A Tale of Love and Desire (Une histoire d'amour et de désir)

A Tale of Love and Desire

- Ahmed, up already? - It's my first day.

Oh yes. Good luck, then.

Have a good day, Mum.

Bye.

Thank you.

I just need to see your student card.

Thank you.

Next.

Morning everyone. Welcome to First Year General Literature.

Find a seat as quickly as you can

so we don't lose five to ten minutes each session.

So, to get started,

what is literature?

To put it simply, literature today

is the combination of three subjects you've already encountered:

the novel, poetry and drama.

In you come. There's lots of space at the front.

People at the back come down here.

Don't be afraid. Words don't bite

and neither do I.

My name's Anne Morel.

This year will be intense. The course is rich, dense, but within your means.

You've chosen to major in literature

with this module in comparative literature.

Excellent choice!

A rare corpus

and a revolution to study it in year one at the Sorbonne.

So, Arab poetry.

Courtesans.

In love.

Desire. Desire.

And yet more desire.

Is that not what literature is all about?

Even at your age, you know all about that.

So, to the subject of desire.

Majnun Layla.

Ring any bells?

"Possessed by Layla".

Possessed by what?

Love, of course!

A major work from the 12th century.

A great influence on Western literature.

Elsa's Madman which of course you all know off by heart.

Or "Layla" by Clapton. Never heard of it? Not your generation?

Well do listen to it

because it's a poem by Majnun which has been translated into English.

Here's your reading list.

Pass them along.

With the addresses where you can find the books.

Those with an asterisk are the most urgent to read

for your tutorials

which, for some of you lucky people, will be taught by me.

To be read through quickly

but slowly enough to savour the intense eroticism of some of these texts.

So let's get to the heart of the matter.

Over a hundred words in Arabic describe the different states of love

with all its multiple subtleties.

From tenderness to passion.

From seduction to heartbreak

to mystical ecstasy.

This emotion is at the heart of two main poetic movements.

That of the elegiac chant where love remains platonic

to the point of merging with the divine.

"Lacking sun, know how to ripen in ice."

Simultaneously the second movement unfolds.

Dedicated to life's pleasures,

to pleasures of the flesh.

Where desire is law and pleasure reigns.

- Hey. - Hello.

- How's it going? - OK.

We're on the same course.

- Sorry? - We're doing the same courses.

Yes.

Are you off to buy the books?

I've only just arrived, I keep getting lost.

- Where are you from? - Tunis.

You speak great French.

In Tunisia, everyone speaks great French.

Excuse me.

And you? Do you speak Arabic?

A bit of Algerian Arabic. My parents are from there, but, otherwise, no.

I've heard Algeria's very beautiful.

I wouldn't know, I've never been there.

Really?

I'm Farah, by the way.

Ahmed.

Nice to meet you, Ahmed.

We're never suspicious enough of words,

they look like nothing much, not at all dangerous,

just little puffs of air,

little sounds the mouth makes, neither hot or cold

and easily absorbed, once they reach the ear

by the vast gray boredom of the brain.

- We're not... - ...suspicious enough of words

and calamity strikes.

You know it by heart?

It's a very famous quote.

The Declension of Love In Arabic Poetry

The Perfumed Garden

A Manual of Arabian Erotology

Do you know this one?

Have you read it?

Let's see.

It's a manual of Arabian erotology.

Written in the 15th century in Tunisia.

Who's it by?

Cheikh Nefzaoui.

I don't understand how come I've never heard of this.

Wow! That's mad!

The Sundry Names To The Sexual Parts of Man.

So, for the penis, we can say:

"El deukkak", the striker.

"El âouame", the swimmer.

"El hakkak", the rubber.

Hilarious!

"El hammache", the exciter.

"El aouar", the one-eyed.

And what's this one? "El fortass" the bald.

Strong stuff, eh!

"El mostahi", the shamefaced one.

- I'm getting this! - You can't call that literature.

How can you say that? You haven't even read it.

It's obvious!

- You've got school on Saturday? - Yeah, I'm gutted.

- Bilal, eh? - No, it's Emma, about homework.

Give over. Give that back!

Love you, baby!

- Médé, give me that! - What did you write?

That's none of your business!

- I love you. - Give me my phone!

Good morning, children!

- Everything OK? - Fine and you?

I'm tired.

Madame Rosa didn't sleep a wink all night.

- Has Dad at least had breakfast? - Can't he get off his bum?

Right then, have a great day everyone!

Put the boxes over there on the right.

We really get to see the world with you, Karim!

- Hello! - Morning, Ma'am.

You got here fast!

I just wanted to tell you to be careful with the boxes

because the lift's very small and it's on the 7th floor.

- Hang on Krimo, we'll do that. - Yeah, careful with your back.

- Does Salima do massage? - Hey, respect if you don't mind!

- I hope you don't just talk! - Talking's the foundation.

Shagging's the foundation.

Revel like maidens, breast curves alluring

or gazelles that slow to graze and wander.

While the fly hums softly in the meadow

and a songbird trills a reply.

Very good, thank you. Mademoiselle.

Velvet is the fringe of the garden, tender the spring breeze,

the cloud, lit by lightning thunder rumbles the dark sky.

Rain bursts like tears of a lover

torn asunder from the one he loves.

Drink this ancient wine, drink deeply-

Let the spell of its song take you.

Very good.

The young man next to you.

We're at "Wine of the age of Adam."

Go ahead, take a deep breath.

You've lost your voice. Haven't heard that one in a while.

Well, I'll be expecting you to excel yourself next time, OK?

Mademoiselle, carry on for your friend.

Wine of the age of Adam!

Bearing word from the garden of sanctuary:

Wine, sweet as a rush of musk tasted on the lips' elixir kiss.

The Interpreter of Desires, Ibn Arabi, 12th century.

So, what's the main metaphor in this text?

There's still a few spaces in

Medieval Literature

or in Comparative Literature.

Greek Tragedy: The Rewriting of the Myth of Electra.

Madame Morel's course doesn't suit you?

Greek Tragedy's a good course, too.

She's actually very popular.

Right then, Greek Tragedy. The lecture's on Thursday, at 8 am.

May I have your student card?

Sorry, I need your card to confirm the change.

I still need to think about it.

- Do you have another card? - No.

Sorry, it says the code's wrong.

Put your tray back, please.

Thanks. I'll pay you back as soon as I can.

I don't understand. I'm sure my dad transferred the money.

- Aren't you on a scholarship? - No, my parents send the money to me.

Isn't the usual practice to send money to the village?

The village?

Tunis isn't the village. You need to stop that.

Foreign students are financed by their families. It's a big sacrifice.

So you're a bit of a rich kid?

A bit of a rich kid?

If I'm a rich kid then you're a zimigri.

A zimigri?

Tunisian workers who immigrate to France.

They're very conventional. Not well liked.

You're saying I'm conventional?

Yeah!

Fortunately, you're at the Sorbonne. That's a good point.