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All children, except one, grow up : l'incipit de Peter and Wendy (Première)

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an opening lineune première phrase (un incipit)
an omniscient narratorun narrateur omniscient
to address the readers'adresser au lecteur
irony / ironicl'ironie / ironique
nostalgia / nostalgicla nostalgie / nostalgique
The narrator hints that...Le narrateur laisse entendre que...

Le roman s'ouvre sur une phrase restée célèbre : All children, except one, grow up. En six mots, tout est dit : le thème (grandir), le héros (l'exception) et le ton. Un peu plus loin, Wendy, à deux ans, comprend qu'elle devra grandir, et le narrateur conclut : Two is the beginning of the end. Le narrateur de Barrie est omniscient, bavard, ironique ; il s'adresse directement au lecteur et mêle humour et nostalgie de l'enfance perdue.

Mise en situation : l'analyse

Teacher : Why is the opening line so effective?
Pourquoi la première phrase est-elle si efficace ?
Clara : Because it's short and surprising. 'All children grow up' is obvious, but 'except one' creates mystery. We immediately want to know who.
Parce qu'elle est courte et surprenante. « Tous les enfants grandissent » est évident, mais « sauf un » crée un mystère. On veut tout de suite savoir qui.
Teacher : What about the tone of the first chapter?
Et le ton du premier chapitre ?
Noah : It's ironic and funny, but also nostalgic. The narrator says that 'two is the beginning of the end'. He hints that growing up means losing something.
Il est ironique et drôle, mais aussi nostalgique. Le narrateur dit que « deux ans, c'est le début de la fin ». Il laisse entendre que grandir, c'est perdre quelque chose.
Clara : And the narrator often addresses the reader directly, like an adult telling a story to children... and to adults at the same time.
Et le narrateur s'adresse souvent directement au lecteur, comme un adulte qui raconte une histoire aux enfants... et aux adultes en même temps.
Teacher : Exactly. It's a book with two audiences.
Exactement. C'est un livre qui a deux publics.

À retenir

  • an opening line, an omniscient narrator, irony, nostalgia, foreshadowing, two audiences.
  • to address the reader ; the narrator hints that... ; the tone is ironic / nostalgic ; it creates mystery.

Exercice 1 : L'incipit de Peter and Wendy : exercice 1 (QCM)

  1. « une première phrase »
    1. a first liner
    2. an opening line
    3. an open line of
  2. « un narrateur omniscient »
    1. an omniscient narrator
    2. an omniscient narration of
    3. an omnipresent narrator
  3. « s'adresser au lecteur »
    1. to address the reader
    2. to adress the reader
    3. to address to the reader
  4. « ironique »
    1. irony
    2. ironical of
    3. ironic
  5. « nostalgique »
    1. nostalgy
    2. nostalgical
    3. nostalgic
  6. « Le narrateur laisse entendre que... »
    1. The narrator hints of...
    2. The narrator hints that...
    3. The narrator hint that...
  7. Le roman Peter and Wendy date de...
    1. 1911
    2. 1937
    3. 1904
  8. « Two is the beginning of the end » signifie...
    1. le chiffre deux porte malheur
    2. à deux ans, on commence à grandir
    3. la fin du livre
  9. « crée un mystère »
    1. makes mysterious
    2. creates a mysterious of
    3. creates mystery
  10. « deux publics »
    1. two audience
    2. two audiences
    3. two publics

Exercice 2 : L'incipit de Peter and Wendy : exercice 2 (à compléter)

  1. All children, except .......................... , grow up.
  2. Two is the beginning of the .......................... .
  3. It's short and .......................... .
  4. 'Except one' creates .......................... .
  5. The tone is .......................... and funny.
  6. It's also .......................... .
  7. He .......................... that growing up means losing something.
  8. The narrator .......................... the reader directly.
  9. It's a book with two .......................... .
  10. Why is the opening line so .......................... ?

Exercice 3 : L'incipit de Peter and Wendy : mise en situation

  1. Le prof demande pourquoi la phrase est efficace.
    1. Why the opening line is so effective?
    2. Why is the opening line so affective?
    3. Why is the opening line so effective?
  2. Elle est courte et surprenante.
    1. Because it's short and surprised.
    2. Because of it's short and surprising.
    3. Because it's short and surprising.
  3. « Sauf un » crée un mystère.
    1. 'Except one' creates mysterious.
    2. 'Except one' create mystery.
    3. 'Except one' creates mystery.
  4. On veut savoir qui.
    1. We want immediately to know whom of.
    2. We immediately want to know who.
    3. We immediately want know who.
  5. Le prof demande le ton.
    1. What about the tone of the first chapter?
    2. How about the tune of the first chapter?
    3. What about the tone of first chapter of?
  6. Il est ironique et nostalgique.
    1. It's irony and funny, but also nostalgia.
    2. It's ironic and funny, but also nostalgic.
    3. It's ironic and fun, but also nostalgical.
  7. Il laisse entendre que grandir, c'est perdre.
    1. He hints that growing up means losing something.
    2. He hints that grow up means lose something.
    3. He hint that growing up means losing something.
  8. Le narrateur s'adresse au lecteur.
    1. The narrator often addresses to the reader directly.
    2. The narrator often addresses the reader directly.
    3. The narrator often adress the reader directly.
  9. C'est un livre à deux publics.
    1. It's a book with two publics.
    2. It's a book with two audiences.
    3. It's a book of two audience.
  10. Tu proposes une interprétation.
    1. This suggest that childhood is precious and fragile.
    2. This suggests that the childhood is precious and fragil.
    3. This suggests that childhood is precious and fragile.

Corrigé

Exercice 1

1. b) an opening line · 2. a) an omniscient narrator · 3. a) to address the reader · 4. c) ironic · 5. c) nostalgic · 6. b) The narrator hints that... · 7. a) 1911 · 8. b) à deux ans, on commence à grandir · 9. c) creates mystery · 10. b) two audiences

Exercice 2

1. one · 2. end · 3. surprising · 4. mystery · 5. ironic · 6. nostalgic · 7. hints · 8. addresses · 9. audiences · 10. effective

Exercice 3

1. c) Why is the opening line so effective? · 2. c) Because it's short and surprising. · 3. c) 'Except one' creates mystery. · 4. b) We immediately want to know who. · 5. a) What about the tone of the first chapter? · 6. b) It's ironic and funny, but also nostalgic. · 7. a) He hints that growing up means losing something. · 8. b) The narrator often addresses the reader directly. · 9. b) It's a book with two audiences. · 10. c) This suggests that childhood is precious and fragile.