FRENCH MONUMENTS ACROSS THE WORLD

AND FRENCH AUTHORS

This was a curricular activity undertaken by the students studying French as their 3rd
language.

An extended research activity conducted, which was not part of the school curriculum, so
that the students can acquire an increased knowledge of French culture and France. The
data collected was presented in the form of a power point programme

Date: 25th October 2008

Participants: Students of Std. VIII & IX
Age: 13 years – 14 years
Objective:
The objective of this activity was to make the students aware of French empire across the
world. How and where France left its mark globally. In addition to this the students were
also exposed to French literature in a small way. They learnt about some famous French
authors whose works have been appreciated not only in France but also all over the
world.
Evaluation:
Questionnaire on the information administered on the student viewers to evaluate the
understanding.
French being a foreign language for the students, it becomes necessary for them to learn
about how the French influence spread globally. The French Colonial Empire is spread
all over the world, from North America, Canada, large portions of South Africa and our
very own India too.

The aim of this activity was to make the students aware of France and its colonies across
the world. Students have only heard of the British Empire not realizing that the French
colonial empire was the 2nd largest after the British.

French literature, one of the world's most brilliant, has been for centuries an impressive
facet of French civilization, an object of national pride, and a principal focus for feelings
of national identity. A high proportion of European literary trends have originated in
France. Knowledge of French literature, in short, is the key to an understanding of the
French people.

CONTENTS

 Global Colonial Empire of France

 Map of French colonies
 French monuments across the World
 French Literature
 Famous French Authors
 Supplementary Activity
 GLOBAL COLONIAL EMPIRE OF FRANCE

France had colonial possessions, in various forms, from the beginning of the 17th century
until the 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, its global colonial empire was the second
largest behind the British Empire. At its peak, between 1919 and 1939, the second French
colonial empire extended over 12,347,000 km² (4,767,000 sq. miles) of land. Including
metropolitan France, the total area of land under French sovereignty reached 12,898,000
km² (4,980,000 sq. miles) in the 1920s and 1930s, which is 8.6% of the world's land area.

Currently, the remnants of this large empire are various islands and archipelagos located
in the North Atlantic, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, the South Pacific, the North
Pacific, and the Antarctic Ocean, as well as one mainland territory in South America,
totaling altogether 123,150 km² (47,548 sq. miles), which amounts to only 1% of the pre-
1939 French colonial empire's area, with 2,564,000 people living in them in 2007. All of
these enjoy full political representation at the national level, as well as varying degrees of
legislative autonomy.

France leaves it’s mark!!!!

MAP OF FRENCH COLONIES
 FRENCH MONUMENTS ACROSS THE WORLD

The following colonies had various monuments constructed in remembrance of France.

• Canada – Québec City

• Pondicherry - India
• New York – U.S.A.
• Algiers - Algeria

Canada – Québec City

Wolfe-Montcalm Monument Parc Jeanne D'Arc

The French and the Canadians jointly
erected this monument, featuring French
General Louis-Joseph Montcalm with an
angel over his shoulder. Montcalm had
overseen four major battle victories in North
America before finally losing in his most
famous battle, the one that ultimately cost
France the territory of New France, which at
war's end was ceded to Britain. It is an
excellent stop when seen in conjunction with
Military Cemetery.
The Parc Jeanne D'Arc (in English, "Joan of Arc
Park") is famous for its gardens, a hybrid of
both French and English styles. Perhaps fitting
for a country exhibiting influences from both
cultures, this garden varies between the strict
geometric symmetry of French gardens with the
chaotic splendor of an English garden. Located
in Battlefields Park, it features a statue of Joan
of Arc, in front of which Canada’s national
anthem ("O Canada") was sung for the first time
 Pondicherry - India

