just came across a sampling of Madame Bovary en francais (in an old French text I have recently rediscovered) and it is SO TRUE! I am searching for a cheap French copy of this novel now!
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