Customer Reviews

La Symphonie Pastorale (French Edition)

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4 star:		(2)
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2 star:		(1)
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The 60 or so pages of 'La Symphonie Pastorale' was all that Andre Gide needed to offer us a beautifully rendered account of the passions of a rural, Protestant minister, and their affects on him and those around him.

Gide's novella circles around the aforementioned minister and his 'Christian Mission' to take in and educate a blind, mute girl who lives in his parish. Gide provides an interesting reflection on the clash that occurs when optimistic Christian idealism comes head to head with the realities of life. The zealotry of this good samaritan is brought crashing down to earth when his ambitions are expressed to his exasperated wife and his less than enthusiatic family.

What proves more interesting however is Gide's development of the relationship between the minister and the young blind girl. The affection that develops in the heart of the minister forges parallels with Vladimir Nabokov's 'Lolita', however Gide develops this bond in a different manner. This closeness is on far more of an emotional and spiritual level and does not have the lascivious or explicitly sexual leanings of Nabokov's novel.

Gide's talents in respect of both depth of character and richness of prose, are well exemplified in this very attractive novella. For those interested in reading Gide, 'La Symphonie Pastorale' is a perfect starting point.

La Symphonie Pastorale deals with the semi-acknowledged love affair between a married Protestant priest and Gertrudes, a blind girl he takes into his home and educates. Blinded by love, the priest continually neglects his wife and children, deceiving himself and Gertrudes in the process. Many themes run through this amazing novel: love, family, duty, blindness (literal and metaphorical), sensibility, moral conventions, and so on. All is dealt with with a subtle, highly intelligent touch and in a language that evokes the world at its most beautiful and painful.

The priest himself tells the story and as we go with him on his narrative journey, we feel his deep humanity and the yearning for understanding that only Gertrudes can appease. Unfortunately theirs is not a sanctioned love...

Read it. ;-)

This is a beautifully written tale of how a good person can deceive himself (or herself) and do great damage. It is as good an examination of self centeredness and the suffering it causes as any Buddhist text (I'm a 19 year Chan and Tibetan practitioner) and a gorgeous peice of literature besides.

I first read this a few years ago and I have read it several more times since. It is one of the best French books I have ever read. It is by far the best Gide book. It is about a vicar in turn of the century Switzerland who helps a blind orphan girl but destroys his life in the process. It is very powerful and emotional. It is beautifully and poignantly written.

Un roman émouvant avec un amour difficile, voire impossible, entre le narrateur, pasteur dans le Jura, et une orpheline aveugle, Gertrude. Le pasteur rencontre Gertrude dans une ferme. La jeune femme se trouve dans un état physique lamentable et le pasteur décide de l'emmener chez lui pour faire son éducation. Il passe beaucoup de temps avec elle, lui apprend à lire. Le mécontentement de sa femme Amélie va grandissant : elle reproche au pasteur de s'occuper davantage de Gertrude que de ses propres enfants. Il n'échappe pas à Amélie que bientôt le pasteur développera un sentiment plus que paternel pour Gertrude. Lorsque Gertrude va recouvrer la vue, sa relation avec le pasteur court vers le désastre.
Un des meilleurs romans d'André Gide.

Andre Gide's Symphonie Pastorale was a wonderful book, but a hard read if you are not fluent in french. Many details are easily overlooked that are important to the book if you don't have perfected french reading skills. The book itself, was a wonderful and emotional tail that asked me questions I've never thought of before. But, sincerly, if you're not yet fluent in french, wait a year or two until you know french better to read this book. The symbolism and artful writing deserves is only effective if fully understood.

The 1947 Nobel Laureate in literature Andre Gide (1869-1951) wrote this short story in 1919. It is considered to be a lyrical prelude to his major novel "the Counterfeiters", published seven years later. This story is similar to "the Counterfeiters" in a way that it explores the falsehood that exists in the relationships between people.

The story tells about a rural pastor, who adopts, out of mercy, an orphaned girl, whose condition is further aggravated by the fact that prior to becoming an orphan, she had been living with an elderly and somewhat deaf aunt; therefore, she is not adept in understanding the language that people speak and the connection that exists between words and perceptions. The pastor undertakes the responsibility of educating the blind girl - her name is Gertrude - in accordance with the methods that are used to educate the blind. At the same time, the relationships within the pastor's family grow complex ...

This story is a rebellion against rigours of religious postulates. At one time it enjoyed a great popularity in author's native France and in 1946 its screen version was released. However, the likelihood that the story, the way it is described, could take place indeed is somewhat low. Not only the believability of the plot line is questionable, the emotions seem to be overdramatised. "The Counterfeiters" does not share these drawbacks, though.

This book--the exact same edition--costs less than 5.41 euro in France. At today's exchange rate, it would be $7.30. There is no justification for charging $24.95 for it!

This is a short French book, which I read to help my brother out with his homework. It is a first-person narrative with an adult pastor who finds a young blind girl and falls in love with her. She also shares his love, but when she meets his son, and she is given sight by a eye surgeon, things get a bit more complicated. It was a good read, but the fact that I had to read it quickly (and therefore had to curtail looking in the dictionary for words I didn't know), I probably didn't enjoy it as much as I could have.

This is a senstive tale of destroying oneself through love and good intention. What made the French so pessimistic? So bitter? It is a mystery and this book embodies it with economy and elegance. In the original, the prose glows in the dark like a firefly.

Warmly recommmended.