Important information in these extracts from a recent jury report.
I contacted the rectorat yesterday because many people had not received their « convocations ». They told me that there had been a mistake, but that these messages would finally be sent out yesterday. Hope it all happened in time and that many of you will be in L311 at 4 for comprehension fun.
Vernon Bogdanor is a well know political analyst, who I have described elsewhere as « conservative but fair-minded ». He has recently produced this lecture on Ireland which I recommend for those who want to understand some of the main dynamics of the colonization and decolonization in this country.
Il y aura (problème de calendrier) deux examens séparés.
Les quelques étudiants de MEEF qui ont suivi le séminaire Première Guerre auront l'examen le mercredi 11 janvier de 15h à 18h salle A402
Les autres étudiants, de LES auront l'examen le mardi 10 janvier de 10h à 13h.
Je ne suis pas certain que l'information ait bien circulé.
(Cours donc en même temps que les cours de thème cette semaine).
This translation will stay on the blog for two weeks, so do download it if you need it . If you just chanced on the blog, the original passage translated can be found here .
“What’s your favourite animal?” Eugenio asked, as we
were walking along in the dark[1].
It was the day before Christmas Eve.
“The[2]
koala bear,[3]
the squirrel and the otter,” I said. “The koala because of how it clings[4]
onto the Eucalyptus tree[5]
with its paws, and because it lives near the kangaroos. The squirrel because of
the nuts: there is nothing as sweet as giving someone a nut,[6]
I always say. And I don’t know why I chose the otter. Because its name sounds ugly
and touching, and because of the water.”
I was lying. I was more imagining[7]
an animal like an armadillo.
Eugenio had slipped his arm through the little
invisible loop[8] formed by my body and my arm. He was looking
worried. “Do you think Queen Elizabeth has had[9]
a happy life?” he murmured.[10]
I was about to[11]
come out with a petty answer: who’s been talking to you[12]
about that ancient mummy[13]
with the hat?[14] It’s
that father of yours[15]
who’s been talking to you about her!
“Fairly happy, I think, but she’s been let down[16]
by her children,” I answered
It was wantonly[17]
mean[18]
of me to bring these two expressions out together: “let down” and “children”
and Eugenio shrank back. I felt ashamed.
“We’d better get our skates on” he said. “We’re late, mummy,
get your skates on!”[19]
“That expression if horrid and I’m sure Queen
Elizabeth would never say it!” I replied.
Queen Elizabeth is our idol, our whipping boy, our
sphinx and our scapegoat.
“She hasn’t had[20]
a happy life,” I said, finally, “because she didn’t really want one”.
Such dignity made him marvel[21].
One thing led to another in my mind and it reminded me of some other Queen who
had snapped the elastic in her underwear and died because of it. She froze to
death in the snow because she would not get up from the stone bench she had
retreated to to save her dignity. I told Eugenio this story: dying of cold on
an icy stone bench is the epitome of dignity, I explained, suddenly proud of
how I was educating my son.[22]
But Eugenio snickered: “romanticism is blinding you again, mummy, “it’s not
that at all, the story. The Queen cried and screamed and they had ten of the
strongest men in the kingdom come out. They tore up the stone bench and carried
it to the palace…”.[23]
[1] « By night » is a little too poetic.
[2] This is the definite article to speak of a type in
general. It reminds me of examples such as « The modern secretary muts be
prepared to learn how to use new software every few years ». Or « The
British spy in the 21st century is very different from the image we see in
James Bond films ». This definite article is the best choice here, but one
could put « Koala bears, squirrels and otters ». An indefinite article
here is a mistake.
[3] The koala is not a bear, but the expression is
common.
[4] There are two reasons for this translation. First of
all, having more verbs in the English version is always a good thing. Secondly,
« geste » only sometimes translates as « gesture ». The
French word is far far wider in application (we all remember « les gestes
barrière » of the covid years).
