"A Year In Provence" Notes
First Third
4 We had talked about it during the long gray winters and the damp green summers, looked with an addict’s longing at photographs of village markets and vineyards, dreaming of being woken up by the sun slanting through the bedroom window. The author begins by describing his primary incentive for moving from England to Provence. He begins by contrasting the weather in the two countries. The author describes England as depressing and “gray” in the winter and “damp green” while he describes Provence as sunny. The author writes he “dreamed” about the sun in Provence, something he did not see much of in England.
12 But what did everyone else do? The earth was frozen, the vines were clipped and dormant, it was too cold to hunt… There is a season for everything in Provence, and the first two months of the year must be devoted to procreation. We have never dared ask. Ironically, the narrator was expecting to be warm and sunny year-long in Provence. He also expected to be seeing the people of the town year-long as well. To his surprise, he did not find year-long warm weather or residents but instead found brutally cold weather and closed up lovers. The last sentence of this passage also is reflective of the overall tone of the book- humorous, ironic and blunt.
15 It must have something to do with the novelty of living in the middle of such an abundance of good things to eat, and among men and women whose interests in food verges on obsession. Butchers, for instance, are not content merely to sell you meat. They will tell you, at great length, while the queue backs up behind you, how to cook it, how to serve it, and what to eat and drink with it. Though originally captivated by the region’s “lovely” weather, the author is very clearly engrossed in the region’s food. Here he also portrays the enthusiasm of the people of Provence and France in general. The French people do not merely eat food, the eat food and stress the importance of enjoying oneself, on of the ways being through food. The author speaks of an encounter with a butcher who considers himself “world renowned” who told him exactly what to do to prepare the meat he sold him. This shows the reader how important food is to the French/Provencal people that even the Butcher is concerned how to prepare food that he is not going to eat.
23 The cold lasted until the final days of January, and then turned perceptibly warmer. We anticipated spring, and I was anxious to hear an expert forecast. I decided to consult the sage of the forest. The author here mocks one of the residents of Provence- the eccentric man who lived near the edge of the forest. Even though he wrote previously that he “liked” the man, he seems to be poking fun at him here. Is the author accepted by and accepting the culture of the people of Provence? It seems that he is a bit condescending in that it appears that he mocks the ways of the people of Provence.
28 As we stood in six inches of snow. we tried to picture lunchtime in mid-August, and traced on the flagstones of a five-foot square, large enough to seat eight bronzed and barefoot people and with plenty of room in the middle for giant bowls of salad, potes and cheese, cold roasted peppers, olive bread, and chilled bottles of wine. In this passage the author both exemplifies the level of coldness in the Provencal winter and, as is his style, describes- in great detail and length –the many foods and drinks custom to the region. The author continuously describes the food throughout the story making the reader experience both hunger from the food descriptions and curiosity to try the food. This conveys the author’s passion in a way that the reader can also share (and feel) the passion. The fact that the author spends so much time writing about food also suggests that food holds a very important role in life in Provence. Food, from How To Read…, and the act of sitting down to eat together represent compassion and caring for those you eat with. Since the people of Provence dedicate so much energy to their food, it concludes that they are loving and passionate.
58 But the propagation of truffles seems to be a haphazard affair which is only understood by nature- thus adding to the rarity and the price – and human attempts at truffle breeding haven’t come to much. The way the French/Provencal people treat the truffle seems to reflect their method of treating life: “a haphazard affair which is only understood by nature…” They enjoy food and stress the importance of enjoying oneself. The fact that “human attempts at truffle breeding haven’t come to much,” shows that outside interpretations of Provencal life or outside attempts at it have also “not come to much.” The French people have a unique life untamable and not well understood by outsiders.
60 Unless you know and trust your supplier, you can’t be sure, and Ramon’s inside information was that 50 percent of the truffles sold in the Perigod were born elsewhere and “naturalized.” Does the author trust his supplier in this case? It seems that he is receiving a lot of “inside information” from everyone he meets- plumbers, butchers, etc. It could either be that the French people are this friendly and accepting of foreigners or that they are cheating the author from his money, purposely telling him whatever lie most benefits them. The author seems to have a lot of money, where did he get it all?
