#Madame de La Fayette

[ce-sac-contient]

Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989) - Armpit, 1981

Tirage argentique (35,2 x 35,2 cm)

❝Je vous adore, je vous hais, je vous offense, je vous demande pardon ; je vous admire, j'ai honte de vous admirer. Enfin il n'y a plus en moi ni de calme, ni de raison.❞

— Madame de La Fayette, La Princesse de Clèves

[nordleuchten]

When in the library I found a novel with مدام لافييت "Madame de La Fayette" on it, and it got me excited even that it is more than probable that the author has nothing to do with the Lafayette I thought of, turns out there was a relation! I researched about a little while studying and apparently a woman in an older generation of La Fayette family (Marie-Madeleine Pioche de La Vergne, Comtesse de La Fayette) wrote it, her novel (La Princesse de Clèves (1678)) is considered the first french historical novel???? (basically historical fiction retelling with an OC).. she's not his grandmother or blood related in any way but I think it's a cool fact

Dear Anon,

that is indeed quite interesting, is it not?

Madame de La Fayette was the Marquis de La Fayette’s great-aunt (or there about, the family tree is a bit confusing around that time) by marriage, although her husband was not really a great catch. She published her books, most noticeable among them La Princesse de Clèves, anonymously but they were soon attributed to her. Her works in general and La Princesse de Clèves in particular, are a firm part of the French canon of classic literature.

Her main protagonists were all made up, but the setting and the supporting characters were all taken from history and the novel was lauded for its accuracy.

As far as I know, Madame de La Fayette’s works belonged to the first of its kind not only in France but in Western literature in general.

I hope you have/had a lovely day! :-)

[allweknewisdead]

La Princesse de Clèves (1678) - Madame de La Fayette

Je n'ai que des sentiments violents et incertains dont je ne suis pas le maître. // My thoughts are violent and uncertain, and I am not able to control them.

[jaimelire-france]

La Princesse de Clèves est un roman de la femme de lettres française Madame de La Fayette.

[there-is-cromwell]

“Vive La Reine!”

“I know the fate awaiting me”, the Queen replies, with magnanimity, “but my duty is to die at the feet of the king and in the arms of my children.” It is clear by her tone of voice, that she is frightened, but by God, she nonetheless behaves like every inch the Queen of old and noble France. You allow yourself a small smile, this might just work.

“Well then, madam, come with me”, you invite her and offer her your arm.

“What! alone on the balcony? Did you not see the signs they made me?”, she retorts, her eyes wide open and her face flushed with fear.

Of course have you seen the signs made, and they were horrible indeed. Nobody is deserving of such treatment, but this is exactly why you must act now. “Yes, madam, but let us go”, you tell the Queen and turn to look at the King. He simply nods.

You step out on the balcony with the Queen beside you and her small children, the Dauphin and the Princess Royal. But as soon as you step outside, there is an outcry from the people below the balcony to send the children back inside. Good, you think. At least then they are safe, at least they do not have to see their mother murdered should the events take a turn for the worse.

You try to address the people, but you can not make yourself heard, regardless of how much you strain your voice. Pity, you had, in the heat of the moment, come up with a few pretty things to say. But since speaking seems no longer to be an option, you decide to let actions speak for you. You bow down as low as you can in front of your Queen and give her hand a gallant kiss. Let the crowd see that you are still loyal to the Royal Family and the people will hopefully follow your lead.

It works. You hear the crowd below cry out: “Long live the General!” and “Long live the Queen!” You allow yourself the second little smile this morning as you lead the Queen back inside. That went down rather well. But there is still no ends to your troubles as the King approaches you. “What are you now able to do for my guards?”

His guards? Really now? You are a soldier, not a savior! What does he think you can do? There is nothing you can do for the King’s guards.

Well, appearing in front of the people on the balcony has worked twice so far and if the King asks you, you are willing to try it a third time. Surely you will be able to coax the National Guard into a display of camaraderie.