[5] Although not all Eucalyptus exude gum, I think
« gum tree » was a good translation here. (wikipedia: Eucalyptus is one of three similar
genera that are commonly referred to as "eucalypts", the others being
Corymbia and Angophora. Many species, though by no means all, are known as gum trees because they exude copious kino from
any break in the bark (e.g., scribbly gum).)
[6] Or « How sweet is the gift of a nut ». The
narrator is being mock-literary. You will remember that the main structures for
exclamations are "How adjectival that it ! » and « What a
noun that is ! ». In conversation « that is so adjectival »
is also common.
[7] The +ing is highly recommended, since this imagining
was a background process during the conversation.
[8] « Handle » is not very good as handles can
be all shapes and sizes – for example door handles.
[9] Not preterite, since the passage was written while
she was alive.
[10] A good time to revise a few verbs for speaking with
litte volume. To whisper (without using your voice) to mutter (half-privately,
becaus eyou are in a bad mood), to murmur (in a low voice, perhaps
emotionally).
[11] Or « on the verge of ».
[12] This talking took place at an unspecified moment in
the past, and is not seen as a finished process : this is why « has
been talking » is the best structure. « who has told you about her »,
is incorrect because it would suggest th efather had informed his son about the
existence of the queen (a finished process, then). Remember if I leave my pack
of cigarettes with fiteen cigarettes in it on the table and leave for a few
minutes, and whne I come back there are only twelve cigarettes, I might exclaim
« Someone has been smoking my cigarettes ! » However, if I leave
my packet with only three cigarettes in it and when I come back there are none
at all, i am likely to exclaim « Someone has smoked (all my cigarettes).
If the sentence allows you to see the end of the action, then there is no « -ing ».
I recommend (again) Anne Trevise’s book Le Prétérit en anglais.
[13] Because « mummy » also means « maman »,
I have added « ancient » to help the reader.
[14] Someone tried « hatted mummy » - why
not ? or indeed « behatted mummy », but we may be getting too
literary for this passage.
[15] This structure expresses annoyance, just as the word « encore »
does in the French.
[16] « Disappointed » is nearly as good.
[17] Or « irresponsibly »
[18] This is probably the only word which really fits,
thoughh I suppose « nasty » is conceivable.
[19] I am not sure how old the child is. The following
pages show he is not old enough to walk to school on his own, and loves to be
taken to Macdonalds. « Mummy » would suggest under eight or nine
years old, so I am going to keep it. « Mum » could suggest older, but
family traditions vary.
[20] Not « She didn’t have » because the passage
was written while she was alive.
[21] Or « left him wondering », or « gave
him food for thought ».
[22] A verbal structure is best. If you ise a noun
structure, the word « educational » is acceptable, but not « pedagogical ».
Like many words of Greek origin, this last is reserved for intellectual discourse.
[23] And you thought your mother was annoying.
Tuesday we have our first agrégation class on oral comprehension and improvised translation ("thème oral"). It is tailored for agrégation interne people, but the externes are welcome. It is in room L311.
On Wednesday translation is in A402 at 9.
James Cook is in A208 at 10.30.
and the 1970s seminar is in A402 at 3.
The Jewish and the Irish communities in the UK are groups it is important to know something about.
The Jewish community in Britain like in other countries, is very varied, but this series looks at one group of Jews, in Manchester
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1JLv5txMw4&t=1s
This documentary, made in the 1980s and entitled "The Irish in England" tells an interesting part of the history of Irish people in the UK.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYgdQG_orwk&t=3s
As you know there is no class this week. We have two classes left: on the 8th and on the 15th of December.
I hope your homework assignments are going well. I think everyone understands the new system now - if your homework assignment does not get more than ten, you may take a second chance exam in January. Concerning the first semester, nothing happens in June.
You will find here the video of my paper on antiracist songs, which we saw only half of in class. My paper begins after about 21 minutes of this video seminar. It is 20 minutes long.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa3ov7b6edQ&t=1408s
This paper, in French, looks at another question of how to study popular music : what is the meaning of different activities connected to popular music? In this paper, we look at the activity of singing along at a concert.
https://webtv.univ-rouen.fr/permalink/v125ac8706595jkpm1ck/iframe/#start=11
Finally, this article, “What has popular music ever done for us?” looks at 1970s music in Britain, and why people needed it.