Middle Third
72 They spend as much of their income on their stomachs as the English do on their cars and stereo systems. This phrase humorously and correctly characterizes the lifestyle of the French people! While “the English” and Americans value items like “cars” and “stereo systems” for providing them with some sort of enjoyment, the French value food and nourishment much more and see it as a direct source of enjoyment. The French indulge in their food and the author beautifully portrays that in this passage with his use of such an interesting comparison. The amount of money that an English person can spend on “cars and stereo systems” can be well above $10,000 meaning that that is how much a French person spends on his or her food! That is a lot.
75 Eventually he drove off, puffing with Swiss indignation and leaving deep wheel marks in the grass we were trying to turn into a lawn. The tourist season had begun. Here the author seems to again be a bit condescending and naïve. The author criticizes the Swiss family for not knowing that the land they were on was private and remarks “the tourist season had begun.” However, the author himself is a tourist. It is ironic that he criticizes someone else for doing what he surely did a year earlier. The author makes it sound as if his wife and he had been trying to turn the grass that the tourist ruined into a lawn for centuries when in reality it had been less than 5 months. Author sounds too stubborn here and does not accept the fact that, for the time being at least, he too is an outsider.
77 They say that Italians are dangerous drivers, but for truly lethal insanity I would back a Frenchman hurtling down the N100, late and hungry, against all comers. The author’s sense of humor strikes again. Very interesting to read how the author shows how important food is to the French person’s life. He describes the desire or need for food by a Frenchman as “lethal insanity” implying some strong passion and desire for food. This also reflects the entire books tone: ironic and dramatic. The author seems to be as obsessed with food in his writing as the French are in their lives.
81 “You see, Monsieur? The toutou has chosen it for you.” I gave in. After three minutes of inexpert haggling on my part, the original
price was reduced by 50%...” This lack of good decision making by the author only helps to stress the fact that he is a tourist: naïve and gullible. The author buys a carpet from a “traveling carpet salesman” even though he was warned against it by all his neighbors. The carpet salesman was the “lowest of the low” sort of person and yet the author still buys a small rug from him and his wife. The fact that “three minutes of inexpert haggling” was able to bring the price down by 50% shows that the value of the carpet could not have been that high to begin with.
84 The old man had a peppermint frappé, and told us that he had done thirty kilometers so far, and would do another twenty before lunch. We congratulated him on his fitness. “It’s not what it was. I had to stop doing the Mont Ventoux ride when I turned sixty. Now I just do these little promenades.” Any slight satisfaction we felt at climbing the hill disappeared. This is an interesting passage… It brings up the question that the author has not really addressed: why aren’t these people that love food and eat so much profusely obese? Apparantly the answer is that they ride bikes. However, the author and his wife indulge in the same love of food as the French but they do not exercise as much, apparent by their great discomfort from going up a hill, and brings up the question of whether they are lazy and out of shape. If the above is true, it makes the author and his wife sound more and more like the stereotypical “American” (in this case English) tourists.
87 One reason, apart from idleness, why we had neglected the matter of insurance was that we detested insurance companies, with their weasel words and evasions and extenuating circumstances, and their conditional clauses set in minuscule, illegible type. The author here clearly shows a great suspicion and dislike for insurance companies. He describes them with cruel words like “weasel” and suggests that they are deceitful. However, when the French insurance seller comes to their house they realize that he is not really like the stereotype they had imagined. This shows a contrast between the kindness of the Provencal people and the English people. Maybe this is why the family is so well received in Provence.
100 We were pricked, pronounced sober, and shown to our beds. Our veins were plumbed into the plastic bags. We clenched and unclenched dutifully. The hall was noisy and good-humored, and people who would normally pass one another on the street without acknowledgment were suddenly friendly, in the way that often happens when strangers are united in their performance of a good deed. Or it might have had something to do with the bar at the end of the room. The author and his wife here clearly prefer the French method of conducting charity over the English. However, it brings up the question of whether the act itself is charitable because the author and the others that contribute blood are so well reimbursed by it. The author however does not question this point raising the question of whether he himself cares or is more self-centered. The overall image of himself that the author gives off is not getting better for me. He seems lazy and wanting.
Last Third
134 What is it that changes from the color of a dead rat to the color of a dead lobster in three hours? Les Anglais en vacances…
The author humorously here shows his expertise as a writer. Though he generally uses simple language, he manipulates the simple and blunt diction to say more than what is on the surface. This could be seen as the author really turning from an Englishman to a Frenchman because he changes what he does with his words. Everything becomes more poetic… as poetic as a “dead rat” and “dead lobster” can be.
