The French language has long been considered the epitome of social and cultural sophistication.
The romance in Bridgerton between the maid, Sophie (played by Yerin Ha) and the aristocrat, Benedict Bridgerton throws up an interesting angle. Despite being a maid and, in that era, of a lower social class, Sophie is highly educated. And, of course, her French is excellent. In Episode 3, she takes control of a conversation whilst Benedict tries to reply in badly-accented French. Her French is better than his. This raises her status and, as the plot develops, her education and culture are key factors to the love match resulting in marriage.
Dropping French words and phrases into everyday speech was common in Regency England (1811-1820). It reminds us of Tilly, played by Sally Phillips, in the BBC hit show Miranda, who dropped in (not always accurate) French and franglais phrases to show her superior education to Miranda – referring hilariously to New York as “La Grande Pomme” and Miranda’s mother as “la Penny”. In Regency England, upper and upper middle class English women were expected to play the piano and to speak Latin and French. Despite the Napoleonic Wars (1815) which made the English and French enemies, the French language was a marker of wealth and status. Following the French Revolution (1789), London was flooded with French immigrés, fleeing the violence and persecution in France. The majority of these refugees were from the aristocratic class. With them, they brought their knowledge of French wine, food, culture and fashion. French culture was all the rage in London and we soaked it up. From the French phase “le bon ton” which means “good manners” or the “correct etiquette” came the term “ton,” referring to the upper echelons of London’s Regency society.
During the Victorian era (1837–1901), French remained the language of high culture, education, and diplomacy among the upper classes and aristocracy. Queen Victoria was fluent in French, using it for international communication. Many UK households employed French governesses for their children. French was also the language of diplomacy, so it paid to learn it. In Bleak House (1852–53), Dickens presents Mademoiselle Hortense, Lady Dedlock’s French maid, as a complex symbol of foreign radicalism, jealousy, and the volatile threat posed to the rigid Victorian social order. In contrast to Sophie in Bridgerton, Hortense does not want to climb the social ladder. Instead, she actively resents aristocratic privilege and being treated as an inferior. However, like Sophie, she wields her power. Cast as a figure displaced from the era of the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror, Hortense embodies a violent and destabilising force. Frequently likened to a “tigress” or an “animal,” she stands in sharp contrast to the stagnant, aristocratic and very English world of Chesney Wold. Whilst Sophie marries into the upper classes, Hortense seeks to destroy them, by her revenge killing of Mr Tulkinghorn
French is an official language in 26 countries, as well as one of the most geographically widespread languages in the world, with speakers in about 50 countries. In UK schools, French is the modern language which is most taught.
In London we are lucky to have Jeannine Manuel, Lycée Charles de Gaulle and its feeder primaries and many other excellent French English bilingual schools including L’Ecole des Petits (Fulham) et L’Ecole de Battersea, l’École Française de Londres Jacques Prévert and Stewart International School de Londres. Key Paris bilingual schools include Jeannine Manuel and Lycée St Germain en Laye. In New York, the Lycée Français de New York is one of the best options.
The message from Bridgerton and perhaps Bleak House, one could argue, is that the French language is a marker of power.
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