Le Chevalier de Saint-George by Alain Guédé
2010; American Association of Teachers of French; Volume: 84; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/tfr.2010.0067
ISSN2329-7131
Autores Tópico(s)Island Studies and Pacific Affairs
Resumostudents. Grammar examples are relevant and contextualized to the themes of the chapter. Activities build from mechanical to meaningful to communicative, and are easily adapted to either written or oral work. The final goal, addressing thematic issues of cultural diversity, globalization, and identity, are also met by the chapters’ themes. These themes will make the text relevant for many years, and encourage instructors to add current events to their syllabi or class periods. These themes are the book’s leading strength, and it is an important strength for any language course in our increasingly global society. Purdue University Jessica Sturm GUÉDÉ, ALAIN. Le Chevalier de Saint-George. Achères: Dagan Jeunesse; and Toulouse: MAT, 2008. ISBN 978-2-9542829-0-7. Pp. 48. $24.00. Le Chevalier de Saint-George, written by Alain Guédé and exquisitely illustrated by Serge Hochain, recounts the life and times of the celebrated violin virtuoso and composer who was a “métis,” born to a white father, a noble, the Comte Guillaume-Pierre Tavernier de Boulogne, and to a slave mother, Nanon, in the French Antilles. With first-person narration, addressing the reader in the “tu” form, this delightful book traces Saint-George’s life as a youth in the French Antilles, wedged between slaves and the white world of his father, to his life in France, and his struggle to live up to his father’s rigorous expectations. The book is comprised of twenty chapters (all with a title specific to the events and times of Saint-George’s life and the majority of which have a page of text and a page of illustrations) and four pages of instructional support. A contemporary of Voltaire, Rousseau, Robespierre, and Marat, SaintGeorge ’s social life in the court of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette is extremely intriguing. After his father lost his fortune trying to please the king, it was his mother who made sure he had a proper education and could support himself. No doubt as a result of Nanon’s experience as a slave in the French Antilles and having seen that musicians often escaped harm, she encouraged her son to develop his musical talents. Saint-George was in such high demand that Marie-Antoinette insisted that the second performance of his opera “La Chasse” take place at Versailles. However, disappointment soon arrived as Marie-Antoinette created a polemic by showing favor to a “nègre” and she was soon forced to reject him. As a result, Saint-George found comfort by becoming a member of the Free Masons, by finding favor in England with the Prince of Wales, and in meeting Louise, a married white woman who would become his true love. Later, when returning to France after the start of the French Revolution, Saint-George became a colonel and as such was the first man of color to achieve this rank in France. Following the French Revolution, Saint-George spent time in Haïti with General Toussaint Louverture and witnessed the establishment of the first black republic. He died in Paris with his beloved Louise at his side. The main story ends with a call for the readers to follow Saint-George’s ideal of tolerance and accepting differences in others. Also included at the end of the book are suggestions by the author for further research on the music and life of Saint-George, a page dedicated to understanding how slavery is a crime against humanity, as well as information on Senegal, Guadeloupe, and “Le code noir”: “C’est un ensemble de textes de lois qui régissaient dès 1685 la vie des esclaves Reviews 217 dans les colonies françaises des Antilles” (46). If an instructor wishes to combine the lessons provided in the book with Saint-George’s music, it is advisable to investigate recordings of his compositions by European orchestras that are available online. Le Chevalier de Saint-George is a beautiful, gentle, and highly effective tool for introducing intermediate to advanced students of French to the life and times of Saint-George. Rich in detail yet written in an approachable prose, students will readily engage in an active discussion about slavery, discrimination, and respect...
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