I was pleasantly surprised by how much my students enjoyed Adolphe. I thought they’d find it annoying and dull, but for the most part, they revelled in the philosophical melodrama just as I do — and the ones that didn’t seemed to warm to it in class discussion, as we started picking apart the central questions. Does Adolphe love Ellenore, or no? Does he lack self-knowledge, or a correct understanding of love, or the courage of his convictions? And wait — does she actually love him? What is love, anyway?
It was a great time.
Kasia Reads 