French is spoken all over the world and widely used in many industries and fields of activity. The appeal of French culture, from Descartes to Lacan, from the Palais de Versailles to the Tour Eiffel, from Voltaire to Simone de Beauvoir, from Couperin to Ravel, from Edith Piaf to Céline Dion, from Renoir to Magritte, forms part of world culture and is a fascinating and useful area of study.