Historical Context:

Again, this scene happened almost exactly as described here. La Fayette later noted in his Memoirs:

(…) and when the king and his family; after having promised to go to Paris, had retired from that balcony, “Madame,” said he to the queen, “what are your intentions as respects yourself?” “I know the fate awaiting me,” she replied, with magnanimity, “but my duty is to die at the feet of the king and in the arms of my children.” “Well then, madam, come with me.” “What! alone on the balcony? Did you not see the signs they made me?” And those signs had been horrible, in truth. “Yes, madam, but let us go.” And when, appearing with her before that tumultuous populace, still raging, like the waves of a stormy ocean between a hedge of national guards, who lined three sides of the court but could not control the centre, Lafayette, unable to make himself heard, had recourse to a decisive but hazardous sign; he kissed the hand of the Queen. The multitude, struck by that action, exclaimed, “Long live the general!” “Long live the queen!”

Marquis de La Fayette, Memoirs, Correspondences and Manuscripts of General Lafayette, Vol. 2, Craighead and Allen, New York, 1837, p. 327.

[odnagnisul]

100 livres à avoir lu dans sa vie (entre autres):

1984, George Orwell ✅

A la croisée des mondes, Philip Pullman

Agnès Grey, Agnès Bronte ✅

Alice au Pays des merveilles, Lewis Carroll ✅

Angélique marquise des anges, Anne Golon

Anna Karenine, Léon Tolstoï

A Rebours, Joris-Karl Huysmans

Au bonheur des dames, Émile Zola

Avec vue sur l'Arno, E.M Forster

Autant en emporte le vent, Margaret Mitchell

Barry Lyndon, William Makepeace Thackeray

Belle du Seigneur, Albert Cohen

Blonde, Joyce Carol Oates

Bonjour tristesse, Françoise Sagan ✅

Cent ans de solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Charlie et la chocolaterie, Roald Dahl ✅

Chéri, Colette

Crime et Châtiment, Féodor Dostoïevski

De grandes espérances, Charles Dickens

Des fleurs pour Algernon, Daniel Keyes

Des souris et des hommes, John Steinbeck ✅

Dix petits nègres, Agatha Christie ✅

Docteur Jekyll et Mister Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson ✅