160 And, if it didn’t, he could console himself with the fact that his doctor had put him on a diet to reduce his cholesterol level. Yes, that was certainly a grave problem. Reassured at having remembered that fate had recently dealt him a black card, he had another drink. Is cholesterol a large issue in French? For a people that enjoy their food a lot, it does not seem that a lot of them have any medical issues which seems a bit odd… I would probably get fat in such a place by overeating and under-exercising.
163 It was fascinating. He told me the precise part of the vineyard that each of the wines had come from, and why certain slopes produced lighter or heavier wines. Each wine we tasted was accompanied by an imaginary menu, described with much lip smacking and raising of the eyes to gastronomic heaven. We mentally consumed écrevisses, salmon cooked with sorrel, rosemary-garlic sauce, en estouffade of beef and olives, a daube, loin of pork spiked with slivers of truffle. The wines tasted progressively better and became progressively more expensive; I was being traded up by an expert, and there was nothing to be done except to sit back and enjoy it. Again, the author seems to be taken advantage of by the French people (like the carpet seller and others). Because the French assume that the author is a tourist with money to spend (which essentially he is) they come up to him selling him items. This again begs the question of whether the French people like the author for his personality and being or for his money. The author seems to recognize this a bit but accepts being sold items because he is in Provence for the sheer enjoyment of the experience. Is this kind of tourism even possible for the majority of the people that visit Provence? It seems as if the author has a lot of money to spend in Provence and doesn’t really care where he puts it. Even though he does haggle for prices, he seems very touristy in many of the items he purchases in Provence.
169 “Look at those vines,” he said. “Nature is wearing her prettiest clothes.”
The effect of this unexpectedly poetic observation was slightly spoiled when Massot cleared his throat noisily and spat, but he was right; the vines were spectacular, field after field of russet and yellow and scarlet leaves, motionless in the sunlight. Now that the grapes had all been picked there were no tractors or human figures to interfere with our appreciation of the view.
Work on the vines wouldn’t start again until the leaves had fallen and the pruning began. It was a space between seasons, still hot, but not quite summer and not yet autumn. The beautiful imagery in this passage helps depict why the author adores the French countryside so much. He loves the vines and the dazzling of nature before man touches it. His love for the serene beauty is also shared by Massot, but as the author comments it is “spoiled when [he] cleared his throat noisily and spat.” However, Massot’s actions seem very natural and should be admired by the author as much as the nature he sees outside. The author instead is very critical of Massot and again shows a bit of concededness and pretentiousness when it comes to discussing the French people.
206 It is a time like this, when crisis threatens the stomach, that the French display the most sympathetic side of their nature. Tell them stories of physical injury or financial ruin and they will either laugh or commiserate politely. The author continues to use humor whenever he discusses French food. Obviously the French would be more concerned with a great bodily injury than with a bad meal but the author exaggerates the point to create humor and characterize how important food is to the French. The exaggeration of “laughing” at bodily injury or financial ruin shows what the French value most. You can take away their legs and their money, but never their food!
207 We ate long and well and talked about the months that had gone as quickly as weeks. There was so much we hadn’t seen and done: our French was still an ungainly mixture of bad grammar and builders’ slang; we had managed somehow to miss the entire Avignon festival, the donkey races at Goult, the accordion competition, Faustin’s family outing to the Basses-Alpes in August, the wine festival in Gigondas, the Ménerbes dog show, and a good deal of what had been going on in the outside world. It had been a self-absorbed year, confined mostly to the house and the valley, fascinating to us in its daily detail, sometimes frustrating, often uncomfortable, but never dull or disappointing. And, above all, we felt at home.
Maurice brought glasses of marc and pulled up a chair.
“‘Appy Christmas,” he said, and then his English deserted him. “Bonne Année.” Closing the book, the author shows a clear passion for the life he leads in Provence. He also shows no doubt about living there and shows no hint at ever becoming “bored” of the place like some of his outside friends suggested. If any glimpse of doubt is left in the reader’s mind, the author ends it with the concluding line. Maurice’s change from using English with the author to using French shows the change in the author. He was once treated as an outsider, spoken to in English and treated as an Englishman, but after a year is treated as a member of the Provencal community, spoken to in French and treated as a Frenchman. It shows in a concrete manner a great change in the author’s life in Provence.
