#2.1.14

[jelepermets]

Not to be dramatic but 2.1.14 "The Last Square" is so profoundly heartwrenching and beautiful and tragic that to explain my favorite part of it would be to quote it all

[secretmellowblog]

The question “if you could put one fuck in Les mis where would you put it” has an objectively correct answer. It’s the chapter where Cambronne responds to the French defeat at the battle of Waterloo by saying “merde”/“shit,” followed by a chapter where Hugo waxes poetic about the power of such a curse word. Replace “merde” with Cambronne saying “fuck!”

[cliozaur]

It seems to be the fate of some French to make the last stand of the already lost battle. Before Les Amis, there was the last square of Cambronne. These parallels are very clear: "It replied to the grape-shot with a fusillade, continually contracting its four walls" and "When this legion had been reduced to a handful, when nothing was left of their flag but a rag, when their guns, the bullets all gone, were no longer anything but clubs, when the heap of corpses was larger than the group of survivors."

And it’s symbolic that Cambronne replies "Merde!" to the proposition to surrender. Given how this reply is important for the next chapter, it’s both strange and amusing to see that the shy censors of Hapgood’s translation left an empty space instead of this "Merde!"

[pureanonofficial]

LES MIS LETTERS IN ADAPTATION - The Last Square, LM 2.1.14 (I miserabili 1964)

Through the shades of twilight they could hear the pieces being loaded; the matches all lighted, like the eyes of tigers at night, formed a circle round their heads; all the lintstocks of the English batteries approached the cannons, and then, with emotion, holding the supreme moment suspended above these men, an English general, Colville according to some, Maitland according to others, shouted to them, “Surrender, brave Frenchmen!” Cambronne replied, “Merde!”

[dolphin1812]

This chapter is very short, so I’ll just go paragraph by paragraph:

“A few squares of the Guard, standing motionless in the swash of the rout, like rocks in running water, held out till night. They awaited the double shadow of night and death, and let them surround them. Each regiment, isolated from the others, and no longer connected with the army which was broken on all sides, died where it stood. In order to perform this last exploit, they had taken up a position, some on the heights of Rossomme, others on the plain of Mont St. Jean. The gloomy squares, deserted, conquered, and terrible, struggled formidably with death, for Ulm, Wagram, Jena, and Friedland were dying in it. When twilight set in at nine in the evening, one square still remained at the foot of the plateau of Mont St. Jean. In this mournful valley, at the foot of the slope scaled by the cuirassiers, now inundated by the English masses, beneath the converging fire of the hostile and victorious artillery, under a fearful hailstorm of projectiles, this square still resisted. It was commanded by an obscure officer of the name of Cambronne. At each volley the square diminished, but continued to reply to the canister with musketry fire, and each moment contracted its four walls. Fugitives in the distance, stopping at moments to draw breath, listened in the darkness to this gloomy diminishing thunder.”

The simile of “rocks in running water” is kind of beautiful for something so gruesome? I don’t have very concrete thoughts on it, I just think Hugo chose a nice image there. However, it does represent another example of Hugo’s interest in water metaphors, which recurs later in the paragraph as the English “inundate” the valley. I think his word choice there is really effective. There’s something terrifying about being trapped in a flooding valley, where the landscape makes escape impossible, and having that be where the French are stuck heightens the sense of panic.

This paragraph also makes numerous references to darkness: the “double shadow of night and death;” “twilight;” and “listened in the darkness to this gloomy diminishing thunder.” While most references to darkness so far have been metaphorical, here, this darkness is very literal (night is falling) even as it represents death. The simple language used to describe it makes it more impactful. This darkness is not about the struggle within a person, or between a person and fate, which merits lengthy paragraphs; this is simply the darkness of night and the darkness of death.

“When this legion had become only a handful, when their colors were but a rag, when their ammunition was exhausted, and muskets were clubbed, and when the pile of corpses was greater than the living group, the victors felt a species of sacred awe, and the English artillery ceased firing. It was a sort of respite; these combatants had around them an army of spectres, outlines of mounted men, the black profile of guns, and the white sky visible through the wheels; the colossal death's-head which heroes ever glimpse in the smoke of a battle, advanced and looked at them. They could hear in the twilight gloom that the guns were being loaded; the lighted matches, resembling the eyes of a tiger in the night, formed a circle round their heads. The linstocks of the English batteries approached the guns, and at this moment an English general,—Colville according to some, Maitland according to others,—holding the supreme moment suspended over the heads of these men, shouted to them, "Brave Frenchmen, surrender!"”

Hugo again leans on the horrific aspects of defeat. The reference to the “pile of corpses” is the most brutal part of this, highlighting the extent of French losses during the battle, but the way he describes the English contributes to this as well. They are “spectres” who appear in black and white, partly because of the darkness and partly because of their ghostliness. Even though the French can see some things, most of the details here are about what they hear. They can’t see well enough to make out every detail, and thus have to rely on their other senses while surrounded by these armed spectres (which again, is terrifying to imagine). That everything is in black and white also makes the events seem graver and more extreme, as all the soldiers see is in absolute contrasts rather than in an array of colors. 

