Pierre Guyotat's 'Leçons sur la langue française'

'Leçons sur la langue française' by Pierre Guyotat is a collection of lectures delivered at Paris 8 University between 2001 and 2004, opening with a letter from composer Roland de Lassus dated July 1572. In this 682-page work, Guyotat delves into wordplay, drawing influences from Latin, German, and Venetian languages, and even coins terms like 'Minichen' for Munich. He examines 'Orlando lasso,' where the lowercase 'l' suggests weariness. The text intertwines discussions on the musicality of French with elements of Greek and Latin. Guyotat shares reflections from his Catholic boarding school upbringing, his passion for History, and literary legacies from Greek to Arabic. The book wraps up with 'La confession d'un enfant du siècle,' connecting to Musset's 'Tombeau pour cinq cent mille soldats' (1967).