Culture And Customs Of France

Examines the culture and customs of the people of France.

Don't just see the sights—get to know the people. The French are "different." You'll often hear this in conversations among the "Anglo-Saxons," as the French like to call English-speakers. "Different" means charming, challenging, questioning, stylish, and doing things in their own way and to their own advantage. By looking at the attitudes and values of the French, and explaining how French life and business works, Culture Smart! France shows you how to fit in as a foreigner. It gives practical advice on how to avoid faux pas and how to behave in different contexts. It takes you through French history, festivals, and traditions, and describes the French at home and at work. Above all, it shows you how the French communicate, and how to get the best out of this idiosyncratic and brilliant people. Have a richer and more meaningful experience abroad through a better understanding of the local culture. Chapters on history, values, attitudes, and traditions will help you to better understand your hosts, while tips on etiquette and communicating will help you to navigate unfamiliar situations and avoid faux pas.

The French are of perennial interest, for, among other things, their style, their cuisine and wine, and their cultural output. Culture and Customs of France is a thoroughly jam-packed narrative through the glories that France continues to offer the world. The volume is a boon for preparing country reports, a must-read for travelers, and perfect for culture studies. Chapters on the land, people, and history, religion, social customs, gender, family, and marriage, cinema and media, literature, food and fashion, architecture and art, and performing arts are current and pleasurable to read.

This is an illuminating and practical guide to French culture and society. It will help you turn your visit - whether it's for business or for pleasure - into a memorable and enriching experience.

If you are intrigued by French culture and curious about the history behind French traditions, this book is for you. In it, you'll find a selection of short stories, written in a lively style, which often reveal little-known, but always fascinating facts about French customs. Would you like to know: Why people have fish on their backs on April 1st? How the Bastille was taken down? Who collects teeth from under children's pillows? Which sport honours the memory of a girl called Fanny? You will discover the fascinating stories behind these and other French traditions. French Holidays & Traditions is made up of twelve chapters - one for each month of the year, and each chapter contains one or two stories. These stories might relate to a holiday observed during that month, or they could relate to a tradition, which may not be associated with any particular date. Then, at the end of each chapter, you will find a list of holidays and observances for that month. A handy reference for a monthly dose of French culture."

Margaret Mead collaborated with her long-time colleague Rhoda Métraux in this unique study of French culture. The Hoover Institute at Stanford University originally published this volume, which grew out of the Columbia University project on Research of Contemporary Cultures in 1954. It is one of the few works by American social scientists dealing with broad themes of French life. Mead and Métraux present a vivid picture of the French starting with the organization of the house and its architecture, and drawing original conclusions for the structure of French families and overall cultural values. This work, long out of print, is a fascinating and penetrating portrait of a contemporary European society.

For a long time, France and its culture have been one and the same. However, of this past glory, all that is left today is navel-gazing, nostalgia and timidity. Covering art, fashion, philosophy, literature and cinema, Donald Morrison argues that French culture no longer has the kind of international standing it once did.