Culture of France

The culture of France has its roots in the 10th century, which includes the emergence of the West Frankish state, formed as a result of the collapse of the empire of Charlemagne. In the process of development of French medieval literature, many genres and trends were formed that became common to all European literature. The first monuments that have come down to us are of a religious nature, for example, "Cantilena about Saint Eulalia" (IX century). In the 9th century there lived the philosopher Scot Eriugen, whose works largely determined the further development of philosophical thought in Europe. By the end of the 10th century, under the influence of local and borrowed techniques from the Romans, French Romanesque architecture was taking shape. The leading role in the Romanesque style was played by church architecture, which was distinguished by the severity of its forms. Examples of such structures are: the abbey of Cluny (910), the churches of Saint-Philiber in Tournus (979-1019) and others. Painting and sculpture of this time are represented in France by frescoes and sculptures of saints decorating churches and cathedrals. Oral folk poetry of the 11th century, which includes the "Song of Roland" by the legendary commander who died in battle with the Basques in 778. This work of the heroic epic was the starting point in the formation of the entire culture of France and had a decisive influence on the creation and development of most European national cultures. At the same time, philosophy developed, an outstanding representative of which was Pierre Abelard (1079-1142), the creator of the theory of "nominalism", which determined the basis for the development of pan-European philosophical thought in the Middle Ages.

From the end of the 11th century, the heroic epic was replaced by chivalrous literature and the lyrics of the troubadours. The work of Bertrand de Born (1140-1215), Bernard de Ventadorne, Arnaut Daniel formed the basis of world poetry, and the Provencal language in which they wrote became the international language of poets of the 13th century. At the end of the 12th century, in connection with the unification of the country and the growth of cities, urban literature began to develop. An example of a didactic work is "The Romance of the Rose" by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun. The dramatic works of this time were mainly of a religious nature. The Game of St. Nicholas by Bodel, 1200, but there were already plays sustained in a realistic plan, for example, The Game in the Arbor, 1262 and The Game of Robin and Marion, 1283 . In the XII century, the University of Paris was opened, which later received the name of the Sorbonne. In the XIII-XIV centuries, universities were founded in Toulouse, Grenoble, Dole, Caen, Poitiers, Bordeaux. In the XIII - XIV centuries, Guillaume de Machaux (1300 - 1377) and Eustache Deschamps (1340 - 1407) were the founders of such poetic forms as the ballad, royal song, rondo and others, which became common to all European poetry. In the Middle Ages, Thomas Aquinas, a prominent representative of medieval Aristotelianism, made an invaluable contribution to the development of common European philosophy.

In the XII century, a new style was born in French architecture - Gothic, which became common in Europe. Gothic cathedrals, built by generations of craftsmen, marked the highest stage of medieval architecture. They are distinguished by aspiration upwards and rich plastic processing of the stone. Monuments of the early Gothic are such as the abbey church of Saint-Denis near Paris (1137-1144), the cathedral in Lana (1160-1215), Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris (1163-1257). The best monuments of mature Gothic are the cathedrals in Chartres (1194-1260), Bourges (1200-1342) and others. The painting and sculpture of the Middle Ages were closely associated with and defined by Gothic architecture. Sculpture became an integral part of architecture; it covered the portals of cathedrals, filled niches and galleries. Monumental painting in Gothic cathedrals was supplanted by stained-glass windows, unparalleled in the power of color, which constituted cycles not only of religious, but also of secular content.

In the XV - XVI centuries, the Renaissance was marked by the flourishing of French culture, which, along with Italian, served as the basis for the development of national cultures throughout Europe. French philosophy and literature of the Renaissance are represented by such titans as Rabelais (1494-1553), Villon (1431-1463), Ronsard (1524-1585), Montaigne (1533-1592), who had a huge impact on the formation of humanistic principles of a pan-European scale.

At the same time, the greatest masters of realistic art were Charonton (born in 1410), Froment (1435-1484) and others.

