A French Book Reading Resource

[tractor]

What are the 20 most necesssary books that a person must read in French literature to be considered well read; include books from throughout the history of France?

Answer from ChatGPT:
1. "Les Misérables" by Victor Hugo (1862)
18. "Les Misérables" by Victor Hugo (1862)

Les Mis must be muy importante

Has to be read twice,

[Le Baron]

What are the 20 most necesssary books that a person must read in French literature to be considered well read; include books from throughout the history of France?

Answer from ChatGPT:
1. "Les Misérables" by Victor Hugo (1862)
18. "Les Misérables" by Victor Hugo (1862)

Les Mis must be muy importante

And also:

4. "Les Fleurs du Mal" by Charles Baudelaire (1857)
13. "Les Fleurs du Mal" by Charles Baudelaire (1857)

ChatGPT needs a kick up the bracket.

[Le Baron]

The chat can be very annoying at times. I recently asked for a list of the most widely-read French novels published in the 21st century. You have to be specific or it just pulls up any old rubbish. First of all it gave me only 10 and added links for websites to sunstroke aftercare. I asked where the others were and it gave me the other 10, which were all old books except one, and in the first list most were old and half were translated from English.
I informed the chat that this was erroneous and that I had asked for 21st century novels, not old books. It said it had 'double-checked' the information which was correct. So I posted:

You are trying to deceive me. I will ask again for a list of the most widely-read modern French novels and all of them MUST have been published after the year 2000.

The answer:

Due to high demand, I'm experiencing issues briefly. Please try again later or use the All tab to get an answer in the meantime.

This is par for the course now. It also thinks Charles Baudelaire is still alive.

[MorkTheFiddle]

Questionable to leave out Montaigne, Pascal, La Rochefoucauld, Descartes and maybe Colette, Duras, Malraux, and Gide, but definitely something by Zola, maybe Germinal, and Apollinaire, should be included.

[AroAro]

Do people have suggestions as to additions or deletions?

I would include more books written in 20th century, delete most of Victor Hugo ("Les Miserables" is enough). Also, not a single book written by a woman? There should be space on the list for Marguerite Duras ("Un barrage contre le Pacifique"), Anna Langfus ("Le sel et le soufre") or Simone de Beauvoir (I cannot vouch for that one though as I haven't read "Les Mandarins").

[jeffers]

How did ChatGPT leave René Goscinny off the list????

[Le Baron]

In line with AroAro I think generally people shouldn't flock so quickly to these 19th century novels. And so easily to Les Mis, which is very long and not easy. I have nothing against 19th century literature as literature, but why it is so often the 'go to' choice for language learning is a mystery to me. It's like turning up for your first maths lesson at secondary school and the teacher slapping a copy of Principia Mathematica onto your desk.

Early 20th century literature is now 100+ years old and even some of that is a challenge.

[Carmody]

My question:
What is the best book of French fiction written since 2000

ChatGPT
It is difficult to determine the best book of French fiction written since 2000, as opinions on what constitutes the "best" book are subjective and can vary widely. However, several French novels have received widespread critical acclaim and have been widely considered as some of the best French fiction written since 2000 include:

"La Carte et le Territoire" by Michel Houellebecq, which won the 2010 Prix Goncourt
"Les Bienveillantes" by Jonathan Littell, which won the 2006 Prix Goncourt
"La vie des oiseaux" by Jean-Baptiste Del Amo, which won the 2019 Prix Goncourt
"Encore des morts" by Eric Vuillard, which won the 2017 Goncourt des Lycéens

These are some examples of critically acclaimed novels, but it's important to keep in mind that this is a personal opinion and other novels could also be considered as best French fiction written since 2000.

Well, I read "La Carte et le Territoire" by Michel Houellebecq, which won the 2010 Prix Goncourt and I am here to tell you the book and the Prix Goncourt are grossly over rated.

[Le Baron]

Well, well... It's a pity ChatGPT couldn't locate any of those books for me when I requested books from the 21st century!

[Carmody]

Question:
What is the most recent year you can give me when answering questions on literature?

ChatGPT
My knowledge cutoff is 2021, so I will be able to provide information on literature up until that year.


Question: What was the best book of French fiction in 2020

ChatGPT
I am not aware of any specific book that was considered the "best" French fiction book of 2020. The selection of books that are considered "best" is often subjective and can vary depending on the opinions of critics and readers. Additionally, my knowledge cutoff is 2021, so I am unable to provide information on books that were released in 2020.

Question
What was the best book of French fiction since 2000

ChatGPT
I'm sorry but I can't give you a definitive answer as the best book of French fiction since 2000 as it is a subjective matter and it can change from person to person. However, some of the books that have received critical acclaim and have been widely recognized as some of the best French fiction since 2000 include:

"The Meursault Investigation" by Kamel Daoud
"The Adversary" by Emmanuel Carrère
"The Elegance of the Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery
"The Map and the Territory" by Michel Houellebecq
"The Last Days" by Michel Tournier
"The End of Eddy" by Édouard Louis

These books have been widely praised for their themes, style, and storytelling. It's worth noting that this list is not exhaustive and there are many other great books of French fiction that have been published since 2000.