Shigeru Kashima

French Literature, History and Culture

Shigeru Kashima, "A Literary Guide to Paris" - A guidebook to Paris for fans of French literature! Read this and you will want to go to Paris!

This book will be a guide to Paris by Shigeru Kashima, a well-known French literary scholar on our blog.

The most unique feature of this work is that it allows visitors to see the places associated with literature in Paris, accompanied by Kashima's famous commentary.

This book is a must for fans of French literature, as he discusses each of Paris' famous landmarks in relation to its literature.

This book will definitely make you want to go to Paris. I highly recommend this book.
To enjoy "Les Miserables" even more

Shigeru Kashima, "Tomorrow is the Ball" - How the dream society really is! Explains the love and marriage patterns of Parisian women!

For women, a ball is a battlefield. The way you behave here can have a decisive impact on the rest of your life.

The book may destroy your longing for a dreamy moment with dandies in elegant social circles, dressed in glamorous costumes.

It seems that the social scene was a more serious and realistic battleground than I had imagined.

It is a perfect book to learn about the view of marriage and the love affairs of men and women at that time.

You can see why French literature is full of sludgy affairs and love stories.
To enjoy "Les Miserables" even more

Shigeru Kashima, "I want to buy a carriage! ~ If you want to know about the French dream of young men and life in 19th century Paris, this is the book for you!

The book begins with a description of the means of transportation in France, followed by a narrative description of the procedures for entering Paris, finding lodging, and how to eat daily.

And from there, it leads to the story of how the young men move on to become dandies and why, as the title says, "I want to buy a carriage! and why they come to truly believe that "I want to buy a carriage!

It is a very exciting piece of work! Recommendation!
To enjoy "Les Miserables" even more

Why are French men so popular - I thought about it from the perspective of the "dandy," the Parisian dandy.

French men have an image of being popular, don't they? (This is just my own prejudice, but lol)

But why are they so glib and so good at love?

It is also, after all, because of the historical background that made it so. This article will look at such historical background.
I hope this article will give you an idea of how tremendous the Paris dandies are.
To enjoy "Les Miserables" even more

What is the relationship between a student and a grisette, a Parisian seamstress - the career path and love life of young people in 19th century France.

Grisette is translated from Japanese as "seamstress.

Fantine in "Les Miserables," which we have talked about on this blog, is precisely this grisette.

French literature reflects the society of the time. It can also serve as a mirror for those of us living in Japan today.

This article looks at such grisettes and the historical background of the time.
To enjoy "Les Miserables" even more

Shigeru Kashima, "Parisian Customs by Occupation" This is a book to learn about the life and occupation of people in 19th century Paris and the historical background!

This book looks at the lives of Parisians in the mid-19th century in terms of their occupations.

What was commonplace at the time the novel was written was never bothered to be written.

However, the norm is very different from "what we, modern people, take for granted. Even if there is a lawyer in the novel, his work and lifestyle are quite different from what we imagine a lawyer to be. Students, doctors, teachers, grisettes, police, journalists, etc., you can learn about the "norm" of various professions in this book.

This book makes French literature incredibly easy to understand.
To enjoy "Les Miserables" even more

Why Jean Valjean was able to succeed as mayor of the Madeleine

Jean Valjean served 19 years as a convict.

In such a state of despair, he meets Bishop Miriel and vows to make a new life for himself.

Jean Valjean then lived under the name Madeleine and became a factory manager and even mayor in another city.

How did Jean Valjean, who came from a poor background in Paris, manage to become so successful? It is a mystery if you think about it. He is a different person from when he was a convict.

In this article, I will discuss why Jean Valjean was able to achieve so much success.
To enjoy "Les Miserables" even more

Why was Cosette left in the care of Mr. and Mrs. Thénardier?

Cosette is no longer the most famous girl in the world.

Cosette was left in the care of the Thénardier family, out of the hands of the impoverished Fantine. She was treated like a Cinderella, bullied and abused.

But perhaps those who have seen the musical or movie may have asked themselves the following questions.

Why did I bother to leave Cosette with a scoundrel like Thénardier?"

This article looks at the background of Cosette and the Tenardier family.
To enjoy "Les Miserables" even more

Why did Fantine follow a disastrous path - "I Dreamed A Dream

Hugo expresses in this work the problems of these poor women and the children they were forced to abandon. The misery of Fantine was not only hers alone, but also that of society as a whole. Hugo also expressed his wish to change such a society in this work.

To know Fantine is to know the problems that French society was facing at the time.

I am amazed at how the producers were able to incorporate this background and express it in the short time available for a musical or movie. I have come to love L'émisé even more.