In the 16th century, during the period of the Renaissance itself, under the influence of antiquity and Italian art, France created its own trends in architecture, painting and sculpture. The works of the authors of this time are imbued with a secular cheerful spirit. The most prominent representatives of this era are:
- in architecture: Delorme (1512-1570), Ekuan (1531-1552) and others;
- in sculpture: Goujon (1510-1568), Pilon (1535-1590), Richier (1500-1567) and others;
- in painting: Clouet the Younger (1485-1540), his son Clouet (1522-1572), Kenel (1545-1619) and others.
A musical revival took shape in the 14th century as the direction of Ars Nova. In the following century, various genres of secular musical art were developed. The Renaissance ended with the creation of an independent style of orchestral-ensemble and organ-clavier music with the creation of new musical genres - opera, cantata, oratorio, solo song. At the same time, opera appears as an attempt to resurrect the ancient theater. The most prominent representatives of the musical art of France of this time were: de Macho (1300-1377), Philippe de Vitry (1291-1361), Cotelet (1531-1606), de Sermisy (1490-1562), Jaquenin (1490-1559) and others.
The Renaissance theater is represented by such masters as Jodel (1532-1573), Garnier (1534-1590) and others.
French Renaissance scientists such as Fresnel (1497-1558), Belon (1517-1564) made a huge contribution to the development of the natural sciences.

The literature of the 17th century is characterized by the predominant influence of classicism, the founder of which was Malherbe (1555-1628), who proclaimed the need for strict rules in poetry, the clarity of poetic language. In 1634-35, an academy was created in France, which united writers and contributed to the formation of classicism as the official national style. The 17th century in literature is Corneille (1606-1684), Racine (1639-1699), Molière (1622-1673), de La Fontaine (1621-1695), Perrault (1628-1703). ) and others.
In 1648, the Academy of Painting and Sculpture was formed, in 1671 - of Architecture. At this time, such names as Lemercier (1585-1654), Bruant (1635-1697), Levo (1612-1670) and many others shone in architecture. In painting - Poussin (1594-1665), Lorrain (1600-1682), Bourdon (1616-1671) and others. In sculpture - Lebrun (1619-1690), Girardon (1628-1715). .), Puget (1622-1694) and others. In 1666, the French Academy of Sciences was formed. In 1627, the foundation was laid for the Botanical Garden, which included the Museum of Natural History. Major achievements in the field of mathematics.
The 18th century is the French bourgeois revolution and the Age of Enlightenment. In philosophy, these are Montesquieu (1689-1755), Voltaire (1694-1778), Diderot (1713-1784), Helvetius (1715-1771), Holbach (1723-1789), Rousseau (1712-1778).
The Encyclopedia, published in 1751-1774 and consisting of 35 volumes, is a monumental monument to the enlightenment thought of the 18th century. All famous figures of that time took part in its creation. It is difficult to overestimate the contribution that France made in the 18th century to world culture.
In the literature of the 18th century, these are Chenier, Marechal, de Lisle, de Laclos and others. In painting - Vanloo (1705-1765), Watteau (1684-1721), the founder of realistic art. In sculpture - Lemoine (1704-1778), Gabriel (1698-1782) and others.
Opera was the leading genre in music. The harpsichord suite received its development. Composers of the XVIII century - Rameau (1683-1764), Dandriyo (1684-1740), Couperin (1628-1661) and others.

In the field of natural sciences, the 18th century gave the world great French scientists: Ruelle (1703-1770), Lavoisier (1743-1794), Coulomb (1736-1806), Laplace (1749-1827), Berthollet ( 1748-1822) and others. France is the birthplace of the metric system of measures, adopted by decree of the Convention in 1793. Delambre (1749-1833) and Mechain (1744-1804) took part in its development.
The 19th century in France is a whole era in world culture. Major achievements in the field of physical and mathematical sciences are associated with the names of French scientists, Legendre (1752-1833) - works on integral calculus, Cauchy (1789-1857) - the theory of functions of a complex variable, Galois (1811-1832) group and field theory, and many others. The works of Fourier (1768-1830) were of great importance for the development of mathematical physics. Valuable works on mathematics, mechanics, mathematical physics belong to Poinsot (1777-1840), Poisson (1781-1840), Poncelet (1788-1867). In physics - Fresnel (1788-1827), Arago (1786-1853), Gay-Lussac (1778-1850), Petit (1791-1820), Ampère (1775-1836), Foucault (1819-1891), Becquerel (1820-1891). Such lists can be continued throughout the sections of the natural sciences, it is enough to recall such names as Curie (1859-1906), Poincaré (1854-1912) to understand the contribution of French science to the development of world scientific and technical potential.
French philosophy was represented in the 19th century by the works of such philosophers as Lachelier (1832-1918), Boutroux (1845-1921), Bergson (1859-1941).
Romanticism was the ideological and artistic trend in French culture in the first half of the 19th century. He reflected disappointment in the results of the French Revolution. In this current of social thought, interest in the national past was combined with the desire to create a universal picture of the world.

