Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !

Mis à jour: 27 juin 2025


Daudet's love for his native land was intense. Its images were ever present to him; its poetry haunted him throughout his life. He urged young men ambitious of literary laurels to remain in their native provinces, to draw their inspiration from the soil, confident that something great and beautiful would result. Why did he not take for himself the counsel he so incessantly offered to others?

But in assenting to the suggestion of M. Guizot, your Excellency cannot too strongly impress upon his mind how much will depend upon the character of the persons who may be selected as commissioners, in order to inspire the necessary degree of confidence, and to ensure any useful result.

I felt that the English government could not with property say any thing on the subject to the government of France; for a like reason I could not, in my place in parlement, advert to it; but I thought that, when I was standing as an individual on the hustings before my constituents, I might use the liberty of speech belonging to the occasion, in order to draw public attention to proceedings which I think it would be for the honour of France to put an end to; and if the public discussion which my speech produced shall have the effect of putting an end to a thousand part of the human misery which I dwelt upon, I am sure M. Guizot will forgive me for saying that I should not think that result too dearly purchased by giving offence to the oldest and dearest friend I may have in the world.

From the fact that the romantic movement in France was, more emphatically than in England and Germany, a breach with the native literary tradition, there result several interesting pecularities. The first of these is that the new French school, instead of fighting the classicists with weapons drawn from the old arsenal of mediæval France, went abroad for allies.

Daudet's first intention was to entitle this work "Nord et midi," his idea being to contrast the north with the south, a theme for which he always had a predilection. Numa is a refined Tartarin; Daudet sends him to Paris, and studies the result. Numa carries all before him by his robust vigor and geniality.

31 9 fit fermer les grilles: cf. note to 7 25. 31 13 On s'inscrivait: inscrire = 'to inscribe, 'to enter, as on a register; s'inscrire= 'to enter one's name. He conversed calmly with his friends until the end. See Plato's "Apology", "Crito" and "Phaedo". 31 19 comme: cf. note to 29 22. 31 20 D'entendre: 'as a result of hearing, 'on hearing.

If a true child of the south, such as Tartarin or Bompard, were placed in a position of trust, he would not prove equal to the occasion and the result would be a Numa Roumestan. That is Daudet's verdict, and certainly his decision is not flattering to the south.

Let him, however remind his noble friend, that prince de Talleyrand had been the Minister of the last two kings of France; that prince de Talleyrand had also had a large and important share in the deliberations of the congress of Vienna; the result of which deliberations the noble marquis thought so wise and so good.

Mot du Jour

detto

D'autres à la Recherche