Talk:The Little Prince

fr:Discuter:Antoine de Saint-Exupery#Le Petit Prince Gangleri 05:43, 2004 Oct 27 (UTC)

Should the vain also be mentioned in the list of characters? Comrade-HW 02:45, 24 Nov 2004 (UTC)

I added the "two extra main points". I believe those are commonly seen as the three main points of the book as they are reitterated very often throughout the book and are also spoken at the same time by the fox. --Sasha Bakale 19:42, 25 February 2006 (UTC)

Illustrations

I removed this sentence from the page because it appeared to be vandalism. In the humorous event that it is not, could someone please tactfully rephrase it and insert it back into the article? Ke6jjj 06:47, 2 November 2005 (UTC)

It is interesting to note that Saint-Exupery drew all the illustrations for the Little Prince himself, with a water-color paintbrush clenched firmly between his buttocks.

The Opera

The Little Prince is now performed by the New York City Opera Company. It consists of all the characters of the true book, but with 32 children added...they play stars and orphans. Outstandingly said1!! What a sweet interpretation.

Who is the Rose?

My perception from reading this book is that it is a suicide threatening arrow of Exupery's designed to penetrate the breast of a former lover (the Rose) and break off below the fletch. Does this have any credence? Who is the Rose meant to be in Exupery's life? - Julian Assange?

This is something only an 'adult' would think. -FeralCats

St. Exupery said the Rose was his wife, with whom he had a stormy and often-absent relationship. I believe she has also written a memoir acknowledging this. Vince

Novel or novella?

Is The Little Prince long enough to be considered a novel? It's about 90 pages, which would make it a novella. I'll change it to that, unless anyone objects.-Ian Morrison

One of the main points missed

No mention of the differences between the children's view and that of the "grown-ups", which were being underlined by the author throughout the book, was in the article. I tried to introduce it into the lead section, but I didn't go far enough for the detailed description. It seems, that much more work is necessary on this issue. Cmapm 12:37, 18 April 2006 (UTC)

What the lecture of the book teaches us

Re IMPORTANT. Every reader of the article will be convinced that the authors have not only read the book but have clearly understood it. Especially, the moral at the end when the little prince says: Et aucune grande personne ne comprendra jamais que ça a tellement d'importance!
What Saint-Exupéry is telling us is that if you have a child, you should never pay attention to what IT, the child, thinks is important. Who wants to think about whether the sheep ate the flower or not? Important is only what YOU think is important. This is the right way to teach.
So far, the American Wikipedia has internalized this important lesson. Not as well as its great Forepicture, the German Wikipedia, of course, but well enough. Let us hope this will never be forgotten: It is of no importance what any reader of Wikipedia thinks. What could an outsider know about the twin horrors of POV and ORIGINAL RESEARCH? How could he be the judge of what is an excellent aticle, what is quality, what is a subject for discussion, what is the function of a commentary, etc etc? Important is only the opinion of the editing community, i.e. the Autoren and, above all, the Administratoren.--BZ(Bruno Zollinger) 08:59, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

Re MISUNDERSTANDING. Le langage est source de malentendus, the fox tells the Little Prince. And that is also what mathematics tells us. Words can always be misunderstood in a thousand different ways, but they can be correctly understood in only one way. Which means that the chances of success of any communication that relies on words are practically nil. Strange man, that Saint-Exupéry. A very long fairy tale, tens of thousands of words just to tell us precisely that words will NOT do the trick? Every child knows this. A child learns every single day that grown-ups "just don't get it". No matter what he says and how.--BZ(Bruno Zollinger) 08:57, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

Important Vocabulary Translations for English readers of French version

échouer- to fail décider de faire quelquechose- to decide to do something apprendre a faire quelquechose- to learn to do something se mettre a faire quelquechose- to begin to do something essayer de faire quelquechose- to try to do something demander a quelqu'un de faire quelquechose- to ask someone to do something autrefois- formerly

Chaiptre 1 lorsque- when When I was 6 years old, I saw, once, a magnificent picture, in a book on the Virgin Forest that was called "Live History." Lorsque j'avais six ans, j'ai vu, une fois, une magifique image, dans un livre sur la Virgit Foret qui s'appellai "Live Histories"

sans + infinitive-- without doing sans parler- without speaking One said in the book, "The snake boas swallow their prey completely without chewing it" On disait dans le livre, "Les snake boas avalent leur tout entiere, sans la marcher.