Don Quichotte, Miguel Cervantés

Dracula, Bram Stocker ✅

Du côté de chez Swann, Marcel Proust

Dune, Frank Herbert ✅

Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury ✅

Fondation, Isaac Asimov

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley ✅

Gatsby le magnifique, Francis Scott Fitzgerald ✅

Harry Potter à l'école des sorciers, J.K Rowling

Home, Toni Morrison

Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

Kafka sur le rivage, Haruki Murakami

L'adieu aux armes, Ernest Hemingway ✅

L'affaire Jane Eyre, Jasper Fforde

L'appel de la forêt, Jack London ✅

L'attrape-cœur, J. D. Salinger ✅

L'écume des jours, Boris Vian

L'étranger, Albert Camus ✅

L'insoutenable légèreté de l'être, Milan Kundera

La condition humaine, André Malraux

La dame aux camélias, Alexandre Dumas Fils

La dame en blanc, Wilkie Collins

La gloire de mon père, Marcel Pagnol

La ligne verte, Stephen King ✅

La nuit des temps, René Barjavel

La Princesse de Clèves, Mme de La Fayette ✅

La Route, Cormac McCarthy ✅

Le chien des Baskerville, Arthur Conan Doyle

Le cœur cousu, Carole Martinez

Le comte de Monte-Cristo, Alexandre Dumas : tome 1 et 2

Le dernier jour d'un condamné, Victor Hugo ✅

Le fantôme de l'opéra, Gaston Leroux

Le lièvre de Vaatanen, Arto Paasilinna

Le maître et Marguerite, Mikhaïl Boulgakov

Le meilleur des mondes, Aldous Huxley

Le nom de la rose, Umberto Eco

Le parfum, Patrick Süskind

Le portrait de Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde ✅

Le Petit Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery ✅

Le père Goriot, Honoré de Balzac ✅

Le prophète, Khalil Gibran ✅

Le rapport de Brodeck, Philippe Claudel

Le rouge et le noir, Stendhal ✅

Le Seigneur des anneaux, J.R Tolkien ✅

Le temps de l'innocence, Edith Wharton

Le vieux qui lisait des romans d'amour, Luis Sepulveda ✅

Les Chroniques de Narnia, CS Lewis

Les Hauts de Hurle-Vent, Emily Brontë

Les liaisons dangereuses, Choderlos de Laclos ✅

Les Malaussène, Daniel Pennac ✅

Les mémoires d'une jeune fille rangée, Simone de

Beauvoir

Les mystères d'Udolfo, Ann Radcliff

Les piliers de la Terre, Ken Follett : tome 1

Les quatre filles du Docteur March, Louisa May

Alcott

Les racines du ciel, Romain Gary

Lettre d'une inconnue, Stefan Zweig ✅

Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert ✅

Millenium, Larson Stieg ✅

Miss Charity, Marie-Aude Murail

Mrs Dalloway, Virginia Woolf

Ne tirez pas sur l'oiseau moqueur, Harper Lee ✅

Nord et Sud, Elisabeth Gaskell

Orgueil et Préjugés, Jane Austen

Pastorale américaine, Philip Roth

Peter Pan, James Matthew Barrie

Pilgrim, Timothy Findley

Rebecca, Daphne Du Maurier

Robinson Crusoé, Daniel Defoe ✅

Rouge Brésil, Jean Christophe Ruffin

Sa majesté des mouches, William Goldwin ✅

Tess d'Uberville, Thomas Hardy

Tous les matins du monde, Pascal Quignard

Un roi sans divertissement, Jean Giono

Une prière pour Owen, John Irving

Une Vie, Guy de Maupassant

Vent d'est, vent d'ouest, Pearl Buck

Voyage au bout de la nuit, Louis-Ferdinand Céline ✅

Total : 37/100

[detournementsmineurs]

Marina Vlady dans "La Princesse de Clèves" de Jean Delannoy (1961) - adapté du roman éponyme de Madame de La Fayette qui se situe à la cour des Valois dans les dernières années du règne du Roi Henri II (1678) - décembre 2023.

[jetlaggedinparis]

Reopening of the Richelieu site of the Bibliothèque nationale de France

The historic Richelieu site of the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) located in the centre of Paris has just reopened to the public after 12 years of work. Among other things,  the  BnF has another important site inaugurated in 1995 in the south of Paris by the President of the Republic François Mitterrand and which now bears his name.

The BnF collects, archives and restores all works published or edited in France. It also preserves national heritage collections, and items from bequests or donations.

Its origin goes back to the king's library installed in the Louvre in 1368 by Charles V. A  decision made by King François 1st in 1537 required the creation of the collection, making it a legal requirement to deposit all publications in the national library. This decision now makes the BnF the largest library in France and one of the largest in the world. The BnF's collections include nearly 16 million books and collections, as many prints and photographs, 2 million scores, 950,000 maps, plans and globes and some 370,000 manuscripts.  It has been open to the public since 1692.

Among these collections are the first editions of Emile, or the education by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and La Princesse de Clèves by Madame de La Fayette. Many books published before 1500, called incunabula, such as Le Kal endrier des bergers published in 1493, and  very old illuminations, including the Great Chronicles of France dating from the late fifteenth century, are also kept there.

After many locations, the library moved in 1721 to the site of the current library in the former palace of Mazarin, rue Vivienne.  New rooms were built during the Second Empire, one for researchers, the other for the general public. The Mazarine Gallery designed by François Mansart became a museum in 1878. Finally, the impressive "Salle Ovale" 18 meters high was opened in 1936.

Since 2010, major redevelopment work has been undertaken, which has just ended (2022). The site now includes 5 reading rooms, 4 of which are reserved  for researchers, and the Oval room, equipped with 20,000 books and open to all, with free access. There is also a museum, a gallery of temporary exhibitions, a bookshop and a café. The entirety occupies about 58,000 m².