It’s also intriguing that Hugo says the matches of the English resembled “the eyes of a tiger in the night.” On the one hand, tigers are predators, making this an apt comparison for a force endangering the lives of these French soldiers. On the other, Hugo typically employs feline imagery for the masses and the downtrodden (Valjean, the people of Paris, etc). If this was against Napoleon, perhaps this would fit this pattern, as his downfall is linked to divine retribution on behalf of the populace. Here, though, all of the French soldiers present are fairly ordinary rank-wise. Even Cambronne is only an “obscure officer.” Consequently, this big cat comparison may really just be for the predatory image.

Another detail that’s emphasized here is the courage of these soldiers. Hugo calls them “heroes,” and even the English address them as “brave Frenchmen.” This could be a formulaic way of seeming respectful on the battlefield, so it might not be unusual, but it also could be a way of making sure the French are praised even in defeat.

Cambronne answered, "Merde!"

So this is what the next chapter will be about!

[woundedwizard]

Nikolai pays way too much attention to Dolokhov's red fingered hands with hairy wrists

[comicaurora]

no don't look straight at the sun aaaa

[sesuna]

2024/09/16

ベースウェア ぽなぱると氏、ベースウェア「SSP 2.6.84」リリース 更新履歴: SSP 2.6.84 - ばぐとらぶごる 独立伺か研究施設 ばぐとら研究所 ツール ななっち氏、里々ゴーストエディタ「さと��すと 2.1.14」リリース 更新履歴: No.61 - ななっちログ ゴーストの更新報告など。 「一点の曇りもない」 ゴースト 伺か異形頭ゴースト祭 ユスラ氏、ゴースト「メリー・ゴー・ガール」リリース メリー・ゴー・ガール / Nar na Loader - ななろだ 小戸らでく氏、ゴースト「らぁちゃんとわたし」リリース ねこ、あるいはいぬ ないはこ。氏、ゴースト「浜辺にて」リリース https://x.com/Lk_naihako/status/1834608786839060863 月波…

[pretty-pretty-words]

I compose long Iliads: whatever she has said, whatever she has done, from absolutely nothing is born a grand legend

- Propertius, 2.1.14-13

[ranocchiowo]

why did lm 2.1.14 get sent so late lol

[technobladelibraryliveblogs]

Ah, this is a short one. I’ll probably do two for the day then, since the next one is pretty short too.

I do always like when Techno posts himself messing up a bit. He was always very, very good at Minecraft, but even he sometimes got blindsided by a creeper exploding him into lava.

[garbagecann24601]

The Last Square

The Guard is vanquished square by square until, at around nine o’clock at night, only one square, led by Cambronne, remains.

“When this legion had been reduced to a handful, when nothing was left of their flag but a rag, when their guns, the bullets all gone, were no longer anything but clubs, when the heap of corpses was larger than the group of survivors, there reigned among the conquerors, around those men dying so sublimely, a sort of sacred terror, and the English artillery, taking breath, became silent. This furnished a sort of respite. These combatants had around them something in the nature of a swarm of spectres, silhouettes of men on horseback, the black profiles of cannon, the white sky viewed through wheels and gun-carriages, the colossal death’s-head, which the heroes saw constantly through the smoke, in the depths of the battle, advanced upon them and gazed at them. Through the shades of twilight they could hear the pieces being loaded; the matches all lighted, like the eyes of tigers at night, formed a circle round their heads; all the lintstocks of the English batteries approached the cannons, and then, with emotion, holding the supreme moment suspended above these men, an English general, Colville according to some, Maitland according to others, shouted to them, “Surrender, brave Frenchmen!” Cambronne replied, “——.””

[kingedmundsroyalmurder]

Brickclub: 2.1.14

All the threads we’ve been building up to, all the layers of symbolism and social commentary, they’ve all led here, to Cambronne surrounded by his martyred troops, shouting defiant expletives at the encroaching English.

As with many pivotal moments in this story, we’re not in anyone’s head for this. We don’t know what Cambronne is thinking, what the men around him are thinking as they die, what the English are thinking as they watch. We get hints -- the English pausing for a moment in the face of the French martyrdom, the English generals being stirred by emotion as they urge the French to surrender -- but nothing concrete. We’re left to parse out what they must be thinking for ourselves.

And there’s also, I think, a point to be made here regarding the intersection of man and the divine. God has turned His back on the French, has made it very clear that He stands, if not with the enemy then against Napoleon. The squares are crumbling, the enemy is winning, and still Cambronne and his men make the choice to stand. Even in the face of Divine will, men still choose to stand, and that choice is a noble one.  Cambronne’s standing fast with his men during Waterloo is a prelude to Enjolras standing fast with his friends at the barricade. It really comes through why Hugo thinks that this is the most important part of the book, because all of the themes converge at Waterloo.