J'ai beaucoup réflechi- I thought a lot I then thought a lot on the adventures of the jungle and, to my turn, I succeeded, with a color pencil, to trace my first drawing. J'ai alors beaucoup réfléchi sur les aventures de la jungle et, à mon tour, j'ai réussi, avec un crayon de couleur, à tracer mon premier dessin.

Je les ai vues de tres pres- agreement with past participle ne ni ni Je ne parle ni espagnol ni francais.

        I don't speak spanish or french.
        Then I did not speak to him or snakes boas, or of virgin forests, or of stars.  
        Alors je ne lui parlais ni de serpents boas, ni de forêts vierges, ni d'étoiles.
        Neither my father nor my mother speak french.
        Ni mon père ni ma mère parlent français. 

Chaiptre 2

à peine- hardly
      I hardly had water to drink for eight days.
      J'avais à peine de l'eau à boire pour huit jours.  
etonnement- astonishment
      I watched this apparition with eyes all round ones of astonishment.  
      Je regardai donc cette apparition avec des yeux tout ronds d'étonnement.
oser- to dare
      When the mystery is too impressive, one does not dare to disobey.  
      Quand le mystère est trop impressionnant, on n'ose pas désobéir.
tout a fait- exactly, precisely
      This is exactly how I wanted it.
      C'est tout a fait comme ça que je le voulais!

Chaiptre 3

poser une question- to ask a question
      He asked a question.
      Il a posé une question.

etre fier(e) de- to be proud of
      He is proud of the boy.
      Il est fier du garcon.

un éclat de rire/éclater- a burst of laughter, to burst

     And the small prince burst out a laugh. 
     Et le petit prince un éclat de rire

n'importe qui, (ou, quand, quoi)- anyone *anywhere, anytime, anything)

      But if you do not attach it, il will not go anywhere, and it will lose itself
     -Mais si tu ne l'attaches pas, il ira n'importe où, et il se perdra… 

le mien, la mienne (mine)

      There was on a star, a planet, mine, the Earth, a small prince to console!  
      - Il y avait une etoile, une planete, la mienne, la Terre, le petit prince consoler 

Chaiptre 4

 gràce à , à cause de, parce que-- because
       But person had not believed http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:The_Little_Prince&action=submitit because of his suit.  
       Mais personne ne l'a cru à cause de son costume.

grace a- positive feeling, followed by noun a cause de- negative feeling, followed by noun parce que- followed by subject and verb

se moquer de quelquechose (quelqu'un)- to make fun of something (someone) But, of course, we that understand life, we make fun of several numbers! Mais, bien sur, nous comprenons la vie, nous nous moquons de plusant nombres.

se souvenir de quelquechose (quelqu'un)- to remember something (someone) avoir l'air- to seem Pour ceux qui comprennent la vie, ça aurait eu l'air beaucoup plus vrai For those that understand life, that would have seemed a lot truer one.

tant de + nom- so many (tant de choses- so many things) J'éprouve tant de chagrin à raconter ces souvenirs. I feel so many sad feelings to relate these memories.

eprouver- to feel (J'eprouve tant de chagrin- I feel so much sadness.) afin de+ infinitive- so as to (afin de souvenir- so as to remember) s'interesser a quelquechose- to be interested in something

donc, ainsi- therefore, thus I had thus learned a second thing very important J'avais ainsi appris un deuxieme chose tres important.

se tromper de quelquechose (quelqu'un)- to be mistaken, wrong about something (someone) I will be mistaken at last on certain more important details. Je me tromperai enfin sur certain details plys importants.

semblable a- similar to I believed maybe similar to him. Il a cru sememble a lui.