Note: The Depardieu film version of Cyrano has very poetic English subtitles by Anthony Burgess so they could hear the poetry of the French original and have a great translation right underneath.

Ooh, I need to let Steve know about that, Megan. He loves Burgess as much as I loathe Depardieu so it could all work out.

Seconding Les Liaisons dangereuses. Bad people behaving very badly indeed, and an epistolary novel to boot! As close to pure fun as you can get in a senior seminar.

Cyrano was one of the films I used in my French Conversation through Film class and was worried the students would think it was too old-fashioned, but it turned out to be the class favorite. It's really a good version. And there's Vincent Perez, who makes a fabulous Christian.

They've already read Cyrano, but Dangerous Liaisons is an interesting idea; is it accessible? As are many of the others here. Hm. Pondering. Something to keep in mind--these are not all the strongest readers, so any text I choose needs to be accessible. I'm also trying not to get too obscure.

They've already read Cyrano, but Dangerous Liaisons is an interesting idea; is it accessible? As are many of the others here. Hm. Pondering. Something to keep in mind--these are not all the strongest readers, so any text I choose needs to be accessible. I'm also trying not to get too obscure.

I can't imagine it's less accessible than Lolita, but I can't speak to the translations that are out there.

Dangerous Liaisons is an interesting idea; is it accessible?

It's a little mannered in places, but it's a series of letters -- very accessible (who doesn't love the nasty thrill of reading someone else's mail?) and a pretty fast read.

And, hey, it gives you an excuse to do a viewing of Cruel Intentions in class.

Oh, for accessible I definitely recommend How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez. It kind of splits the difference between YA & adult literature, it's set up as a series of short stories/vignettes and is a fascinating look at both sides of the coin—of growing up privileged in the Dominican Republic and having to start over in the U.S.

This rollicking, highly original first novel tells the story (in reverse chronological order) of four sisters and their family, as they become Americanized after fleeing the Dominican Republic in the 1960s. A family of privilege in the police state they leave, the Garcias experience understandable readjustment problems in the United States, particularly old world patriarch Papi. The sisters fare better but grow up conscious, like all immigrants, of living in two worlds. There is no straightforward plot; rather, vignettes (often exquisite short stories in their own right) featuring one or more of the sisters--Carle, Sandi, Yolanda, and Fifi--at various stages of growing up are strung together in a smooth, readable story.

I'm also trying not to get too obscure.

How obscure can it be when there were competing Hollywood versions the same year? Plus the great 60s Vadim version with Jeanne Moreau and, of course, Cruel Intentions. I'd say it's one of the more popular French novels, in France and here.

It's rated pretty highly at Goodreads, the reviews might give you a better idea of level and accessibility: [link]

Oh, Barb, that's a good idea. I love Allende but was worried about the length of her books (I have to balance the longer, harder works like Lolita and Hamlet with quicker reads).