4 We had talked about it during the long gray winters and the damp green summers, looked with an addict’s longing at photographs of village markets and vineyards, dreaming of being woken up by the sun slanting through the bedroom window. The author begins by describing his primary incentive for moving from England to Provence. He begins by contrasting the weather in the two countries. The author describes England as depressing and “gray” in the winter and “damp green” while he describes Provence as sunny. The author writes he “dreamed” about the sun in Provence, something he did not see much of in England.
12 But what did everyone else do? The earth was frozen, the vines were clipped and dormant, it was too cold to hunt… There is a season for everything in Provence, and the first two months of the year must be devoted to procreation. We have never dared ask. Ironically, the narrator was expecting to be warm and sunny year-long in Provence. He also expected to be seeing the people of the town year-long as well. To his surprise, he did not find year-long warm weather or residents but instead found brutally cold weather and closed up lovers. The last sentence of this passage also is reflective of the overall tone of the book- humorous, ironic and blunt.
15 It must have something to do with the novelty of living in the middle of such an abundance of good things to eat, and among men and women whose interests in food verges on obsession. Butchers, for instance, are not content merely to sell you meat. They will tell you, at great length, while the queue backs up behind you, how to cook it, how to serve it, and what to eat and drink with it. Though originally captivated by the region’s “lovely” weather, the author is very clearly engrossed in the region’s food. Here he also portrays the enthusiasm of the people of Provence and France in general. The French people do not merely eat food, the eat food and stress the importance of enjoying oneself, on of the ways being through food. The author speaks of an encounter with a butcher who considers himself “world renowned” who told him exactly what to do to prepare the meat he sold him. This shows the reader how important food is to the French/Provencal people that even the Butcher is concerned how to prepare food that he is not going to eat.
23 The cold lasted until the final days of January, and then turned perceptibly warmer. We anticipated spring, and I was anxious to hear an expert forecast. I decided to consult the sage of the forest. The author here mocks one of the residents of Provence- the eccentric man who lived near the edge of the forest. Even though he wrote previously that he “liked” the man, he seems to be poking fun at him here. Is the author accepted by and accepting the culture of the people of Provence? It seems that he is a bit condescending in that it appears that he mocks the ways of the people of Provence.
28 As we stood in six inches of snow. we tried to picture lunchtime in mid-August, and traced on the flagstones of a five-foot square, large enough to seat eight bronzed and barefoot people and with plenty of room in the middle for giant bowls of salad, potes and cheese, cold roasted peppers, olive bread, and chilled bottles of wine. In this passage the author both exemplifies the level of coldness in the Provencal winter and, as is his style, describes- in great detail and length –the many foods and drinks custom to the region. The author continuously describes the food throughout the story making the reader experience both hunger from the food descriptions and curiosity to try the food. This conveys the author’s passion in a way that the reader can also share (and feel) the passion. The fact that the author spends so much time writing about food also suggests that food holds a very important role in life in Provence. Food, from How To Read…, and the act of sitting down to eat together represent compassion and caring for those you eat with. Since the people of Provence dedicate so much energy to their food, it concludes that they are loving and passionate.
58 But the propagation of truffles seems to be a haphazard affair which is only understood by nature- thus adding to the rarity and the price – and human attempts at truffle breeding haven’t come to much. The way the French/Provencal people treat the truffle seems to reflect their method of treating life: “a haphazard affair which is only understood by nature…” They enjoy food and stress the importance of enjoying oneself. The fact that “human attempts at truffle breeding haven’t come to much,” shows that outside interpretations of Provencal life or outside attempts at it have also “not come to much.” The French people have a unique life untamable and not well understood by outsiders.
60 Unless you know and trust your supplier, you can’t be sure, and Ramon’s inside information was that 50 percent of the truffles sold in the Perigod were born elsewhere and “naturalized.” Does the author trust his supplier in this case? It seems that he is receiving a lot of “inside information” from everyone he meets- plumbers, butchers, etc. It could either be that the French people are this friendly and accepting of foreigners or that they are cheating the author from his money, purposely telling him whatever lie most benefits them. The author seems to have a lot of money, where did he get it all?
