A Certain Smile

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Specific Smiles (known in French as Un sourire specific ), written within two months later published on in 1956, is Franz's second book SÃÆ'§oise. It tells about a student's love affair with a middle-aged man.

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Pengenalan plot

The novel tells of Dominique, a twenty-year-old law student who was bored at the Sorbonne in the mid-1950s in Paris. The back of the 1986 Penguin English translation depicts the young, thin and cynical Dominique.

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Plot summary

Dominique, a student in Paris has a lover, Bertrand, who one day introduces him to his uncle Luc and his wife FranÃÆ'§oise. Both Luc and Dominique were conscious of their common interest from the beginning, but Dominique survived for fear of harming Bertrand and Fran秧ise, to whom he formed a close attachment. They decided to become lovers, but spent two weeks in Cannes and promised not to fall in love. Both have a deep fear to hurt their partner, but more than that becomes bored. At the end of the two weeks and at their separation, Dominique realizes that he may fall in love with Luc. They spent the other nights together, but this time was colored by the sadness that Luc did not love Dominique back. When Fran秧ise finally learned about his affair, Dominique had to learn to forget Luc and accept the mortality of their relationship.

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Characters in Certain Smiles

• Dominique - The main character and narrator of the novel
• Bertrand - Dominique's lover at the beginning of the novel, also a student at Sorbonne
• Luc - Uncle Bertrand, the old businessman who became Dominique's lover
• FranÃÆ'§oise - Luc's Wife. A form of deep attachment to Dominique before his affair
• Catherine - Dominique and Bertrand's friends
• Alain - A student intellectual who 'befriends' Dominique after he returns from Cannes

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Main themes

A fairly simple narrative of this novel belies the attitude of the main characters. Dominique and Luc are afraid of boredom, but seem to enjoy the strangeness of their situation.

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Reaction

The novel was parodied by Jean Kerr at Harper's Bazaar in 1956 as "Toujours Tristesse". The parody also later appeared in his collection of essays, Please Do not Eat Aster .

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Publishing history

• 1956, U.S., E.P. Dutton
• 1957, Dell paperback
• 1969, Penguin, ISBNÃ, 0-14-001444-6
• 2011, University of Chicago Press (reprint edition of E.P. Dutton)

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Movies

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Song

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References

Source of the article : Wikipedia