frlit1-1, Exercise 1: French literature as a window on French culture

Model answer:

Writers are treated as public figures in France, and a national literary prize season each autumn is covered like a sporting event. Students study set texts and write formal essays on them, so quotations are part of the shared language. The Academie francaise, founded in 1635, shows how seriously the state has taken the language. A series of writers, from Voltaire to Zola to Sartre, also took part directly in public arguments.

Any answer using two points from the chapter is acceptable.