The memorial to French soldiers of world war one

Joseph Francois Dupleix, a great statesman was the Governor of Pondicherry between
1742 and 1754. His life was greatly associated with the people of the Pondicherry. He
had tried his best to prevent British Supremacy from Indian Territory by making alliances
with local princess.
In the struggle for power between British and French, finally French was defeated in the
Second Carnatic War. Hence Dupleix relinquished his Governorship and returned to Paris
in disgrace. His memorial statue is located at Goubert Avenue
New York – USA Algiers - Algeria
 This War Memorial was erected in
The Statue of Liberty was presented by theremembrance
people of the martyrs of the war of
independence
of France to the people of the United States in 1886 from France
to honor the friendship between the two nations.
Today, it is recognized as a symbol of liberty
throughout the world FRENCH LITERATURE

French literature, one of the world's most brilliant, has been for centuries an impressive
facet of French civilization, an object of national pride, and a principal focus for feelings
of national identity. Because the French are a literate people, passionately interested in
questions of language and in the exploration of ideas, the influence of French intellectuals
on the course of French history during the last three centuries has been great, and remains
so today. A high proportion of European literary trends have originated in France. The
continuing prestige of literature in France is evidenced today by the innumerable private
societies devoted to individual authors and by the large number of literary prizes awarded
each year. Knowledge of French literature, in short, is the key to an understanding of the
French people.

“A word is a bud attempting to become a twig. How can one not dream
while writing? It is the pen which dreams. The blank page gives the right to
dream.”
Gaston Bachelard (1884-1962), French scientist, philosopher, literary theorist.
 FAMOUS FRENCH AUTHORS

• Honoré De Balzac
• Jules Verne
• Victor Hugo
• Molière
• Alexandre Dumas, père
• Jean de La Fontaine

Original name Honoré Balssa French literary artist who

produced a vast number of novels and short stories collectively
called La Comédie Humaine (The Human Comedy). He helped
to establish the orthodox classical novel and is generally
considered to be one of the greatest fiction writers of all time.

Some of his famous works are:

A Drama on the Seashore

A Man of Business
An Episode under the Terror
A Passion in the Desert
Christ in Flanders
El Verdugo

Jules Verne
1828 - 1905
Verne, Jules (1828-1905),
French author, who is often regarded as the father
of science fiction. He was born in Nantes, France,
and ran away to sea at the age of 11. After he was
sent home in disgrace, he vowed to travel only in
his imagination. He carried out this pledge in more
than 50 works that combine scientific fantasy and
exciting adventure.

Verne studied law in Paris, and from 1848 until

1863 wrote opera librettos and plays. Many
publishers rejected his work, until one publisher
suggested he rewrite it in the form of an adventure
story. The result was Cinq semaines en ballon (1863; Five Weeks in a Balloon, 1869).
Its success encouraged Verne to write other tales of adventure in distant lands.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Part 01 1870

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Part 02 1870
A Captain at Fifteen 1878
A Journey to the Interior of the Earth 1864
An Antarctic Mystery 1897
Around the World in 80 Days

“ Each man should frame life so the at some future hour

fact and his dreaming meet”

Victor Hugo was born on February 26, 1802 in Besancon,

France. He was a poet, novelist, and dramatist and the most
important French Romantic writer of the 19th Century. Hugo
is best known for his novels “Notre-Dame de Paris” (a.k.a
Hunchback of Notre-Dame) (1831) and “Les Miserables
(1862).

Hugo created poems and novels that integrated political and

philosophical questions with stories of his times. Many of
Hugo's poems addressed the social disquiet of post-
revolutionary France and others to the glory of Napoleon. He
wrote with simplicity and power of the joys and sorrows of life. Hugo authored an
enormous body of work. Every morning he would write at least 100 lines of verse or 20
pages of prose.

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, also known by his stage name,

Molière (1622 - 1673) was a French playwright and actor
who is considered one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature. Among
Molière's best-known dramas are Le Misanthrope, (The Misanthrope), L’ Ecole des
Femmes (The School for Wives), Tartuffe ou l’ Imposteur, (Tartuffe or the Hypocrite),
L’Avare ou l’ Ecole du Mensonge (The Miser), and Le Bourgeoise Gentilhomme (The
Bourgeois Gentleman).

