FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   198   199   200   201   202   203   204  
205   >>  
of _vertu (de) Dieu_. [24] CE SUPERFLU-LA SERA MON NECESSAIRE. Voltaire, in his _Mondain_ (1736), lines 22-23, repeated the same idea: "Le superflu, chose tres necessaire, A reuni l'un et l'autre hemisphere." [25] SE CONTREFONT-ILS, 'Disguise themselves.' [26] AUSSI L'EST-IL. The modern form is _Il l'est en effet_. [27] NE ... MENT PAS D'UN MOT, 'Is not at all deceitful.' [28] NI QUI NE GRONDE. The repetition of the relative _qui_ is contrary to modern usage. [29] AME, 'Being.' [30] This whole scene recalls the dialogue between Angelique and Lisette in the first scene of Dancourt's _l'Ete des Coquettes_ (July 12, 1690), and may be a clever amplification of the same. [31] PORTE ... UNE GRIMACE. A metonymy not accepted in common usage. [32] DE TOUT CELA == _Dans tout cela_. [33] A CONDITION QUE, 'Provided that.' Governs either the indicative, conditional, or subjunctive. [34] UN NOTAIRE. The notary is a frequent figure in French comedy in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and appears also in that of the nineteenth century. It is he who draws up the marriage settlements; he acts usually as banker and trustee as well as legal adviser. He is a sworn officer of the government, and nowadays is subject to inspection by officials appointed for the purpose. [35] SUR TOUT LE BIEN. The modern form would be _d'apres tout le bien_. [36] QUE VOUS VOUS REMERCIIEZ, 'That either of you will reject the other.' See Littre, "remercier," 5 deg.. [37] PLAISANTE, 'Amusing.' [38] M'EN CONTER, 'To make love to me.' [39] DES BONS AIRS, 'Kindly reception.' An example of a very common antiphrasis, although the expression in itself is antiquated. [40] IL NE ME FAUT PRESQUE QU'UN TABLIER. An evidence of the similarity in dress of maid and mistress. [41] NE L'AMUSEZ PAS, 'Do not detain her.' _Amuser_ is sometimes used in this sense, 'to detain by idle words.' [42] EN PARTIE DE MASQUE, 'For a masquerade.' It was a common practice in the circles of the Court, and of the richer bourgeoisie to get up masquerade parties and dances. There are frequent references to this in the Memoirs of Dangeau, Saint-Simon, and other writers. [43] ARTICLE = _Passage d'un ecrit quelconque_ (Littre, "article," 3 deg.). [44] IMAGINATION. Used here in the sense of _pensee_ or _idee_. [45] FIGURE, 'Character,' which is also the meaning of _personnage_ in the next line. [46] PLAISANT. See note 37. [47] NOTRE FUTURE
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   198   199   200   201   202   203   204  
205   >>  



Top keywords:
common
 

modern

 
frequent
 
Littre
 

detain

 

masquerade

 

reception

 

Kindly

 

antiphrasis

 
antiquated

evidence

 

TABLIER

 
similarity
 
mistress
 
PRESQUE
 

expression

 
CONTER
 
REMERCIIEZ
 

Mondain

 

reject


Amusing

 

PLAISANTE

 

SUPERFLU

 

NECESSAIRE

 

Voltaire

 
remercier
 
AMUSEZ
 

IMAGINATION

 

pensee

 

article


quelconque
 
writers
 

ARTICLE

 

Passage

 
PLAISANT
 
FUTURE
 

Character

 

FIGURE

 

meaning

 
personnage

Dangeau

 

MASQUE

 

PARTIE

 
Amuser
 

dances

 
parties
 

Memoirs

 

references

 

bourgeoisie

 

practice