Although the refurbishments have restored the prestige to this somewhat forgotten but architecturally renowned site, an old controversy has reappeared. The main staircase, a monumental work built before the war of 1914-1918 and inspired by the  Louis XIV period, has been replaced by a rotating staircase made of steel and aluminum whose integration into the place is sometimes disputed.

[modorama]

art | Jean Cocteau retrospective at Cinemateque Bercy (November 15 - 26)

To mark the 60th anniversary of his death, there is a launch of tribute to Jean Cocteau at Parisian Cinemateque . Poet, then poet-filmmaker, preferred to call himself a cabinetmaker, who shot films like others turn tables. The first magic trick, The Blood of a Poet, will be followed by seven other films, including Beauty and the Beast and Orpheus, all to be seen again on the big screen. A retrospective completed by his work as a screenwriter (The Phantom Baron) and dialogue writer (Les Dames du bois de Boulogne), less often celebrated, no less astonishing.

With the support of CHANEL

Nov 23, 6:00 p.m.

The Princess of Cleves, session presented by Marina Vlady Based on the novel La Princesse de Clèves by Madame de La Fayette. With Marina Vlady, Jean Marais, Jean-François Poron.

Against a backdrop of intrigues at the court of the Valois, the amorous torments of a princess (Marina Vlady), who unleashes her husband's jealousy: some 20 years after L'Eternal Return, the Cocteau/Marais/Delannoy trio reforms around the romantic drama by Madame de La Fayette.

[dearestcorrespondence]

Nicholas Fish to Elizabeth Hamilton, [March 22, 1822]

22 March, 1822 Dear Madam, The circumstances which I had the honor of communicating to you some time since in conversation, relative to the introduction of French troops into this country during our revolutionary war, I fully intended long since to have stated to you in writing, but the disordered and painful state of one of my eyes, which for several months, occasioned by confinement to a dark room, has till now prevent me from doing. You will perceive Madam in the statement which I now have the honor to transmit on that Subject, that I have introduced some particulars, which though not immediately connected with the principal fact, will tend to show the existence of a long established friendship and intimacy between General Hamilton and myself and the relative situation in which we were placed, and thereby be explanation of confidential communications made to me by him. In the campaign of 1781 Genl. Hamilton, after he had retired from the family of Genl. Washington, was appointed by him to the command of a select corps of Infantry, of which had the honor of being next in command, this Corps was composed of the light companies of the New-York line, and two light companies of the Connecticut line, and thus organized marched with the main army from the banks of the Hudson River to Virginia, where the Marquis La Fayette was then in command, with a body of light troops, previously detached from the army—On General Washington's arrival in Virginia with the combined army, (American & French) La Fayette, with his troops joined the army, & Hamilton's Corps was annexed to the Marquis' command—the French fleet under the command of Count de Grasse having arrived in the Chesapeak to co-operate with the combined army, the siege of York-town commenced; during which, and throughout the whole of that Campaign, I had the happiness and good fortune of being the mess mate of Genl. Hamilton, and of occupying with him the same tent—this added to our previous intimacy and uninterrupted friendship from the year 1775, when he was a student of King's College, and where with a few others we had formed a weekly club, for improving ourselves in debating & public speaking, naturally led occasionally to confidential and unreserved conversations; in one of these, the General speaking of the Marquis La Fayette, said, The United States are under infinite obligations to him beyond what is known, not only for his valor & good conduct as Major Genl. In our army, but for his good offices & influences in our behalf with the court of France—the French army now here, co-operating with us, would not have been in this Country, but through his means, he then said, that for some considerable time previous to the arrival of the French army under Count Rochambeau; he Genl. Hamilton had conceived the idea, and had weighed in his own mind the propriety of such a measure, and having satisfied himself on that subject, he had suggested the idea to the Marquis La Fayette, expressing to him at the same time, not only the powerful effect that would be produced in our army, and the Country generally, by the introduction of a small military force from France, to cooperate with us, but the increased effect that would result, should the Marquis himself be appointed to the chief command—This project met a welcome reception, and after some remarks, as to the details of the plan, the Marquis with all the zeal and promptitude which characterized him, addressed the French Government, and their Ambassador here, on the subject, urging the advantages which would result to both nations, from having a French military force in this Country; this proposition was immediately patronized and inforced by the family & connections of the Marquis, who were then in power and great influence in France, and accordingly adopted by that Government.

