Bonjour Tristesse

How does Cécile’s narrative voice function as a tool for self-deception as well as a window into deeper emotional truths? Consider how her detachment and selective disclosures complicate her reliability as a narrator while simultaneously revealing the emotional stakes of the novel.

Examine how Anne Larsen is a symbolic and narrative disruption within the novel’s hedonistic world. In what ways does her presence challenge and destabilize Cécile and Raymond’s lifestyle?

Discuss the relationship between aesthetic distance and emotional control in the novel. How does Cécile use beauty, symbolism, and stylized narration to distance herself from emotional consequences?