What are the obscure tenses? Subjunctive imperfect? Plus-que-parfait subjunctives? Subjunctive futures? What? I'm curious to know.
A lot of passé simple, but that is in every French book except the very modern ones, it's just in schools that they keep telling you not to use it anymore. And a lot of subjunctive imperfect, which would be tricky to most readers, including native speakers, but I suppose not so much to you since you've already read a bunch of older writers who use it too anyway.
I randomly opened the (last) book and came across this sentence which is a good example: "Il ne sortit de son abattement que pour hurler. Hurler qu'on lui sellât céans son destrier, hurler qu'on rassemblât l'ost".
The funny part there is that words that would be difficult for a young or not well-read French reader, such as "ost", are easy for an English speaker who can easily recognize more common English words in them ("host", in this case, as in, an army). It's kind of like in Tolkien, where he'll often use old-English obscure words that make a Dutch reader go "huh, old-English is basically just Dutch". Though "céans" would be difficult for everyone alike. And then the two subjunctive imperfects.
Maurice Druon - The Accursed Kings
- 13/12/2010 08:19:21 PM
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Thank you for giving this review - I had forgotten the name of the author and series.
- 13/12/2010 09:29:59 PM
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You're welcome (and thanks for the correction, edited).
- 13/12/2010 10:23:55 PM
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I know it's not "literary". (EDITED)
- 13/12/2010 10:42:33 PM
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Subjunctive imperfect, yeah.
- 13/12/2010 10:51:34 PM
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And with regard to your edit, I don't have a problem with passé simples myself.
- 13/12/2010 10:53:59 PM
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But how can one read any French literature at all without encountering the passé simple?
- 15/12/2010 03:39:37 AM
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The point is it is a "literary" tense
- 15/12/2010 10:19:59 AM
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Why would I read a lower style of book (I won't use the term "literature" to describe them) ?
- 16/12/2010 06:11:36 AM
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I don't want to start a fight here, but your attitude is seriously starting to grate.
- 16/12/2010 06:54:30 PM
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I don't care. Start a fight.
- 16/12/2010 08:24:22 PM
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Well, or we can have a civil debate on French culture, I suppose... also fun.
- 16/12/2010 09:09:20 PM
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- 16/12/2010 09:09:20 PM
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Well, I'm up for that, too.
- 17/12/2010 05:48:39 AM
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Good.
- 17/12/2010 09:01:37 PM
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- 17/12/2010 09:01:37 PM
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Ah - I support the subjunctive!!!
- 18/12/2010 05:10:38 AM
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TANGENT
- 18/12/2010 09:56:31 AM
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This whole conversation is just a pile of tangents, anyway.
*NM*
- 18/12/2010 01:30:09 PM
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*NM*
- 18/12/2010 01:30:09 PM
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But you don't think its disappearance corresponds to a decline in American culture?
- 18/12/2010 01:29:43 PM
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- 18/12/2010 01:29:43 PM
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About the passé simple, what Camilla said. As for medieval vocabulary...
- 15/12/2010 07:17:44 PM
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That looks like a really fascinating series.
- 13/12/2010 10:56:52 PM
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Step up your French lessons!!!
- 13/12/2010 11:50:21 PM
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That is a great reason to learn French.
- 14/12/2010 07:29:54 PM
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Ooooh
- 14/12/2010 07:41:03 PM
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I'm really not quite sure how you managed that.
- 14/12/2010 08:09:55 PM
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- 14/12/2010 08:09:55 PM
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*NM*