I'd like to think I'm an aspiring academic, a burgeoning homme de lettres. I didn't like to read until third grade and even then, I wasn't sold on the whole thing. So, with a few extra years to get things in gear, I'm falling into books like that rich, old duck from "Duck Tales" would dive into his pile of gold during the opening credits (Perhaps I could have spent less time watching that and more time reading as a child).
Most jokes aside, I am being newly exposed to literature including classic novels, poetry, French & English ... and soon German! The results are many and varied. I'm using words like inculcate, natheless, and slimsy (personal fav), but additionally, my worldview is expanding.
I remember learning in college that among college graduates the populous having the lowest moral reasoning skills were elementary education majors (Human Growth & Development class). Ouch. But on the other hand, English majors had the highest. Funny. Why? Apparently, it's all that world literature.
So take it from a French major (I'll put myself in the English major category - smile), reading = good. Lest you weary in your search of discovering what those two good hours were all about this weekend, let me say that they were spent READING. For real!
During my 4-day weekend I had already read through other novels for classes I teach and finished Maria Chapdelaine (woot woot) for personal enrichment/good plain fun. Natheless, I set out to reread Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
I think I finally know what "all them smart people" are talking about when they say, "I couldn't put [the book] down." I'd always been like, "Well, why the heck not? Just lay it down. It's easy." Now I'm in the club. I plowed through those 90 (K, so it wasn't Anna Karenina) pages like it was my job. In reality it was my job because I'm a French teacher, but natheless, I digress.
Now I don't mean to sound like one of those books published by a kindergarten teacher which recounts the cute sayings uttered while walking to recess, but here are a few of Saint-Exupery's thoughts via his protagonist The Little Prince. Ask yourself as I did, were these coming from Saint-Ex's life experience, society as a whole, both?
1) Je désire que l'on prenne mes malheurs au sérieux.
I want people to take my misfortunes seriously.
2) C'est triste de perdre un ami.
It's sad to lose a friend.
3) C'est tellement mystérieux le pays des larmes.
The country of tears is such a mysterious one.
4) Il est plus difficile de se juger soi-meme que de juger autrui.
It's more difficult to judge yourself than to judge others.
5) Les vaniteux n'entendent jamais que les louanges.
Vain people never hear anything but praise.
6) On est un peu seul dans le désert. -On est seul aussi chez les hommes.
We are a little lonely in the desert. We are also lonely among others.
7) Le langage est source des malentendus.
Language is the source of misunderstandings.
8) On ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.
We can only see well with the heart. The essential part is invisible to the eyes.
9) On ne connait que les choses que l'on apprivoise.
We only those things which we [have taken the time to] tame.
10) C'est le temps que tu as perdu pour ta rose qui fait ta rose si importante.
It's the time that you have lost for your rose which makes it so important.
...
Below is a link to a reading of the aforementioned book. Read by two different actors, and animated with Saint-Ex's original illustrations, even the student of French would have a good level of comprehension. Give it a try!
