Bonjour Tristesse
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| Hello, Sadness | |
| Author | Françoise Sagan |
|---|---|
| Original title | Bonjour Tristesse |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publication date | 1954 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | NA |
Bonjour Tristesse (in English, Hello, Sadness) is a novel by Françoise Sagan. Published in 1954, when the author was only eighteen, it caused an overnight sensation. The title is derived from a poem by Paul Éluard, "À peine défigurée," which begins with the lines "Adieu tristesse/ Bonjour tristesse..."
The 1958 film Bonjour Tristesse featured Geoffrey Horne, Deborah Kerr, Jean Seberg and David Niven as the lead actors. The music was composed by Georges Auric.
[edit] Plot summary
Seventeen-year-old Cécile spends her summer in a villa on the French Riviera with her father and two other women. Her father, Raymond, is a seductive man who has had many affairs. Among his women friends is Elsa Mackenbourg: she and Cécile get on well. When Elsa comes to the villa to spend her summer with Raymond, it is clear that she is the latest of many women whom Cécile has seen enter the life of her father and exit fairly quickly: young, superficial, and fashionable.
Cécile is somewhat naive and tries to disguise this by attempting to attract men of the same age as her father. Her love life is unsuccessful until she meets Cyril.
Raymond, Elsa and Cécile are spending an uneventful summer together until Anne Larsen arrives by way of an earlier invitation from Cécile's father. A friend of Cécile's late mother, Anne is very different from Raymond's other girlfriends. She is cultured, educated and intelligent. At first, Cecile admires Anne, but soon a struggle begins between Cécile and Anne for Raymond's attention. The plot begins to focus on the relationship between the two women. When Anne announces that she and Raymond are planning to get married, Cécile devises a plan to prevent the marriage from taking place.
When Anne dies in a road accident, her death, rather than giving Cécile satisfaction, leaves her contemplating a bleak future. Was it an accident or suicide? The reader is left to decide.
[edit] Characters
- Cécile
- Cécile is a 17 year old girl who lives with her father because her mother died when she was two years old.
- Raymond
- Raymond is a 40 year old widower, he is Cécile's father.
- Elsa
- Raymond's mistress at the start of the book. She is 29, tall and has red hair.
- Anne
- Anne was a friend of Cécile's mother, she is 42. She is invited to the villa by Raymond. They begin a relationship and get engaged.
- Cyril
- Cyril is 25 years old, lives with his mother and is a student at university studying law. He is good at sailing and is in love with Cécile.
[edit] Analysis
The book is split into two parts; during the first part Cécile is very naïve and behaves like a young child. In the second part she is more mature and acts more like an adult.
One of the most important use of symbols is that of the sea and the sun. The sea is a maternal symbol and the sun a paternal symbol. Throughout the book, Françoise Sagan uses the sea to show Cécile is missing her mother. For example, when she realises that she is losing an argument with Anne, she runs to the sea, like a child runs to their mother when something goes wrong.
There are numerous references to the fact that Cécile is missing the presence of a mother figure. Anne Larsen tries to fill this role; in the first part of the book Cecile accepts this, but as she "grows up", she begins to resent Anne.
Some argue that Cécile lacks a father as well, even though Raymond is present. Raymond's behavior is immature and he doesn't treat his daughter like a child or even a teenager. He buys her an exotic dress and takes her to casinos. This behavior confuses Cécile and she does not know whether she is supposed to act like an adult or a teenager.
When Anne arrives she treats Cécile as a child, adding further confusion to Cécile's life.
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