An army under County Rochambeau was sent to this Country: a fleet under County de Grasse, was also sent, and the capture of Lord Cornwallis' army which terminated the war, and sealed our Independence, was the consequence—As the idea of introducing into this country, a small auxiliary army from France, first presented itself to the mind of Genl. Hamilton, as avowed by him to me, and possibly not communicated by him to any other friend, I deem it a duty incumbent on me, and a tribute due to his memory, that the knowledge of that fact should not be lost, but be preserved and recorded as an additional evidence of his brilliancy of imagination and preeminent services to his Country. When the siege of York town had commenced, our first parallel line was thrown up, it became evident, that the two Redoubts which Lord Cornwallis had constructed in front of the town, would prolong the siege, until they could be allowed by our cannon, or taken by storm; the former of these methods would probably have been preferred and preserved in with confidence of ultimate success, had not the French Admiral announced his wish to return with his fleet to the West Indies, intimating that circumstances would compel him to depart in a few days—thus circumstanced Genl. Washington and induced to change his plan of regular approaches, for the more expeditious one of storming those works-to this end an arrangement was made that one Redoubt should be attacked by a column of American light Infantry, and the other by a column of French Grenadiers. The command of the American Infantry consisting of two Battalions one commanded by Col. Gemat, the other by myself—was given to Genl. Hamilton, and a signal from our grand battery answered by a correspondent signal from the French battery, put the two columns of attack immediately in motion. The American Infantry animated by the address and example of their leader, marched to the attack, with Muskets unloaded and Bayonets fixed relying on their Bayonets alone for success; they soon arrived at the counterscarp, under a heavy and constant fire from the redoubt, which they bravely sustained, and surmounting all difficulties and impediments of abattis, ditch and palisade mounted the parapet and took possession of the work together with those who had defended it, and Major Campbell the commanding Officer; all this was effected agreeably to previous arrangement made by Genl. Hamilton; and his troops regularly formed within the Redoubt and order completely restored, while the other column, whose mode of attack was different, were yet engaged in the conflict.

I have the honor to be With great respect Dear Madam Your friend & humble servant

Nichs. Fish

[slayslut12345678910]

“She felt that it was nearly impossible to be content with any love that he could give her. But even if I could be, she said to herself, what do I want with it? Do I want to allow it? Do I want to respond? Do I want to fail M. de Clèves? Do I want to fail myself? And finally do I want to expose myself to the cruel remorse, the deadly sadness which love brings in its train?”

- The Princess of Cleves, Madame La Fayette

[ptipariscom]

art | Jean Cocteau retrospective at Cinemateque Bercy

To mark the 60th anniversary of his death, there is a launch of tribute to Jean Cocteau at Parisian Cinemateque . Poet, then poet-filmmaker, preferred to call himself a cabinetmaker, who shot films like others turn tables. The first magic trick, The Blood of a Poet, will be followed by seven other films, including Beauty and the Beast and Orpheus, all to be seen again on the big screen. A retrospective completed by his work as a screenwriter (The Phantom Baron) and dialogue writer (Les Dames du bois de Boulogne), less often celebrated, no less astonishing.

With the support of CHANEL

Nov 23, 6:00 p.m.

The Princess of Cleves, session presented by Marina Vlady Based on the novel La Princesse de Clèves by Madame de La Fayette. With Marina Vlady, Jean Marais, Jean-François Poron.

Against a backdrop of intrigues at the court of the Valois, the amorous torments of a princess (Marina Vlady), who unleashes her husband’s jealousy: some 20 years after L'Eternal Return, the Cocteau/Marais/Delannoy trio reforms around the romantic drama by Madame de La Fayette.

