Life lessons 1 to 3: French Literature – what can we learn?

In the current era of the constant barrage and chatter about ‘mindfulness’ and ‘self-development’ I decided to dig deep and see what we could learn from our elders in classic French Literature. 

As a lover of the classics of French literature I found myself wondering:

What can we learn and apply to life today from the characters we love and feel that we know so well.”

If these characters were sitting by my side today, what wisdom could I take away from those conversations? This is a new Column and here are my first three life lessons in this series. Let’s see what we can learn…

1. Life lessons: Emma Bovary – Always be grateful

Emma Bovary, from the novel ‘M^me Bovary’ by Gustave Flaubert, is arguably the most famous female character of 19^th century French Literature.

Emma is never fully satisfied with what she has in life: her husband is plate, boring and lacks all the passion that her books have caused her to long for, causing her to search for love in other places.

On one hand, Emma can teach us to strive to be ambitious, to not settle for mediocrity in our lives. However, another reading of Emma can cause us to believe that she will neither be happy nor grateful with what she has. It’s easy to believe that Emma will constantly be searching for the next best thing.

From a 2017 perspective, I can see Emma nowadays as the social media user, obsessed with looking at other people’s lives, the perfect lives of others, rather than being grateful for what she does have. Emma doesn’t seem to appreciate that she has a home, her health and of course a husband that arguably does truly love her.

What life lessons can we learn from Emma Bovary & her mistakes?

• Let’s exercise gratitude and not become obsessed with what we don’t have.
• Let’s not believe that what everyone, appears-to-have on social media is reality and lust-worthy.
• It’s time to seize the day and not wait around for something that may not happen. Start making these changes today.

2. Life lessons: Proust – Never forget your past

The famous unnamed narrator in Marcel Proust’s ‘À la recherche du temps perdu’ can teach us a lot about the importance of memory.

Proust’s narrator uses particular techniques to remember large sections of his past to recount to us. For example techniques such as the act of eating of madeleines and drinking of tea, and even the tripping over an out of place paving stone etc. He teaches us that memories are to be found everywhere involuntarily and that we need to capture this to remember it.

For Proust, this was done through writing. However, in 2017, we are doing this through social media, photos, and art.  Although we need to appreciate the past and learn from it, we should avoid becoming obsessed with it.

What life lessons can we learn from Proust?

• Let’s take as many photos as possible and keep accounts in a diary, online or on paper, to make as many memories as possible.
• Let’s learn from the mistakes we have made in the past, to make better decisions in the future.
• However, let’s not dwell on the past.

3. Life lessons: Maupassant – Surround yourself with positivity

Maupassant’s narrator in ‘Le Horla’ is a particular case.

It will be forever debated through his account of a ‘being’ whether he is a madman. With this aside, what we can learn from the narrator, is that being alone for a long period of time is not good for anyone. The narrator also teaches us to not become too negative, as negative thoughts become oppressive.

What life lessons can we learn from Maupassant?

• Let’s not spend too long alone, make time to make sure to socialise in between working to get that elusive French work-life balance.
• Let’s surround ourselves with positivity, to help to reduce and eliminate negative thoughts.
• It seems that a lot can be learned from the characters we find in French books, even those of another era.

What are your favourite characters from the French classics? Please share any life lessons to be learned this way? Share your thoughts in the comments box below.