NOTES, QUESTIONNAIRE, VOCABULARY
VOLTAIRE
1. sur-le-champ, immediately.
2. jésuites. Jesuits, members of the religious order founded by Ignatius Loyola in 1534. Voltaire attended a Jesuit school in Paris.
3. Euclide. Euclid, the Greek geometrician whose theorems form the basis of plane geometry.
4. Blaise Pascal. French mathematician, physicist and philosopher (1623–1662).
5. sa soeur. Gilberte (Madame Périer) wrote her brother’s biography, Vie de Blaise Pascal.
6. mufti. A member of the Mohammedan clergy. This may be an allusion to the Archbishop of Paris who condemned Voltaire’s Lettres Philosophiques.
7. se mit à. se mettre à, to begin.
8. lois de la gravitation. Allusion to the discoveries of Newton.
9. s’en servait. se servir de, to use.
10. Derham. The English scholar. Voltaire knew his book Astrotheology or a Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God from a Survey of the Heavens, 1715.
11. Lulli. Jean-Baptiste Lully (1633–1687), born in Italy, director of opera, has been called the father of French music. Voltaire defended Lully and French music in Le Siècle de Louis XIV.
12. le secrétaire de l’Académie de Saturne. Most scholars agree that this is a reference to Fontenelle (1657–1757), nephew of Corneille and secretary of the Académie des Sciences, and famous for his flowery style. In this story, Voltaire seems to be only mildly irritated with Fontenelle.
13. nous nous plaignons de. se plaindre de, to complain.
14. prendre leur parti. prendre son parti, to make up one’s mind, to resign oneself.
15. un illustre habitant. Huyghens (1629–1695), author of Systema Saturnium, 1659.
16. l’illustre archevêque de. It is not certain whether Voltaire is alluding to any one specific archbishop.
17. le père Castel. Castel (1688–1757), author of Traité de la Pesanteur Universelle, 1724, and other works.
18. se passât de. se passer de, to do without.
19. Nouveau style refers to the Gregorian calendar, now in general use, introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582.
20. entre deux eaux, idiom for “under water.”
21. une volée de philosophes. Maupertuis (1698–1759) and his associates left Dunkerque on May 2, 1736. They reached Paris August 20, 1737.
22. le dessous des cartes, an idiom. Voir le dessous des cartes, to be in the know.
23. il aura beau faire. avoir beau faire, to do in vain.
24. je viens de parler. venir de, to have just.
25. Leuwenhoek et Hartsoeker. Leeuwenhoek (1632–1723) and Hartsoeker (1656–1725), two scientists.
26. j’ai pris la nature sur le fait. An expression associated with Fontenelle.
27. le docteur Swift. During Voltaire’s visit to England, he developed a great admiration for Swift (1667–1745).
28. Virgile. See Georgics, Book IV, of Virgil, for the passage in question.
29. Swammerdam (1637–1680), a Dutch naturalist.
30. Réaumur (1683–1757), French physicist and naturalist.
31. cent mille fous, etc. Reference to the war between the Turks and Russians (1736–1739).
32. Aristote. Aristotle, the Greek philosopher of the 4th century B.C.
33. Descartes, the French philosopher of the 17th century (1596–1650).
34. Malebranche, French metaphysician (1638–1715).
35. Leibnitz, German philosopher (1646–1716).
36. Locke, John, English philosopher (1632–1704).
37. péripatéticien. A follower of Aristotle.
38. entéléchie. In Aristotle, signifies what for each being is the possession of its perfection, of its end.
39. Aristote. In the De Anima.
40. Somme de saint Thomas, etc. St. Thomas Aquinas (1226–1274) and his Summa Theologica, the major treatise in Christian philosophy which develops the anthropocentric view and which was attacked by many thinkers of the 17th and 18th centuries.
41. Homère. See Homer’s Iliad I, II, 599–600.
42. Un livre tout blanc. Reference to the Book of Fate.
BALZAC
1. Cuvier (1769–1832), French naturalist.
2. Hippocrate. Hippocrates (4th century BB.C.), Greek physician.
3. Galien. Galen (2nd century A.D.), Greek physician.
4. Aristote. Aristotle (4th century B.C.) Greek philosopher.
5. Magisme. Doctrine of the Magi, a priestly caste of Persia. Magianism, the art of mastering the secret forces in nature.
6. dont se servaient. se servir de, to use.
7. In 1804 Napoleon began to assemble flatboats at Boulogne for an invasion of England. In 1822 Las Cases began to publish the Mémorial de Sainte-Hélène in which Napoleon explains his actions.
8. s’en prenaient à. s’en prendre à, to attack.
