Trip To France For Study

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32053, 30 July 1969, Page 2

Trip To France For Study

Miss Diana Harkness, of Christchurch, will leave for France on August 16 to study at Grenoble University on a French Government scholarship.

Miss Harkness, who is 22, holds an MA. with first class honours in French. She said yesterday that she had always been interested in the French language, although she could not explain why, and she wanted to see if the country measured up to the impressions she had formed from books.

Although the scholarship is for the French university year, beginning in October, Miss Harkness hopes to have her study period extended by a year, so that she can do a doctorate.

“I would like to study the development of the modem novel But if I cannot get an extension of time I will have to do a masterateshe said.

After taking French at St Margaret's College, Miss Harkness studied it for four years at the University of Canterbury, where she is now working as an assistant lecturer in French.

“I took French at university beeauto I liked it and thought It would be different But after I got my 8.A., I realised there wasn’t a lot I could do with it Unless you want to teach, French isn’t all that useful, so I decided to keep on with it for my M.A. in order to apply for a French scholarship,” she said. About 'six scholarships are awarded each year by the French .Government to New Zealanders who would like to study at universities in France.

“I am looking forward to mixing with interesting people, especially at the university, and to hearing the cross-current of thought that exists there on art and literature” said Miss Harkness. “I think they are generally more cultured there. In New Zealand, we seem to be far removed from it all.” The prospect of communicating in French does not deter her.-She can understand the language, and can make herself understood in it. Grenoble was a small town,

close to Geneva, with a big student population, and the university had a good reputation, Miss Harkness said.

The town was in the mountains and was the site of the winter Olympics. “This is another reason why I am looking forward to going there. I enjoy ski-ing, although I am not very good at it, and I have heard Grenoble is a good place to ski,” she said.