French

Cyrano de Bergerac struck a responsive chord when first performed in 1897. Its unashamed glorification of panache, the heroic individualism of a bygone age allied to an unimpeachable ethical code, flattered and soothed a country shaken by war and financial scandals, and low in se...lf-esteem. With great empathy, the devout Rostand portrays a proud freethinker who, in a world where little can be cured and much has to be endured, is always equal to the situation, at least linguistically. This delicate balance between humour and pathos is an example of the rare genre of comedie heroique. The demanding role of Cyrano has proved an irresistible challenge to the monsters sacres of stage and screen, recently to the greatest of them all, Gerard Depardieu.
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The two volumes of Moisei Ostrogorski's work, published in 1902 and long out of print in this century, are the fi rst serious attempt to analyze the consequences of democratic sufferage by a comparative analysis of political systems and had a profound eff ect on the subsequent wr...itings of Max Weber and Robert Michels. Ostrogorski approached his analysis by a detailed history of the rise and changes in the party system in England and the United States, the first two nations to introduce mass suff rage. Although subsequent research has suggested the need to modify some of his historical statements, the books remain amazingly authoritative, and recent empirical studies conducted in this country have borne out many of Ostrogorski's fi ndings. Most current books on political parties acknowledge Ostrogorski as a major source of knowledge and ideas. His writings continue to be relevant to ongoing concerns in Britain and the United States.
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In closely scrutinising everyday life in l'Arlequin, 'Step By Step' draws a fascinating portrait of the richness of social life in the new towns and sheds light on the current living conditions of France's immigrants.

Part of a series that offers mainly linguistic and anthropological research and teaching/learning material on a region of great cultural and strategic interest and importance in the post-Soviet era.

This guide provides students of the French language with a very basic introduction to its structure. Included in this are the fundamental principles of grammar, phonology, words and discourse.