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01966875/document
And you will find here the recordings of important parts of the two classes we have had on popular music:
http://www.jcmullen.fr/1122popmusic1.mp3
http://www.jcmullen.fr/1122popmusic2.mp3
A hundred years of the BBC! If anyone wants to listen to the (50 minute) history lecture I gave on this subject in English in Lisbon last month, you will find the Mp3 audio file here : http://www.jcmullen.fr/1122lisbonfinal.mp3
The accompanying PowerPoint is here http://www.jcmullen.fr/1122lisbonfinal.pdf
The talk was actually entitled "The BBC, Public Service, and Science Programming" and strolled over the entire hundred years asking "Who was it good for?"
Il y a eu 4 ou 5 rajouts/ correction. La dernière version sera toujours disponible ici
http://www.jcmullen.fr/edtsemestre2.pdf
L'hiver arrive et certain e s des étudiant e s de Rouen n'ont pas ce qu'il faut pour vivre décemment. Si vous en faites partie, n'oubliez pas qu'un peu d'aide est disponible. Si vous avez l'argent qu'il vous faut, n'hésitez pas à aider un peu en répondant à l'appel ci-dessous (du service de médecine préventive).
Bonjour à toutes et tous,
Le Service Universitaire de Médecine Préventive et de Promotion de
la Santé propose pour les étudiants en situation de précarité une
boutique santé sociale. Cette boutique leur permet d’obtenir des
produits d’hygiènes ainsi que des vêtements, gratuitement et sans
conditions d’évaluations.
Aujourd’hui, nous faisons appel à votre générosité, pour un appel
aux dons. En effet, nous sommes à la recherche de vêtements
chauds (pulls, manteaux, bonnets, gants, écharpes,
chaussettes etc) et couettes, couvertures, draps pour
passer le froid de l’hiver qui approche. Les couettes, couvertures
seront soumis à un lavage par l’association : les papillons
blancs. Nos besoins en produits d’hygiènes sont également
très importants et seront les bienvenus (dentifrice, brosse à
dents, papier toilette, gel douche, shampoing, serviettes
hygiéniques, déodorant, essuie-tout, mouchoirs, lessive etc).
Si vous souhaitez participer à cette action de solidarité, vous
pouvez venir déposer vos dons au service de médecine préventive le
lundi 05/12 vendredi 09/12 de 9h à 17h. Le service est situé
au 1er étage de la Maison de l’Université à Mont Saint Aignan.
Nous tenons encore une fois à vous remercier pour votre
générosité depuis tant d’années, permettant le bon
fonctionnement de cette boutique santé sociale, apportant de
l’aide à de nombreux étudiants.
Si besoin d’informations supplémentaires, vous pouvez contacter
Ludovic Duchaud, coordinateur des projets de santé au SUMPPS, à
l’adresse suivante : ludovic.duchaud1@univ-rouen.fr.
Today’s class will be shorter, and there is no class next week as I am at a conference in Strasbourg on popular music.
I will put on here links to a video class I gave a couple of years back.
This translation will stay on the blog for two weeks, so do download it if you need it . If you just chanced on the blog, the original passage translated can be found here .
Suggested
translation Mauriac[1]
After the
children had left[2], Xavier
Frontenac watched his sister-in-law once more[3]
: she still looked hostile.[4]
How might[5]
he have offended her ? He had spoken of[6]
dutiful women, of which she was the perfect embodiment[7].
He did not understand how such praise[8]
could exasperate a widow such as she. The poor man had gravely praised[9]
the nobility of sacrifice, and had declared that nothing in the world was as
beautiful as a woman faithful to her deceased husband and devoted heart and
soul to her children. In his eyes she only existed for the Fontenac offspring.
