Bonjour Tristesse

Bonjour Tristesse was one of the books I have been looking forward to this entire course, just based off of the short description given, and it did not disappoint. I found this book to be one of the easier, or more liner books we have read so far. Not that the others haven't been interesting in their own ways but this one definitely held my attention the whole way through and it was very enjoyable to follow along. 

I think that one of the main reasons I loved it so much was actually because I was able to see so many parallels between the relationship Cecile and Raymond had and Agostino and his mother had. The situations were so similar yet different dynamics so it was interesting to read both of these novels one after the other. 

Another thing I really enjoyed was the relatability of this book, not necessarily content wise just based off of my own life ( I was not raised by a single parent etc. ) but in terms of approximate age, gender and the fact that it almost felt like this was written as a diary. Ceciles character was fascinating to read about although I did find her actions to be very destructive ( as she feels at the end of the novel ) and definitely don't agree with some of the feelings she has and the way she handled them. As with Agostino, Cecile being jealous of the women in her fathers life may come across as strange but I believe a part of this book is to show how normal these feelings may be. 

I think that (not to the extreme of the book) the situation of trying to prevent a parents marriage is something that happens more often than we think (the plan might not work realistically, but definitely the feelings of wanting to or at least a plan itself). In this extreme case, Cecile just wanting his father to be with someone she did not feel threatened by (like Elsa) and she almost admires Anne that makes her jealous because she is taking all of her fathers time and she in a way wishes to be as put together as Anne. This is very similar to the situation in Agostino. 

My questions for this novel would be, do you think the way Cecile was raised by her father is what brought her to have this love/hatred for a woman like Anne? Do you think Cecile possesses a sort of privilege because of the way she was raised? 

Comments

  1. Jennifer NagtegaalFebruary 14, 2022 at 10:43 PM

    I can see where you are coming from with the "diary" feel that Sagan's novel has. I wonder if you're on to something here. How might this affect our decision as readers to either try to interpret what we read, or, conversely, to simply attend to the way that what we read makes us feel? In short, your observation made me think of the two experiences/exercises in reading that Jon mentions in his Sagan lecture. I'd love to hear your further thoughts on this...

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  2. JasmineFebruary 16, 2022 at 7:01 PM

    I think Cecile and Raymond's relationship is definitely more 'friend' than parent, maybe it's because they hadn't spent too much time together when Cecile was the age to be disciplined or was too young to be properly responsible. I also think that because Cecile spent the majority of her adolescence in convent school, traditionally known for their moral restrictions and authoritarian views - which in turn makes her both admire and despise Anne's efficient and logical demeanor.

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