The Friendship of Cats, by Théophile Gautier

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HE spends whole evenings on your lap, letting his purr run on, happy to be with you and forsaking the company of animals of his own species.

In vain do mewings wail upon the roof-tops, summoning him to one of those night-gatherings of cats in which a kipper takes the place of tea. He will not be tempted, but prolongs his vigil in your company.

If you put him down onto the floor, he will clamber back at once to his accustomed spot, with a sort of coo that is a gentle reproach.

Sometimes, as he stands before you, he will look at you with eyes so melting, so mellow, so caressing and so human, that it is almost scary: for it is impossible to suppose that there is no thinking mind behind them.

by Théophile Gautier 1811-1872

translated from the French

Translated from the French of ‘Ménagerie intime’ by Théophile Gautier (1811-1872). See ‘Concerning Cats’ by Helen M. Winslow for another English translation.

Précis

Gautier notes that a cat who has accepted you as a friend will demand exclusivity. He will no longer seek the companionship of other cats, preferring to spend all his time around you; but equally, he will expect you to spend your time with him, and such is his almost human intelligence and affection that no one could refuse.

Questions for Critics

1. What is the author aiming to achieve in writing this?

2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that strike you. How do they help the author communicate his ideas more effectively?

3. What impression does this passage make on you? How might you put that impression into words?

Based on The English Critic (1939) by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn, Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University, USA.

Sevens

Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.

Why were Gautier’s cats sometimes reproachful?

Jigsaws

Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.

Cats met outside Gautier’s house. They mewed. They wanted Gautier’s cat to join them.

Précis

Questions for Critics

Sevens

Jigsaws

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