Middle Third
72 They spend as much of their income on their stomachs as the English do on their cars and stereo systems. This phrase humorously and correctly characterizes the lifestyle of the French people! While “the English” and Americans value items like “cars” and “stereo systems” for providing them with some sort of enjoyment, the French value food and nourishment much more and see it as a direct source of enjoyment. The French indulge in their food and the author beautifully portrays that in this passage with his use of such an interesting comparison. The amount of money that an English person can spend on “cars and stereo systems” can be well above $10,000 meaning that that is how much a French person spends on his or her food! That is a lot.
75 Eventually he drove off, puffing with Swiss indignation and leaving deep wheel marks in the grass we were trying to turn into a lawn. The tourist season had begun. Here the author seems to again be a bit condescending and naïve. The author criticizes the Swiss family for not knowing that the land they were on was private and remarks “the tourist season had begun.” However, the author himself is a tourist. It is ironic that he criticizes someone else for doing what he surely did a year earlier. The author makes it sound as if his wife and he had been trying to turn the grass that the tourist ruined into a lawn for centuries when in reality it had been less than 5 months. Author sounds too stubborn here and does not accept the fact that, for the time being at least, he too is an outsider.
77 They say that Italians are dangerous drivers, but for truly lethal insanity I would back a Frenchman hurtling down the N100, late and hungry, against all comers. The author’s sense of humor strikes again. Very interesting to read how the author shows how important food is to the French person’s life. He describes the desire or need for food by a Frenchman as “lethal insanity” implying some strong passion and desire for food. This also reflects the entire books tone: ironic and dramatic. The author seems to be as obsessed with food in his writing as the French are in their lives.
81 “You see, Monsieur? The toutou has chosen it for you.” I gave in. After three minutes of inexpert haggling on my part, the original
price was reduced by 50%...” This lack of good decision making by the author only helps to stress the fact that he is a tourist: naïve and gullible. The author buys a carpet from a “traveling carpet salesman” even though he was warned against it by all his neighbors. The carpet salesman was the “lowest of the low” sort of person and yet the author still buys a small rug from him and his wife. The fact that “three minutes of inexpert haggling” was able to bring the price down by 50% shows that the value of the carpet could not have been that high to begin with.
84 The old man had a peppermint frappé, and told us that he had done thirty kilometers so far, and would do another twenty before lunch. We congratulated him on his fitness. “It’s not what it was. I had to stop doing the Mont Ventoux ride when I turned sixty. Now I just do these little promenades.” Any slight satisfaction we felt at climbing the hill disappeared. This is an interesting passage… It brings up the question that the author has not really addressed: why aren’t these people that love food and eat so much profusely obese? Apparantly the answer is that they ride bikes. However, the author and his wife indulge in the same love of food as the French but they do not exercise as much, apparent by their great discomfort from going up a hill, and brings up the question of whether they are lazy and out of shape. If the above is true, it makes the author and his wife sound more and more like the stereotypical “American” (in this case English) tourists.
87 One reason, apart from idleness, why we had neglected the matter of insurance was that we detested insurance companies, with their weasel words and evasions and extenuating circumstances, and their conditional clauses set in minuscule, illegible type. The author here clearly shows a great suspicion and dislike for insurance companies. He describes them with cruel words like “weasel” and suggests that they are deceitful. However, when the French insurance seller comes to their house they realize that he is not really like the stereotype they had imagined. This shows a contrast between the kindness of the Provencal people and the English people. Maybe this is why the family is so well received in Provence.
100 We were pricked, pronounced sober, and shown to our beds. Our veins were plumbed into the plastic bags. We clenched and unclenched dutifully. The hall was noisy and good-humored, and people who would normally pass one another on the street without acknowledgment were suddenly friendly, in the way that often happens when strangers are united in their performance of a good deed. Or it might have had something to do with the bar at the end of the room. The author and his wife here clearly prefer the French method of conducting charity over the English. However, it brings up the question of whether the act itself is charitable because the author and the others that contribute blood are so well reimbursed by it. The author however does not question this point raising the question of whether he himself cares or is more self-centered. The overall image of himself that the author gives off is not getting better for me. He seems lazy and wanting.
Last Third
134 What is it that changes from the color of a dead rat to the color of a dead lobster in three hours? Les Anglais en vacances…
The author humorously here shows his expertise as a writer. Though he generally uses simple language, he manipulates the simple and blunt diction to say more than what is on the surface. This could be seen as the author really turning from an Englishman to a Frenchman because he changes what he does with his words. Everything becomes more poetic… as poetic as a “dead rat” and “dead lobster” can be.