From a prosperous family and having studied at the Jesuit Clermont College. Molière was
well suited to begin a life in the theatre. Thirteen years as an itinerant actor helped to
polish his comic abilities while he also began writing, combining Commedia del’Arte
elements with the more refined French comedy

Alexandre Dumas, père

July 24, 1802 – December 5, 1870

Alexandre Dumas, père (French for "father", akin to Senior in

English), born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a French writer,
best known for his numerous historical novels of high adventure
which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in
the world. Many of his novels, including The Count of Monte
Christo, The Three Musketeers, and The Man in the Iron Mask were
serialized, and he also wrote plays and magazine articles and was a
prolific correspondent.

Jean de La Fontaine
July 8, 1621 – April 13, 1695

Jean de La Fontaine was the most famous

French fabulist and probably the most widely read French poet
of the 17th century.
According to Flaubert, he was the only French poet to
understand and master the texture of the French language
before Hugo. A set of postage stamps celebrating La Fontaine
and the Fables was issued by France in 1995. A film of his life
has been released in France in April 2007 (Jean de La
Fontaine - le défi starring Laurent Deutsch).
Among La Fontaine's major works are CONTES ET NOUVELLES EN VERS (1664), a
collection of tales borrowed from Italian sources, tales of Boccaccio, Rabelais, and other
medieval and renaissance masters, and LES AMOURS DE PSYCHÉ ET DE CUPIDON
(1669). His FABLES CHOISIES MISES EN VERS, usually called 'La Fontaine Fables',
was published over the last 25 years of his life. The first volume appeared when the
author was 47. The book includes some 240 poems and timeless stories of country folk,
heroes from Greek mythology, and familiar beasts from the fables of Aesop, from which
La Fontaine unhesitatingly borrowed his material.

EXTENDING THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE:

This activity was conducted as an Extended Learning Experience outside of the
curriculum. This was more of a research activity, where the students were divided into
groups and asked to find out details about different aspects about France. For e.g. French
Monuments in France, French flag, the national anthem of France, wine, cheese and
fashion etc.

Questionnaire on the information in the different aspects of French Culture and

Monuments were administered to the students; prizes were given to students who proved
their excellence in assimilating the data presented.
CONTENT OF THE PRESENTATIONS ON
FRENCH MONUMNETS & CULTURE
Symbols of the Government
of France

The current coat of arms of France has been a symbol of France

since 1953, although it does not have any legal status as an official
coat of arms. It appears on the cover of French passports and was
originally adopted by the French Foreign Ministry as a symbol for
use by diplomatic and consular missions in 1912 using a design
drawn up by the sculptor Jules-Clément Chaplain.

Le Drapeau de la France
The French national flag, the tricolore, consists of three vertical
bands of equal width, displaying the national colors of France:
blue, white and red. The blue band is nearest the flag-staff, the
white in the middle, and the red on the outside. The flag-staff is
surmounted by a fer-de-lance (lance head) and on all military flags
appears the motto: République Française: Honneur et Patrie
(French Republic: Honor and Country).

The National Logo

The Prime Minister (Lionel Jospin) authorized the use of a state
logo (shown above) to be used on all the documents of French
ministries and administrations. It is now widely used on
government documents. The attractive logo depicts Marianne, on a background based on
the French tricolore flag, with the motto of the French Republic below it.

The National Anthem

La Marseillaise
On 25th April 1792, Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle, a Captain of the Engineers in the
Rhine Army, composed a marching tune for the French army at the request of the Mayor
of Strasbourg.
The song was originally entitled Chant de guerre de l'armeé du Rhin (War Song of the
Army of the Rhine). It was first played at a patriotic banquet where it captured everyone's
attention with its stirring melody.
It became so popular with volunteer army units from Marseilles that it was renamed after
those units, coming to be called ‘La Marseillaise’.
 La Tour Eiffel
The Eiffel Tower is the tallest iron structure, constructed
by Gustave Eiffel in 1889.
The tower has become a global icon of France and is one
of the most recognizable structures in the world.

Château de
Versailles
The Château de Versailles, or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles, France.

From 1682, when King Louis XIV moved from Paris, until the royal family was forced to
return to the capital in 1789, the Court of Versailles was the centre of power in France.
Versailles is therefore famous not only as a building, but as a symbol of the system of
absolute monarchy which Louis XIV espoused.