The writers who developed this trend in their work were: Chateaubriand (1768-1848), de Stael (1766-1817), Nodier (1780-1844), Lamartine (1790-1869), Hugo ( 1802-1885), Dumas (1803-1870), George Sand (1804-1876) and others.

In the 20s of the 19th century, the artistic method of critical realism began to take shape. This trend in literature is represented by such writers and poets as Stendhal (1783-1842), de Balzac (1799-1850), Merimee (1803-1870), Flaubert (1821-1880), Baudelaire ( 1821-1867), Gauthier (1811-1872) and many others. The public life of France during the period of the Second Empire and the Third Republic was remarkably reflected in the work of the outstanding writers Zola (1840-1902) and de Maupassant (1850-1893). The beginning of the 19th century in the fine arts and architecture in France passed under the sign of classicism as the main artistic direction.

When it comes to culture, no one can take away the palm from the French: extraordinary, amazing, sophisticated - these are the hallmarks of French culture. Without a doubt, only a long and rich history could lead to such a rich culture. It was in France that many currents of world culture were born, which had a significant impact on the course of history, the development of science, art and literature in general. The cultural heritage of France is truly enormous. This country has been and remains the center of world art for many centuries. France may be a small country in terms of geography, but it is one of the greatest when it comes to creativity, art, philosophy, science and technology.

Great writers, poets, playwrights, artists, actors, fashion designers, musicians and scientists, haute couture and haute cuisine - all this is an integral part of the very concept of "France". It is to the French that we owe the appearance cinema and cinematography(The Lumiere brothers). French cinema was formed after the Second World War: the following received worldwide recognition: "Parma Monastery" (1948), "Red and Black" (1954), "Teresa Raquin". In the 1940s - early 1950s, such brilliant actors as Gerard Philippe, Bourville, Jean Marais, Marie Cazares, Louis de Funes, Serge Reggiani became famous. The "new wave" of French cinema has become a separate phenomenon in world culture. Thanks to Francois Truffaut, Claude Lelouch and other young talented directors, France has become one of the centers of world cinema. In the 1960s, Jeanne Moreau, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Gerard Depardieu, Catherine Deneuve, Alain Delon, Annie Girardot, French comedians Pierre Richard and Coluche entered the French cinema scene. The tone of modern French cinema is set by such directors as Luc Besson, Jean-Pierre Genet, Francois Ozon, Philippe Garrel. Speaking of actors, it is worth mentioning Jean Reno, Audrey Tautou, Sophie Marceau, Christian Clavier, Matthew Kassovitz, who have become world stars. It is in France, since 1946, that the famous International Film Festival in Cannes has been held.

If there is anything related to France and known to everyone, then it is most likely haute couture. The great French fashion designers Chanel (Chanel), Dior (Dior), Yves Saint Laurent (Yves Saint-Laurent) raised the design of clothes to the rank of a real art. To whom, if not the famous Coco Chanel, we owe the appearance in our wardrobe of such familiar things to us: a shoulder bag, metal jewelry, chains, a little black dress, blouses and men's cut trousers. (Recall that back in 1932, the head of the French police forbade Marlene Dietrich to go out in trousers on the street). After the war in France, a real revolution in the fashion world takes place: in 1946 the first bikini swimsuit appears, in 1947 Christian Dior creates his own special new style. Soon, Yves Saint Laurent, the chief fashion designer of the House of Dior, released his first sensational collection.

