This article is about the Françoise Sagan novel. For the popular song, see A Certain Smile (song).

A Certain Smile

Author
Françoise Sagan

Original title
‘Un Certain Sourire’

Translator
Irene Ash

Cover artist
Catherine Denvir

Country
France

Language
French

Genre(s)
Romance novel

Published in
English
1956 (1st English language edition)

ISBN
NA

A Certain Smile (known in French as Un certain sourire), written in 1958, is Françoise Sagan’s second book. It tells of a student’s love affair with a middle-aged man.

Contents

• 1 Plot introduction
• 2 Plot summary
• 3 Characters in A Certain Smile
• 4 Major themes
• 5 Reaction
• 6 Publication history

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Plot introduction

The novel is about Dominique, a bored twenty year old law student at the Sorbonne in mid-1950s Paris. The back of the 1986 Penguin 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 in Harper’s Bazaar in 1956 as “Bonjour Ennui”.

Publication history

• 1956, France, Penguin ISBN 0-14-001444-6

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Categories: 1956 novels | Novels by Françoise Sagan | Romance novels | Romance novel stubsHidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since October 2007