France

Task : France

Subject : General English I

Lecture : Mr. Mark Chemical Brown


The culture of France is very rich and diverse. France has been playing an important

role as a cultural center for many centuries, with Paris as center of high culture,

first in Europe, later world wide. The importance of French culture has waned and

waxed over the centuries, largely dependent on its economic, political and military

importance.


Education

Since the Jules Ferry laws of 1881-2, named after Minister of Public Instruction,

state-funded schools, including universities,independent from the (roman catholic)

church. Education in these institutions is free. The French educational system

differs strongly from Northern-European and American systems in that it stresses the

importance of the development of the individual as an independent intellectual

rather than a productive servant (of the State or the Company).


Religion

France is a secular country where freedom of thought and of religion is preserved,

in virtue of the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.. At the

beginning of the 20th century, France was a largely rural country with conservative

Catholic mores. Major developments have taken place since those days: the

countryside has become severely depopulated, and the population has largely become

de-Christianised. This has led to important changes in social morals.


Art in France

The first paintings of France are those that are from prehistoric times, painted in

the caves of Lascaux well over 10,000 years ago. The Louvre in Paris is one of the

most famous and the largest art museums in the world, created by the new

revolutionary regime in 1793 in the former royal palace. It holds a vast amount of

art of French and other artists, e.g. the Mona Lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci, and

classical Greek Venus de Milo and ancient works of culture and art from Egypt and

the Middle East.


Fashion

Paris is known as the "Fashion Capital of the world", having unique and free

designs. Haute couture is not accidentally a French term adopted by the English

language; in France it is a legally protected name; guaranteeing some quality

standards. Many designers began their careers in France , such as Coco Chanel,

Christian Dior and Lacoste. An influential designer like Karl Lagerfeld came from

Germany to make his career mainly in France , illustrating the prestige of French

fashion in general. Italian fashion, with its capital in Milan, is its most serious

rival.


Language

French culture is profoundly allied with the French language. The artful use of the

mother tongue, and its defense against perceived decline or corruption by foreign

terms, is a major preoccupation for some persons and entities.

Some action has been taken by the government in order to promote French culture and

the French language. For instance, there exists a system of and preferential loans

for supporting French cinema. The Toubon law, from the name of the conservative

culture minister who promoted it, makes it mandatory to use French

in advertisements directed to the general public.