Literature in France, it begins to develop in the 9th century, in any case, the memoirs of literature that have come down to us date from this century. Literary creativity reaches its heyday in the 12th century. This is evidenced by the famous epic poem "The Song of Roland", chivalric literature ("Tristan and Isolde"), the poetry of trouveurs and troubadours. In the Renaissance, Rabelais' novel "Gargantua and Pantagruel" appears, Michel Montaigne publishes his "Experiments". In the era of classicism, along with literature, philosophy actively develops. The names of such French philosophers, writers and playwrights as Descartes, Pascal, La Rochefoucauld, Corneille, Racine, Molière, Charles Perrault, Jean de La Fontaine are familiar to every educated person. Each literary era (Enlightenment, realism, romanticism, symbolism) in France is associated with names that are known all over the world today: Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Stendhal, Balzac, Flaubert, Zola, the Goncourt brothers, Charles Baudelaire, Verlaine, Rimbaud.

In the 20th century, French literature (literature of modernism) is developing intensively, as well as the French language itself. Marcel Proust, André Gide, Anatole France and Romain Rolland, Francois Mauriac and Paul Claudel, Apollinaire, Cocteau, Breton, Aragon, Camus, Ionesco and Beckett became the founders of various literary schools and movements. French writers of our time (Christian Bobin, Amelie Nothombe, Frederic Begbeder, Muruel Barberry, David Fonkinos, Anna Gavalda, Michel Houellebecq, etc.) in their own way reflect the "spirit of the age" in their works. French literature is distinguished by social sharpness, humanism, refinement and beauty of form.

Painting in France began to develop very early. Already in the 17th century, it occupies a leading place in the cultural life of the country. France gave us such styles of art as Rococo (Antoine Watteau, Francois Boucher), Impressionism. For many centuries, the art of Italy had a significant impact on the development of the fine arts of France. However, already in the 1860s, French art made a real breakthrough, after which France became the undisputed leader. This breakthrough is associated primarily with the work of impressionist artists: Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas, Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Gustave Caillebotte and others. Post-impressionism is known to us from the work of such major artists as Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. In France, new art schools and trends in painting are gradually developing: pointillism (Georges Seurat, Paul Signac), the Nabis group appears (Pierre Bonnard, Maurice Denis), Fauvism (Henri Matisse, Andre Derain), cubism (Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque ).

musical culture France is no less interesting and diverse - this is due to the fact that the French language itself is extremely melodic, the rhythm of the song often coincides with the rhythm of the language. In the 1920s, jazz came to France, the most prominent representative of which was Stéphane Grappelli. In the XX century. At the peak of popularity were Edith Piaf, Charles Aznavour, Georges Brassens. Folk music (folk music) has been revived, the piano and the accordion are two instruments that we always associate with French music. In the second half of the 20th century, pop music begins to take a leading position not only in France, but throughout the world, we are well acquainted with such performers as: Mireille Mathieu, Dalida, Joe Dassin, Patricia Kaas, Mylene Farmer and many others.

Moreover, its role constantly increased with the growth of the economic, political and military influence of France.

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Language

The desire for the purity of the literary language (for purism) is established by the French Academy as the official standard. Although, of course, it is not mandatory: sometimes even some politicians neglect it.

France has many dialects. Some of them, such as Breton and Alsatian, are very different from the official language.

Art

art

The first images date back to the prehistoric period. The drawings in Lascaux Cave, for example, are over 10,000 years old.

The formation of realism as a method takes place in the second half of the 1920s, i.e., at a time when romantics play a leading role in the literary process. Next to them, in the mainstream of romanticism, Merimee, Stendhal, Balzac begin their writing journey. All of them are close to the creative associations of the romantics and actively participate in their struggle against the classicists (it was the classicists of the first decades of the 19th century, patronized by the monarchical government of the Bourbons, who in these years were the main opponents of the emerging realistic art). The first realists of France and the romantics of the 1920s are also brought together by a common socio-political orientation, which is revealed not only in opposition to the Bourbon monarchy, but also in a sharply critical perception of bourgeois relations being established before their eyes. After the revolution of 1830, which was a significant milestone in the history of France, the paths of realists and romantics will diverge. Romanticism will be forced to yield its primacy in the literary process to realism as the trend that most fully meets the requirements of the new time. However, even after 1830, the contacts of yesterday's allies in the fight against the classicists would continue. Remaining true to the fundamental principle of their aesthetics, the romantics will successfully master the experience of the artistic discoveries of the realists (especially Balzac), supporting them in almost all the most important creative undertakings. The realists, in their turn, will follow with interest the work of the romantics, meeting with invariable satisfaction each of their victories (such, in particular, will be Balzac's relations with Hugo and J. Sand).

