Introduction

The passages below, slightly abridged from the original text, contain numerous instances of both definite and indefinte articles. In some cases it may be appropriate to translate directly into English, preserving the article as it exists in French, but in other cases it will be necessary to make modifications, since the usage of articles is not the same in the two languages. The decision whether or not to use the article in English translation could even affect the meaning of the sentence in question.

This translation was prepared by Sylvia Huot, with reference to three published translations, those of Lowell Bair (Bantam Books, 1959, 1972), Alan Russell (Penguin Books, 1950, 1976), and Geoffrey Wall (Penguin Books, 1992).

For a review of article usage in French, see this page.

For a good introduction to the author, click here.

Some Instructions