9. Crébillon (1674–1762), French dramatist.
10. The ribbon of the Order of St. Michel.
11. L’Hôtel-Dieu, a Paris hospital.
12. Orestes was pursued by the Furies after killing his mother Clytemnestra. Pylades was his friend.
13. Séide, a slave of Mohammed whose name has become a synonym of blind devotion.
14. Omega, the last letter in the Greek alphabet.
15. Quartier Saint-Jacques is in the Latin Quarter.
16. Auvergnat. Native of Auvergne, province in central France.
17. Dubois (1756–1827), French physician.
18. faubourg Saint-Denis, a suburb north of Paris.
19. le Cantal, a department of Auvergne.
20. Saint-Sulpice, a large church in Paris.
21. La Fête-Dieu, Feast of Corpus Christi. In the procession the priest carries the Blessed Sacrament and walks under a canopy whose cords are held by laymen.
22. Broussais (1772–1832), French physician. Sangsues (leeches) are for letting blood.
23. Hoc est corpus (meum). “This is my body,” words spoken by Christ in the Last Supper.
24. Présence Réelle. A dogma of the Catholic Church. The bread and wine of the communion are changed into the actual flesh and blood of Christ.
25. Albigeois, the Albigenses, heretical sect in southern France in the Middle Ages. The Vaudois were a similar sect.
26. de natura rerum, on the nature of things.
27. la duchesse d’Angoulême (1778–1851), daughter of Louis XVI.
28. se paya de. se payer de, to be satisfied with.
29. in petto, in his heart.
30. l’Immaculée Conception. A dogma of the Catholic Church concerning the Virgin Mary.
31. faire raison de, to explain.
32. Molière’s play Tartuffe is a study of religious hypocrisy.
33. porte bâtarde, the intermediary door between the carriage door and the small door.
34. d’Arthez, a character who (like Bianchon and Desplein) appears in several novels of Balzac.
35. Zoppi, a café in the Latin Quarter.
36. Lucullus, a Roman general famous for his banquets.
37. sans sou ni maille, without a penny.
38. à bout portant, point blank.
39. Saint-Flour, a town in Auvergne.
40. Characteristically the s sound becomes ch in Auvergnat pronunciation.
41. marchand à la voie. Voie has the meaning of a “trip’s worth” of something. In this case, it is the contents of a water-carrier’s two buckets.
42. Lycurgue. Lycurgus, a Spartan legislator.
43. Philopémen. Greek general who was not recognized once when he was cutting wood.
44. C’est mal! This is wrong!
45. m’en vouloir. en vouloir à, to bear a grudge against.
46. Aux grands hommes, etc. The inscription on the Pantheon in Paris where many of the illustrious men of France are buried.
FLAUBERT
1. angélus. Angelus, a Catholic devotion commemorating the Incarnation, said at morning, noon and evening, at the sound of the Angelus bell.
2. s’en défaire, to get rid of.
3. il se mit à, he began to.
4. qui tombaient en arrêt, who came to a point.
5. avait beau faire des signes, vainly made signs.
BAUDELAIRE
1. Le Spleen de Paris was first published posthumously, in 1869.
2. Le Vieux Saltimbanque is No. 14 in the collection.
3. Jocrisse, a character in ancient farces. A fool, a simpleton.
4. Molière (1622–1673), French playwright.
5. Le Joujou du Pauvre is No. 19 in Le Spleen de Paris. This prose poem is taken from Morale du Joujou in Baudelaire’s book Curiosités Esthétiques.
6. La Corde is No. 30 in Le Spleen de Paris.
7. Manet (1832–1883), French painter.
8. La mère tenait à m’arracher. tenir à, with infinitive, to be bent on . . . .
DE MAUPASSANT
1. dont nous sommes longtemps à nous débarrasser. se débarrasser de, to free oneself from, to get rid of.
2. mon imagination seule ait fait les frais de. faire les frais de, to be the expense of, to be responsible for.
3. pépinière f. nursery (of plants). From pépin, seed, kernel, pit.
4. Le Luxembourg, the large garden in the Latin Quarter of Paris.
5. ciseaux m.pl. scissors; ciseaux de jardinier, gardener’s shears.
6. sans relâche, without respite.
7. allées en corridors, lanes criss-crossing one another.
8. culotte à pont, the entire front part of the trousers could be lowered or raised.
9. tabac d’Espagne, snuff, snuff-colored.
10. il se mit à, he began to.
11. un entrechat, leap with feet beating rapidly one against the other or crossing each other (ballet term).
12. à partir de ce jour, from that day on.