Realists of the second half of the 19th century. will reproach their predecessors with "residual romanticism", and these reproaches are not without foundation. At the same time, in those days there was no demarcation of the terms "romanticism" and "realism". Throughout the first half of the nineteenth century. realists were almost invariably called romantics. Only in the 50s - already after the death of Stendhal and Balzac - the French writers Chanfleurie (real name Jules Husson, 1821-1889) and Duranty (1833-1880) proposed the term "realism" in special declarations. However, it is important to emphasize that the method, the theoretical substantiation of which they devoted many works to, was already significantly different from the method of Stendhal, Balzac, Mérimée, which bears the imprint of its historical origin and the resulting dialectical connection with the art of romanticism. The importance of romanticism as the forerunner of realistic art in France can hardly be overestimated. It was the romantics who were the first critics of bourgeois society. They also have the merit of discovering a new type of hero who enters into confrontation with this society. One of the most significant achievements of the Romantics is rightfully seen in their art of psychological analysis, in their discovery of the inexhaustible depth and complexity of the individual personality. This achievement of romance also rendered a considerable service to the realists, paving the way for them to new heights in the knowledge of the inner world of man. Special discoveries in this direction were to be made by Stendhal, who, relying on the experience of modern medicine (in particular, psychiatry), would significantly refine the knowledge of literature on the spiritual side of human life and connect the psychology of the individual with his social being, and present the inner world of a person in dynamics, in evolution, due to the active influence on the personality of the complex environment in which this personality resides. Of particular importance in connection with the problem of literary continuity is the principle of historicism, inherited by realists, the most important of the principles of romantic aesthetics. It is known that this principle involves considering the life of mankind as a continuous process in which all its stages are dialectically interconnected, each of which has its own specifics. Her, called by the romantics a historical color, and the artists were called upon to reveal the word in their works. However, the principle of historicism among the romantics, which was formed in a fierce polemic with the classicists, had an idealistic basis. It acquires a fundamentally different content from the realists.

Based on the discoveries of the school of contemporary historians (Thierry, Michelet, Guizot), who proved that the main engine of history is the struggle of classes, and the force that decides the outcome of this struggle is the people, the realists proposed a new, materialistic reading of history. This is what stimulated their special interest both in the economic structures of society and in the social psychology of the broad masses of the people (it is no coincidence that Balzac's Human Comedy begins with Chouans, and one of her last novels is Peasants). Finally, speaking of the complex transformation of the principle of historicism discovered by the romantics in realistic art, it must be emphasized that this principle is put into practice by realists when depicting not long ago eras (which is typical for romantics), but modern bourgeois reality, shown in their works as a certain stage in historical development of France.

The heyday of French realism, represented by the work of Balzac, Stendhal and Mérimée, falls on the 1830s and 1840s. The categorical rejection of planar empiricism is one of the notable features of classical realism in the 1830s and 1840s.

The realism of the second half of the 19th century, represented by the work of Flaubert, differs from the realism of the first stage. There is a final break with the romantic tradition, officially declared already in the novel Madame Bovary (1856). Fundamental changes are noted, in comparison with the realism of the first stage, and the relationship of the artist with the world in which he lives and which is the object of his image. Flaubert brings together with the realists of the first half of the XIX century. and anti-bourgeois orientation of creativity. It is precisely the deep, uncompromising criticism of the inhumane and socially unjust foundations of the bourgeois system, established on the ruins of the feudal monarchy, that constitutes the main strength of the realism of the 19th century.