He never thought of his sister-in-law as a solitary young woman who could[10]
feel sadness or[11]
despair. Her fate[12]
was a matter of complete indifference to him. Provided that she did not
re-marry[13] and she
brought up Michel’s children, he reflected no further on her case. This was
what Blanche could not forgive him for. It was not that she felt any regret :[14]
on her husband’s decease she had weighed up[15]
the sacrifice she was called upon to make and had accepted it ; nothing
would have made her go back on her decision. However,[16]
since she was most pious, in a somewhat arid and pernickety way, she had never
believed herself able, but for God’s help, to find the strength to live in this
way ; for she was a passionate[17]
young woman with a fiery heart. That evening, if Xavier had had eyes to see, he
would have felt pity for her, left amidst the books scattered on the carpet[18]
and the untidiness of the forsaken nest, a tragic mother, with eyes of jade,
and a bilious, furrowed face, where some remnants of beauty still resisted the
wrinkles and the weight loss. Her hair,
already grey and a little untidy, made her an unkempt appearance[19]
as of a woman who no longer hopes for more. Her black blouse, buttoned up in
front , emphasized her thin shoulders and small bust. Her whole being betrayed[20]
the tiredness, the exhaustion of the mother devoured[21]
alive by her offspring. She asked not[22]
to be admired or pitied, but to be understood. The blind lack of concern of her
brother-in-law caused her to be beside
herself with rage, and she became brutal[23]
and unfair. She regretted it and beat her breast[24]
in penance as soon as he had left, but all her good resolutions came to nothing
when she saw once more the expressionless face of that small man who could not
see[25]
and before whom she felt non-existent, that man who had her marked down[26]
for oblivion.[27]
François Mauriac
Le Mystère Frontenac
[1] The style is definitely literary, and there are many
places where we must avoid the everyday word and use the more literary or
formal one – « Provided that » rather than « as long as »,
for example.
[2] Remember the preference of English for verbal
constructions.
[3] “Once more » or « once again” are better here
than just « again » becaus ethey make for a more literary tone.
[4] Or « she had not been mollified ». Or
« her anger had not lessened ».
[5] If you were tempted by « would » re-read the
whole section on modals in your grammar book.
[6] Note that « talked about » is not as good,
since it is less formal.
[7] Or « of which she was the epitome » .
[8] Here, « praise » is an uncountable noun. It can
occasionally be countable, as in, « they were singing your praises »,
but in general it is uncountable.
[9] Notice that « insisting heavily » is French,
really.
[10] « Could » is better than « might »
here, since we are in radical modality : it is her capacity to feel, not
the probability that she might feel, which is in question.
[11] Although this list has only two items, the items cannot
be joined, as they can in French, only by a comma.
[12] Or « What became of her ».
[13] « Re-marry » is more formal than « marry
again » or « get married again ».
[14] Be careful: the meaning of the French is that she felt
zero regret, but the literary style led some students astray.
[15] Not « measured ».
[16] « But » is not formal enough.
[17] Somebody tried « intense », but this is not
correct. If we say someone is « intense » it is a rather pejorative
comment, meaning that they invest a lot of emotion in matters which should not
involve so much feeling.
[18] Not « the rug ». A rug is small enough to carry
under one arm.
[19] One cannot say here « a neglected
woman « , since that would not refer to her appearance.
[20] These imperfect tenses in French are just background
description, and so are translated by the preterite. Certainly, you must not
use « would », which is for habitual action.
[21] « Eaten alive » is good. Someone trued
« eaten up alive » but « up » generally implies
« completely », and here the process is not finished.
[22] This structure is more literary than « she did not
ask… »
[23] I am realizing that « violent » in English
involves physically hitting someone, whereas « violent » in French
does not.
[24] The sense is figurative, and this is a fixed expression.
[25] Someone tried « eyeless ». This is an extremely
rare literary word which means literally without eyes. The only place I have
ever seen it is in Milton’s impressive poem, Samson Agonistes https://www.bartleby.com/4/602.html
[26] Or « who consigned her ».
[27] «Who doomed her to nothingness » is good.