[aflamethatneverdies]

2.1.13

I love the short sentences and the urgency they convey in this chapter and the terrifying picture that Hugo sketches. The army starts collapsing on all sides, people rush around trying to save themselves. Ney tries to rally the army, but they simultaneously shout ‘Long Live Marshal Ney’ while also fleeing from him. It is chaos, friends kill each other, people desert in large numbers.  Even Napoleon’s cries of trying to form the battle lines fall on deaf ears, the people who had shouted ‘Long Live the Emperor’ only a few hours ago, now cannot say a word. His own army does not want to listen to their leader’s words and are trying everything in their power to escape.

For all the similarities between Waterloo and barricades, this is so different from the last stand of the revolutionaries and I think that may be the point.

Hugo does not blame the army running away but the hand of Providence and destiny which caused them to surrender, it’s a very French perspective of the battle as @melle93 pointed out, but also a perspective Hugo wants to emphasise throughout the book, that the century of ‘Great Men’ like Napoleon is past. I love the imagery that Hugo has used here, with the ‘lions turned into hunted deer’ and the picture of terror on the battlefield he has sketched.

All this had to happen because Napoleon’s demise was essential for the century to flourish, he was a somnambulist trying to keep alive a desperate dream. I cannot say that I disagree with Hugo’s point of view that Napoleon had to go, his time was done. This is why Hugo keeps emphasising the people in his army, the farmers, the peasants, the woman telling the story about the battle, Les Miserables is their story and in these pages, Napoleon becomes just another general, another ordinary man who had grand dreams and fought and lost, not someone Great to emulate, which is the point of Waterloo.

2.1.14

The last remaining Guards in the battle are still noble and heroic and they die magnificently because of that. There is one last square that is still causing a discomfort to Wellington’s army. This square itself is commanded by Cambronne, an unknown soldier. This heroic column of an odd few soldiers is the one countering the Anglo-Dutch army to the last.

It makes sense that everyone is tired, it is the end of the battle, but this column of brave French soldiers keeps replying grapeshot to grapeshot. This group also commands the highest respect from the Anglo-Dutch army and from Hugo himself (I can’t help it, but their defiant stand is so similar to the stand of 1832 revolutionaries towards the end and Enjolras’ defiance before being shot).  

They know they are going to die and are surrounded by the cannons on all sides, like 'tigers’ eyes in the dark’ but they still resist. It’s brave and desperate, but it makes us care for these soldiers in their last moments. It’s their last act of defiance, the view around them, that of corpses also lends pathos to this moment. The English army has to pause, because they too are moved by the scene, they too feel some respect and compassion for their enemy in their last moments.

In the lull of the moment, these brave men are asked to surrender. Cambronne utters a word, ‘Merde’ in response.

It is interesting that the chapter ends on this word and then we learn more about the significance of an unknown soldier like Cambronne, and the word that he utters in the next chapter, but I love the fact that Hugo situates the word and an unknown soldier as the most important part of this chapter and the battle too.

They know they are going to die, it is a hopeless battle, but he says 'Merde' regardless of the impossible circumstances they have found themselves in. It is the little acts that do matter, that do count and this is something that feels very relevant in the present times, unfortunately.

It must be a fact not lost to Hugo, concerned about the situation of his country in 1862, the importance of the word, against the enemy, having written many words against NIII's government. So, it is this word of defiance that situates this chapter and begins the next.    

[allmoddedapk]

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[everyonewasabird]

Brickclub 2.1.14 ‘The last square’

Each regiment, cut off from the others and with no further communication with the army that had entirely disintegrated, died in its own manner.

Oh. Oh no.

We began with the ruins of the barricade, then the battle we progressed through had similarities to the barricade fight but was ultimately a very different kind of war, with very different goals.

But now, as it splinters, we’re looking at squares of soldiers “trapped between four walls,” with no communication between each other.

We’re at the barricades.

Only, the barricades communicated a little: Chanvrerie could hear the tocsin of Saint-Merry, Enjolras was able to do a little reconnaissance at times, and Hugo posits Saint-Merry’s & Chanvrerie’s mutual bravery and resolve as a kind of psychic communication between them.

These last brave Waterloo fighters are utterly alone.

At the end, we get a moment of quiet. We see the white of the sky between the wheels and gun carriages, and the tigers’ eyes of the lighted wicks of the cannons. It’s the closest thing to being in the point of view of a character we’ve had at Waterloo--we’ve heard people’s minds and words and faces described here and there, but I don’t think we’ve ever stood quietly next to anyone, seeing the dusk and smoke through their eyes.

Of course that distinction is given to Cambronne.

@fremedon​ brought up the tigers coming at night (damn I wish it could be a real reference!) and the act of yelling “Merde!” in defiance to the end as reminiscent of Fantine. I think there’s even more there: Fantine dies cut off and alone in her despair. There were people helping her for some time, but all those relationships--Valjean, Simplice--were a little adversarial. No one prioritized what mattered to her--getting Cosette, here, now--and nobody fucking communicated.

The obvious parallel to Cambronne in this book is Enjolras, and that’s real. But Enjolras fights with love and connection and a broader vision, always. He doesn’t die alone. At the very end, when his friends are dead and it might have ended like this, there’s still one spark of love and connection left.