20th century

Comics

France, along with Belgium, is the most important center for the publication of French-language comics ( bande-dessinee, BD). Here worked such famous artists and screenwriters as Albert Uderzo and Rene Goscinny (the creators of Asterix), Jean   "Mobius" Giraud, Olivier   Ledroy. Many of the creators of BD are not of French origin, but have achieved fame in France, for example, the Argentine Alejandro Jodorovski, the Serb Enki Bilal.

Fashion

"Fashion" began to be associated with France as early as the time of Louis XIV, when, under government control, this industry began to develop intensively.

What do you associate France with first of all? Croissants, baguettes, frog legs, wine, the Eiffel Tower, berets, accordion... Well, it's time to add to this list or even rewrite it.

Well, I won’t tell everyone that is already obvious that the French are very welcoming, polite and friendly. Easy to strike up a conversation on the street. If they see that they need help, they help without hesitation. Or about the fact that by default everyone always greets and smiles in stores.

I will tell you about what we managed to notice, closely communicating with many inhabitants of this fabulous country and having the opportunity to observe their life while ours was held in France.

The peculiarities of the culture of France, as it seemed to us, are manifested, for example, in the love of its inhabitants for antiques, ranging from trifles to old houses.

We were lucky to stay with friends for a few days in an amazing house-museum, where the entire interior is harmoniously decorated in antique style. I really wanted to put on a long dress and swim around such a house, imagining myself in the 19th century.

As we were told, in France, even if they want to build a new house, they demolish everything except the outer walls so as not to violate the integrity of the architectural ensemble of the street. And it also happens that outwardly the house looks very nice, because it is obviously old, but inside everything is very simple and it even happens that it has not been repaired for a long time, although it happens the other way around - inside is as nice as outside. And precisely because of this desire of the French to preserve everything ancient, it happens that there are whole toy cities with unusually beautiful streets, for which my aesthetic feelings are very grateful to this nation.

On the streets of France there are also such old houses

Several times it happened that we drove into small French towns in the evening at 9-10 o'clock, and there was a feeling that the city was simply empty. There is almost no one on the streets, and due to the fact that the shutters are closed in all the houses, there is no usual glow from the windows and it seems that there is no one or everyone has been sleeping for a long time. Unusual feeling.

In France, as we understand, everything that is original is very popular. Handmade crafts (jewelry, bags, scarves, etc.) are in good demand, and people manage to make good money from it.

I don’t know if this can be attributed to the peculiarities of the French population, but we noticed that the French attach quite a lot of importance to food. Almost always and everyone is of genuine interest, what did you have for lunch today, and what was for dinner? And they cook, of course, excellent! We have stayed with several French families and every meal was almost royal. At the same time, we always forgot that one should not eat oneself to satiety, because at the end, according to tradition, there will be cheese as a dessert, and more than one!

There are a lot of cheeses in France. I will even take the liberty of asserting that these are some features of the culture of France. According to unverified data, there are more than 300 species. And these are not just yellow semi-hard cheeses, like ours, they are of different colors, different textures, different smells, ages and, of course, taste! Some of the cheeses are so hard that they are thinly sliced ​​with a special tool, some are so liquid that, after opening the pack, they can only be eaten with a spoon. You can even write a separate article about cheeses, but it’s best to just try them. As I write, my mouth is watering. And now I can already say with confidence: no, the French are not paddling pools! These are raw foodists, cheese lovers, cheese fans!

Well, bread is also a separate song. It is eaten a lot and its varieties are also unmeasured. Only it is all predominantly white, and they eat it mostly fresh, and if he managed to stay in the breadbasket for a couple of days, then before being served at the table, he is heated in the oven. On the street, you can very often see such a cute picture: a Frenchman chewing a freshly bought baguette.

Well, about the fact that the French are very fond of sitting in cafes on the streets, and so everyone knows.

We were quite surprised at how technically advanced the older generation in France is. The peers of our parents and older people keep their blogs, communicate with friends via Skype and facebook, many have touch phones.

Maybe we just got lucky, but most of the French people we meet are self-employed in one way or another. Either it is its own theater, or it is a craftsman who assembles display furniture, or a taster in restaurants, or a garden designer, or people generally have their own small private enterprise. And all these activities allow you to lead a financially decent life.

