A Certain Smile written in a two month period then published in 1956, is Françoise Sagan

Françoise Sagan

Françoise Sagan – real name Françoise Quoirez – was a French playwright, novelist, and screenwriter. Hailed as "a charming little monster" by François Mauriac on the front page of Le Figaro, Sagan was known for works with strong romantic themes involving wealthy and disillusioned bourgeois...

's second book. It tells of a student's love affair with a middle-aged man.

Plot introduction

The novel is about Dominique, a bored twenty year old law student at the Sorbonne

Sorbonne

The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...

 in mid-1950s Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

. The back of the 1986 Penguin

Penguin Books

Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...

 English translation describes Dominique as young, thin and cynical.

Plot summary

Dominique, a student in Paris has a lover, Bertrand, who one day introduces her to his businessman uncle Luc and his wife Françoise. Both Luc and Dominique are aware of their mutual attraction from the beginning, but Dominique holds off for fear of hurting both Bertrand and Françoise, to whom she forms a close attachment. They decide to become lovers, however, spending two weeks in Cannes and promising to not fall in love. Both have a deep fear of hurting their partners, but more so of becoming bored. At the end of these two weeks and on their separation Dominique realises that she may well be in love with Luc. They spend other nights together, but this time tinged with the sadness that Luc does not love Dominique back. When Françoise eventually finds out about the affair, Dominique must learn to get over Luc and accept the transience of their relationship.

Characters in A Certain Smile

• Dominique - Main character and narrator of the novel
• Bertrand - Dominique's lover at the start of the novel, also a student at the Sorbonne
• Luc - Bertrand's uncle, an older businessman who becomes Dominique's lover
• Françoise - Luc's wife. Forms a deep attachment to Dominique before the affair
• Catherine - Dominique and Bertrand's friend
• Alain - A student intellectual who 'befriends' Dominique after her return from Cannes

Major themes

The novel's fairly straightforward narrative belies the attitudes of the main characters. Dominique and Luc are terrified of boredom, but seemingly relish in the transience of their situation.

Reaction

The novel was parodied by Jean Kerr

Jean Kerr

Jean Kerr was an American author and playwright born in Scranton, Pennsylvania and best known for her humorous bestseller, Please Don't Eat the Daisies, and the plays King of Hearts and Mary, Mary...

 in Harper's Bazaar

Harper's Bazaar

Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...

in 1956 as "Bonjour Ennui".

Publication history

• 1956, U.S., E.P. Dutton
• 1957, Dell paperback
• 1969, Penguin, ISBN 0-14-001444-6
• 2011, University of Chicago Press (reprint of E.P. Dutton edition)