Why was French spoken by the aristocracy?

It was a basic in the aristocratic education, and was expected to be learnt and mastered. Aristocracy would learn French with native speakers at school, at home, or while traveling and living in Europe. The middle class would learn though books, school, and if was possible, living abroad.

Why do the characters in War and Peace speak French?

In War and Peace Tolstoy tends to show characters speaking French when he wants to indicate their loss of touch with authentic Russian values. Many readers at the time of publication disliked the dialogues in French, and these were translated into Russian in the novel’s third edition of 1873.

Was French spoken at the Russian court?

It was spoken in all European courts. Catherine the Great (1729–1796) made French the official language of the court. Russian was used to talk to the servants. It reflected the importance of France from a political and cultural point of view, especially because of the Enlightenment.

Why did the Romanovs take such a strong position on French?

Such a position on French was in keeping with the early Romanovs’ larger project of both modernizing and Europeanizing Russia. Of course, such Francophilia was not just limited to the Russian Empire. Throughout Europe in the eighteenth century, the French language and culture enjoyed enormous prestige.

How did Tolstoy push back against the French and Francophilia?

Tolstoy’s War and Peace was reflective of the long-term push back against French and Francophilia as the novel contrasts two cultural Weltanschauung s: the technical and alienating French and the more down to earth and improvising Russian. But French never really lost its position in Russian elite circles all the way up to 1917.

What happened to the Russian language after the Napoleonic Wars?

When Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812, a strange thing occurred – nobility spoke to each other in enemy’s language, and low-class people suspected them as spies. Revival of Russian language began after Napoleonic wars. The reason was that most arts and science were borrowed from abroad, so complex matters might be discussed only in foreign language.

Why did the Russian aristocrats study the French language?

French was the language of diplomacy, culture and romance. Russian aristocrats were not alone in studying it, it was commonly studied by British, Prussian and most other European elites. Wellington and Blucher conversed in French. Wellington also spoke in French with his Spanish aides.