We did not meet a single Frenchman who, in one way or another, would not start talking to us about politics. Of course, now this is a very painful topic in connection with the attempt to adopt a new law on pensions, but, nevertheless, there is a lot of talk about higher ones. Sarkozy has been compared to Napoleon and Hitler. But that's a completely different story...

If we talk about the peculiarities of the population of France, well, it is impossible not to mention the crowd of Arabs. And the further south the city, the more of them. As our familiar resident of Marseilles explained to us: the southern climate is closer to them, so they flock there. In the evenings, noisy drunken companies of this very nationality walk around in large cities, from which it is not clear what to expect. You somehow recognize your own by sight, you understand who it is better to bypass, but here it is not clear. But we only encountered such a company once, in Paris at two in the morning, and the guy at the same time decided to help us find a hotel. :)

Oddly enough, the driving culture of the local population is very similar to ours. Often they do not turn on the turn signals, they pass on red, they cut, although, of course, not as shamelessly as in Russia. But, just like ours, headlights warn about "traffic cops" nearby.

It may be bold to say so, but it seemed to us that despite all the cultural and national features of France, it is very similar to Russia. Take our old lady, give her a plastic surgery, or just a nice makeover, start feeding her properly and helping her when needed, and she too will become a land of love. But seriously, we just need more order, better social support and a higher general standard of living, and we will become the same French people, smiling, attentive and polite. At least, I really want to believe in it ...

P.S. The article turned out to be too large, so I will talk about how the French live in the next article.

The cultural customs of France have been formed over several millennia. They were based on the Gallic, Celtic, Roman-Latin traditions. On the territory of France there was and is a fusion of various European cultures. The formation of each French province was carried out in different conditions. Therefore, it is not surprising that today's cultural image of the country is very difficult to systematize and characterize. But many traditions are firmly established in almost all corners of France.

Attitude to family and social sphere

Statistics show that the French are getting worse and worse about the formation of family relationships. Men get married on average at 29 years old, and women - at 27. In the country, divorces have become frequent, if not worse - a stable phenomenon. This suggests that the population of France does not particularly honor the institution of the family. Popularity is gaining civil marriages, which in France are almost equal to the usual. French families are small, with an average of 2 to 4 people. Despite these facts, it is customary to spend holidays with children surrounded by friends, or in a cafe. As a rule, both parents are employed, so the government assigns benefits and subsidies to kindergartens.

The state has an extensive social assistance network, which is considered one of the best in the world. For example, pregnant women have the right to take leave as early as 6 weeks before giving birth, and such leave lasts for 4 months after birth.

The largest number of French residents live in medium-sized cities, where the population does not exceed 200 thousand inhabitants. Families usually have houses in villages and suburbs, so the culture and customs of the cities are gradually strengthened in the villages, and vice versa.

Education system

Children receive primary education on a mandatory basis, it lasts from 6 to 16 years. This education is free. There are also private paid schools, which go to a little more than 15% of children.

Primary school begins at age 6, after which secondary school begins. Further, students enter specialized schools of the highest level. After graduation, students have a bachelor's degree, with which you can enter the university. After graduation, students are awarded a bachelor's degree related to a particular specialization.

There are more than 70 universities in France, as well as high schools with a strict selection of students. But after graduating from these educational institutions, there are ample opportunities for career growth.

french etiquette

By the number of rules of etiquette, the French are often compared with the Japanese. Residents of the country especially appreciate the interlocutor's politeness and courtesy, and only then take into account such details as wealth and profession. In some provinces, the French often gesticulate, which indicates a desire to better convey their thoughts. The greeting is limited to a handshake if people just know each other, or expressed in kisses on both cheeks if they are related. When talking with a stranger, for example, in public transport or in a store, it is customary to insert the traditional address "monsieur", "madame", "mademoiselle".

In a public place, a Frenchman will not smile at strangers (a sign of politeness), he will try not to make eye contact. However, when going to the store, the French greet the owner from the doorway, and he reciprocates. If the person in the store said hello first, it means that he needs help. Interestingly, the French consider it a sign of good manners if a person closes the door behind him, no matter if it is a cafe or a room door. It is forbidden to enter without knocking or ringing without the invitation of the owner of the house, except for those establishments where it is written "open".