13. Opéra. The Opera House in Paris, but not the present Opera House. At the time of Louis XV (1715–1774) opera was usually sung at the Palais-Royal.
14. Comte de Clermont, of the royal line of Bourbons.
15. La Castris, proper name, assumed to be that of a dancer.
16. le menuet, slow dance, usually danced by two couples. Originated possibly in Poitou. Name derives from petits pas menus (mincing steps). Favorite court dance in the 17th and 18th centuries.
CLAUDEL
1. “Judas departed, and went and hanged himself.” (Matthew 27:5.)
2. feu de paille, literally means a straw fire.
3. en avoir le coeur net, to get to the bottom of it.
4. Lazare. Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha, who was raised from the dead by Jesus.
5. Joseph. Joseph of Arimathea, disciple of Christ.
6. Nicodème. Nicodemus, a Pharisee and disciple of Christ.
7. de toutes les couleurs, literally means of all colors.
8. Simon Pierre, Simon Peter, apostle.
9. “Because he was a thief.” (John 12:6.)
10. remettre sur le tapis, to bring up again for consideration.
11. à point nommé, in the nick of time.
12. hic et nunc, here and now.
13. John 8:58.
14. tomber du ciel, to come as a godsend.
15. casser bras et jambes, to bowl over.
16. en vouloir à, to bear a grudge against.
17. Caiaphas, high priest who condemned Christ.
18. John 11:50.
19. Gaza, city in Palestine.
20. Maccabees, a family of Jewish patriots.
21. Sanhedrin, council and tribunal of the Jews.
22. Polyclitus, Greek sculptor of the 5th century B.C.
23. Mattathias, father of the Maccabees.
24. Goethe (1749–1832), German writer.
25. Bethany, village in Palestine.
26. être au courant des aîtres, to know one’s way about a house.
27. Luke 17:1.
28. The origin of this expression had to do with hanging criminals. They waited until last to hang the biggest criminal and only then did they take away the ladder.
29. Golgotha, Calvary.
30. ce petit Pharisien, St. Paul.
31. “For there must be also heresies among you.” I Corinthians 11:19.
32. “Without natural affection.” Romans 1:31.
33. “See Judas hanging!”
GIDE
1. Le Retour de l’Enfant Prodigue first appeared in Vers et Prose, March–May, 1907.
2. Luke 15:11–32.
3. à défaut de bonheur, in place of happiness.
4. “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee.” Luke 15:18.
5. au défaut de la colline, where the hill tapers off.
6. “Bring forth the best robe and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
And bring hither the fatted calf and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry.
For this my son was dead, and is alive again . . .”
Luke 15:22–24.
7. Revelation 3:11.
8. Revelation 3:12.
9. cf. First Book of Samuel.
MAURIAC
1. Jean Giraudoux (1882–1944), novelist and playwright. He has devoted many pages to his province of Limousin and the city of Châteauroux where he attended the lycée.
2. les frères Tharaud. Jérôme (born 1874) and Jean Tharaud (born 1877), two French novelists.
3. Périgueux, principal city in the department of the Dordogne (and of the province of Périgord) in south-western France.
4. Emile Combes, a French statesman (1835–1921). Under his guidance, France took first steps toward the separation of Church and State.
5. Charles Baudelaire, cf. introduction to the Baudelaire selection. Les Petites Vieilles is one of the poems in Les Fleurs du Mal.
6. Arthur Rimbaud, French poet (1854–1891).
7. A line from the poem Bateau Ivre: “But truly, I have wept too much, the dawns are harrowing.”
8. A line from the Pensées of Pascal.
9. Alphonse de Lamartine (1790–1869), French poet.
10. Alfred de Musset (1810–1857), French poet.
11. Alfred de Vigny (1797–1863), French poet.
12. Sully Prudhomme (1839–1907), French poet.
13. Albert Samain (1859–1900), French poet.
14. Paul Verlaine (1844–1896), French poet.
15. Francis Jammes (1868–1938), French poet.
AYMÉ
1. Montmartre, the north section of Paris.
2. semaine anglaise, the five and a half day working week.
3. Crédit municipal, municipal pawn-office.
4. palmes académiques, decoration by the Ministry of Public Instruction.
5. être sur les dents, to be worn out.
6. vin blanc citron, white wine with lemon.
7. La Sûreté, The Criminal Investigation Department.
8. vie de bâtons de chaise, life of pleasure.
9. Butte means small hill and here refers to Montmartre.
CAMUS
1. djellabah, a loose over-garment worn by Moroccans.
2. chèche, a scarf.
3. commune, the smallest territorial division.
4. département, subdivision of a province, administered by a prefect.
5. être dans le même sac, to be in the same predicament.