Notre Dame de Paris

Notre Dame de Paris, known simply as Notre Dame in

English, is a Gothic cathedral on the eastern half of the
Île de la Cité in Paris, France. It is still used as a Roman
Catholic cathedral and is the seat of the Archbishop of
Paris. It is widely considered one of the finest examples
of French Gothic architecture. It was restored and saved
from destruction by Viollet-le-Duc, one of France's
most famous architects. Notre Dame translates as "Our
Lady" from French.

L’ Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe is a monument in Paris that stands in

the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle. The arch honors
those who fought for France, particularly during the
Napoleonic Wars, and today also includes the tomb of the
unknown soldier.
The monument was designed by Jean Chalgrin in 1806, and set the tone for public
monuments, with triumphant nationalistic messages, until World War I.

Basilique du Sacré-Cœur

The Sacré-Cœur Basilica (French: Basilique du Sacré-

Cœur, "Basilica of the Sacred Heart") is a Roman
Catholic basilica and popular landmark in Paris, France,
dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ.

Le Musée du Louvre
The Louvre (French: Musée du Louvre) in Paris,
France, is the most visited and one of the oldest,
largest, and most famous art galleries and
museums in the world.
The Louvre has a long history of artistic and historic conservation. The building was
previously a royal palace and holds some of the world's most famous works of art, such
as Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, The Virgin and Child with St. Anne, Madonna of the
Rocks, Jacques Louis David's Oath of the Horatii, Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People
and Alexandros of Antioch's Venus de Milo. Located in the centre of the city of Paris,
between the Rive Droite of the Seine and the rue de Rivoli in the Ier arrondissement, it is
accessed by the Palais Royal — Musée du Louvre Metro station.

With 8.3 million visitors in 2006, the Louvre is the most visited art museum in the world.

Le Fromage Français
(French Cheese)
Gen. Charles de Gaulle, remarking on the
difficulty of uniting the French on a single issue
after WWII, famously grumbled: “You cannot
easily bring together a country that has 265 kinds
of cheese." These days, France’s cheese count is
upwards of 500 types.

Le Fromage Français
(French Cheese)

The French consume lots of cheese, Camembert is the

undisputed favorite. French cheese is made from cow,
goat or sheep milk. The milk can be pasteurized or raw – the French prefer cheese made
from unpasteurized milk.

Le Vin Français

France is one of the oldest wine-producing regions of

Europe. The production of wine in France has its
origins in the 6th century BC, with the colonization of
Southern Gaul by Greek settlers. During the Middle
Ages, monks maintained vineyards and, more
importantly, wine making knowledge and skills during
that period.

France now produces the most wine by value in the

world.

The Bordeaux, the Bourgogne and Champagne are

important agricultural products.
 ABOUT FRENCH
FASHION
One of the most fascinating aspects of French Fashion is the way it
is embedded in French society. Paris continues to be the Fashion
Capital of the world and it is no surprise to see why. Considering
that Paris is home to a gigantic fabric industry that works with
couture houses. French Fashion will always produce different
styles that will push the envelope and influence future generations
of fashion.

PARIS-The Fashion
Capital
Paris, France, along with Tokyo, London, Milan, and New York City, is one of the
world's fashion capitals. The city has been an international fashion center for hundreds of
years, and is home to several premier fashion houses. Haute couture originated in Paris
and is thriving to this day. Many of the world's top designers were French, including
Chanel, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Lanvin, Chole, Hermes, Alaia, Yves Saint Laurent
and Christian Louboutin.
TEACHER’S VIEW:
This activity which was conducted inside the French class rooms were very well received
by the students. They gathered most of the information on specific topics identified by
me and helped me to compile the powerpoint presentation. It was a very rewarding
experience for both the teacher and the learner. We could understand the extend and
spread of French culture and institutions across the world. Out of the 13 students on
whom the questionnaire was administered, 5 could get all correct-20 out of 20, 4 could
attain 16 out of 20, 3 students 11 out of 20 and 1 student 9 out of 20. We decided to
embark upon such type of learning adventures on chapters which are part of the syllabus.

Mrs. Rachna Bakshi

French Teacher, Std. VIII