The French Art of Living Well

March 1, 2023
An American professor investigates the French art of joie de vivre. Yandell, a professor of Francophone studies at Carleton College, first visited Paris as a 19-year-old on a study abroad program. She found the culture, with its "spirit of celebration," enchanting, and she admits, "I didn't want to become French; I wanted to be French--and that was a stiff order." Though the author's story didn't culminate in "marriage to a Frenchman" and she remained a resident of the U.S., she returned to the country regularly to live, "first as a student and later as a mother and a teacher of French literature and culture." From this vantage point, Yandell shares her understanding of the recipe for the unmistakably French flair for enjoying life. She begins with the approach to food, describing a wedding banquet that lasted until 4 a.m.: "No one over the age of 10 seemed sleepy--time is subsumed by an abundance of pleasure." She mentions a Christmas dinner that concluded with an onion soup at midnight, and she points out that, according to the French labor code, it is illegal to eat lunch at one's desk. Yandell then moves on to perfume and "physical contact," noting how the French habit of kissing on both cheeks clashes with American concepts of personal space. The author discusses French sports, dancing, and the art of seduction, writing that "sexuality is fully a part of the French public sphere." From there, Yandell adopts a more scholarly perspective, discussing the French respect for intellect and the author's own "first true love," Baudelaire. The author has written two academic books on France, and those roots show through here. The book is not a typical memoir of an American in Paris; readers looking for frothier fare should be ready for chapters on the essays of Montaigne and writings of Marguerite Duras. A largely witty and often highbrow look at the French exuberance for life.

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March 27, 2023
In this enjoyable travelogue, Yandell (Carpe Corpus), a French professor at Carleton College, reflects on finding la joie de vivre (the joy of living) in France. Recounting episodes from her time in the country, first as a college student studying abroad and later as the director of a study abroad program, she shares what she’s learned from French people about delighting in everyday life. “Celebrations and gastronomy are inseparable in France,” she posits, telling how she was surprised by the elaborate series of dinner courses at the first French wedding she attended, where she realized that the “real point is to spend hours” conversing with others. She surveys the French passion for soccer while recalling watching the 2018 World Cup championship game at a Paris bar and credits the country’s win with uniting people in celebration. Elsewhere, the author serves up broad overviews of French intellectualism via the country’s literary canon and of the linguistic differences between English and French, which she suggests betray the latter’s slower pace (“In English, we ‘spend’ and ‘invest’ time,” but “in French, one simply ‘passes,’ ‘devotes,’ or ‘consecrates’” it). Yandell’s personal accounts offer fun glimpses into French life, and her commentary on national character and culture is well observed. Francophiles, take note.

June 10, 2024

This love letter to France and French people and culture is both a travelogue and a written documentary on French life, approached in much of the same way as a Rick Steves-led tour. Yandell (French Renaissance, language, and contemporary culture, Carleton Coll.) studied at the Sorbonne during her junior year of undergrad and later served as a lecturer in American literature at the Grandes �coles, a Paris university. In this work, she relates anecdotes of her experiences there--her American faux pas included--as she falls in love with the country. This book guides readers through the history behind various aspects of the culture and mindset. She makes a strong case for how healthy and community-oriented it is in France, such as the practice of French intellectuals giving free lectures in public parks and the country's relationship to literature and food. Readers get to experience what it's like to live in France, and they will likely have takeaways of a few other authors and experiences to try next. VERDICT A light and pleasant read that's perfect for Francophiles.--Amanda Ray

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