160 And, if it didn’t, he could console himself with the fact that his doctor had put him on a diet to reduce his cholesterol level. Yes, that was certainly a grave problem. Reassured at having remembered that fate had recently dealt him a black card, he had another drink. Is cholesterol a large issue in French? For a people that enjoy their food a lot, it does not seem that a lot of them have any medical issues which seems a bit odd… I would probably get fat in such a place by overeating and under-exercising.
163 It was fascinating. He told me the precise part of the vineyard that each of the wines had come from, and why certain slopes produced lighter or heavier wines. Each wine we tasted was accompanied by an imaginary menu, described with much lip smacking and raising of the eyes to gastronomic heaven. We mentally consumed écrevisses, salmon cooked with sorrel, rosemary-garlic sauce, en estouffade of beef and olives, a daube, loin of pork spiked with slivers of truffle. The wines tasted progressively better and became progressively more expensive; I was being traded up by an expert, and there was nothing to be done except to sit back and enjoy it. Again, the author seems to be taken advantage of by the French people (like the carpet seller and others). Because the French assume that the author is a tourist with money to spend (which essentially he is) they come up to him selling him items. This again begs the question of whether the French people like the author for his personality and being or for his money. The author seems to recognize this a bit but accepts being sold items because he is in Provence for the sheer enjoyment of the experience. Is this kind of tourism even possible for the majority of the people that visit Provence? It seems as if the author has a lot of money to spend in Provence and doesn’t really care where he puts it. Even though he does haggle for prices, he seems very touristy in many of the items he purchases in Provence.
169 “Look at those vines,” he said. “Nature is wearing her prettiest clothes.”
The effect of this unexpectedly poetic observation was slightly spoiled when Massot cleared his throat noisily and spat, but he was right; the vines were spectacular, field after field of russet and yellow and scarlet leaves, motionless in the sunlight. Now that the grapes had all been picked there were no tractors or human figures to interfere with our appreciation of the view.
Work on the vines wouldn’t start again until the leaves had fallen and the pruning began. It was a space between seasons, still hot, but not quite summer and not yet autumn. The beautiful imagery in this passage helps depict why the author adores the French countryside so much. He loves the vines and the dazzling of nature before man touches it. His love for the serene beauty is also shared by Massot, but as the author comments it is “spoiled when [he] cleared his throat noisily and spat.” However, Massot’s actions seem very natural and should be admired by the author as much as the nature he sees outside. The author instead is very critical of Massot and again shows a bit of concededness and pretentiousness when it comes to discussing the French people.
206 It is a time like this, when crisis threatens the stomach, that the French display the most sympathetic side of their nature. Tell them stories of physical injury or financial ruin and they will either laugh or commiserate politely. The author continues to use humor whenever he discusses French food. Obviously the French would be more concerned with a great bodily injury than with a bad meal but the author exaggerates the point to create humor and characterize how important food is to the French. The exaggeration of “laughing” at bodily injury or financial ruin shows what the French value most. You can take away their legs and their money, but never their food!
207 We ate long and well and talked about the months that had gone as quickly as weeks. There was so much we hadn’t seen and done: our French was still an ungainly mixture of bad grammar and builders’ slang; we had managed somehow to miss the entire Avignon festival, the donkey races at Goult, the accordion competition, Faustin’s family outing to the Basses-Alpes in August, the wine festival in Gigondas, the Ménerbes dog show, and a good deal of what had been going on in the outside world. It had been a self-absorbed year, confined mostly to the house and the valley, fascinating to us in its daily detail, sometimes frustrating, often uncomfortable, but never dull or disappointing. And, above all, we felt at home.
Maurice brought glasses of marc and pulled up a chair.
“‘Appy Christmas,” he said, and then his English deserted him. “Bonne Année.” Closing the book, the author shows a clear passion for the life he leads in Provence. He also shows no doubt about living there and shows no hint at ever becoming “bored” of the place like some of his outside friends suggested. If any glimpse of doubt is left in the reader’s mind, the author ends it with the concluding line. Maurice’s change from using English with the author to using French shows the change in the author. He was once treated as an outsider, spoken to in English and treated as an Englishman, but after a year is treated as a member of the Provencal community, spoken to in French and treated as a Frenchman. It shows in a concrete manner a great change in the author’s life in Provence.
this is very helpful
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