Bonjour David, Its use is literary. Yes, I like knowing what the passé simple of French verbs are too. As far as I understand their use in French, they're only used in written French, not conversational French. Bit like two languages. They're certainly used even in little children's fairy stories. Google E-books for children, and you'll find , which is "Little Red Riding Hood". I read it to children, and it's full of verbs in the passé simple. Cheryl