1. REPORT ON FRENCH NATIONAL STORIES
1. Do they use the Periods ? Do they know them ?
Students don’t usually use periods but events as chronological marks.
I found once or twice the ancient times, the Middle Ages, Renaissance.
2. What event/Period is considered as the beginning of the national history ?
Students don’t say clearly which event or which period is at the origin of their country.
They just tell what they know.
Some of them are more precise : 3 say the history of France begins with the Gauls, one
with Neandertal men, one with the Francs.
3. What characters are mentionned ? Do they speak about people ? individuals ?
Many individual characters are mentionned.
Kings of France : Clovis 3 times ; Louis XIV 3 times, Louis XVI 3 times, François Ier 1
time ;
Emperors :; Napoléon 7 times ; ; Charlemagne 6 times
Antic characters : César 3 times, Vercingétorix 2 , Hannibal 1
Medieval characters : Joan of Arc twice
Revolution characters : Robespierre 3 times, Lumières philosphers
WW1, WW2 : Hitler 2, De Gaulle résistance movement 1
Many presidents
What they say about them :
Napoléon was a mathematics genious, made a coup d’etat, conquered a lot of lands,
exiled in Ste Helene Island
Louis XIV : Sun king, Louis XVI had his head cut
4. What events are mentionned ? (usually, often, never…)
French Revol often : Bastille, DDHC, L16 beheaded mostly
1GM : very few détails
2GM débarquement, nazis
MA : seigneurs, paysans, chevaliers, croisades (not often)
Very few :, g d’Algérie, révolution industrielle, cinéma, coupe foot, Phocée fonde
Massalia, Clovis, droit de vote des femmes
Hors sujet : tsunami au Japon, Hiroshima, guerre d’indép américaine
Symbols : devise, flag, national day,
5. What is their point of view ?
Rather a political and military point of view
6. The narrative :
- Often non linear narrative
- Chronological narrative