[nordleuchten]

The Story of Adrienne (1800) and Pauline (1797)

I often go on and on about how fascinated I am by the time the La Fayette’s and the Noialles’ spend in exile at the estates Wittmoldt and Lehmkuhlen. Many modern books and publications cover this episode only sparsely – and to be honest, at first glance, events like the American and French Revolution for example appear to be the more interesting, more important and more dramatic chapters in La Fayette’s life. I would like to make the point, that the families time in exile should not be underestimated and that many things happen there, that profoundly influenced the La Fayette’s and their kin. This episode is also a fine example of the family interacting with people outside their usual sphere. People from a different country, a different culture, often with different perceptions.

The other day I was reading a book about Wittmoldt, both the Wittmoldt estate as well as the small village by the same name nearby. The book was written by the head teacher of the local school and a large part of his book deals with the school, its pupils and former teachers throughout time. The book mentions a former head teacher, Detlef Ludwig Petersen, who lived at the Wittmoldt estate during a time where Wittmoldt had many different owners and inhabitants – Madame de Tessé, Adrienne de La Fayette’s aunt, among them.

Now, what is so special about Petersen? He and his wife had four children. Three of them were born in Güsdorf, a neighbouring village, before the Petersen’s moved to Wittmoldt. While living at the Wittmoldt estate they had one last child, a daughter named Adrienne Pauline. My interest was immediately peaked since the name was not only very French – in contrast to the very German names of the first three children, but also the names of the French inhabitants of Wittmoldt at the time.

La Fayette’s wife and her aunt were both named Adrienne and there was also a younger sister, La Fayette’s sister-in-law, who stayed at Wittmoldt and that was named Pauline. This could hardly be a coincidence! I had a look at the archival records and found the entry of Adrienne Pauline’s baptism.

Landeskirchliches Archiv der Evang.-Luth. Kirche, Kirchenkreis Plön-Segeberg, Plön, Taufen 1764-1800, p. 247.

The child was born on April 23, 1800 and baptised four days later on April 27.

But wait! That is not all!

While going through the records, I found a second child with a name too extraordinary to be a coincidence.

Landeskirchliches Archiv der Evang.-Luth. Kirche, Kirchenkreis Plön-Segeberg, Plön, Taufen 1764-1800, p. 203.

Pauline Adrienne Alexandrine was born on September 23, 1797, and baptised on September 29. Not only is her name a direct reference to the two sisters and their aunt, but the record also reveals that both Madame de Tessé, as well as Pauline, Marquise de Montague were witnesses to the proceedings.

The name of Pauline Adrienne Alexandrine’s father does not ring a bell for me, but her mother’s maiden name was Petersen. Now, Petersen is and always has been a very, very common German surname and therefor this could be two different Petersen-families. But Wittmoldt is still a very small village with few inhabitants and things were not looking any different at the turn of the 19th century. It is therefore entirely possible (and in my opinion quite likely) that not one, but two couples in the Petersen-family decided to name their daughter after Adrienne and Pauline.

(I think that the Adrienne, Madame de Tessé, played a bigger role here then Adrienne, Marquise de La Fayette since de Tessé owned Wittmoldt, lived there longer than her niece and was directly referred by name in the records of the 1797 baptism.)

This might not be a big and flashy story compared with some of La Fayette’s exploits during the American Revolution for example, but I like to believe that this is a very human story. The little things, the silent connections that speak of respect and intimate relationships - stories that are history without making history.

[talesofpassingtime]

"If you judge from appearances in a Court,” replied Madam de Chartres, “you will often be deceived; truth and appearances seldom go together."

— Madame de La Fayette, The Princess of Cleves

[valkyries-things]

MADAME DE LA FAYETTE // AUTHOR

“She was a French writer; she authorised La Princesse de Cleves, France’s first historical novel and one of the earliest novels in literature. Three works were published posthumously: La Comtesse de Tende (1718), Histoire d’Henriette d’Angleterre (1720), and Mémoires de la Cour de France (1731).”

[there-is-cromwell]

“Vive La Reine!”

“I know the fate awaiting me”, the Queen replies, with magnanimity, “but my duty is to die at the feet of the king and in the arms of my children.” It is clear by her tone of voice, that she is frightened, but by God, she nonetheless behaves like every inch the Queen of old and noble France. You allow yourself a small smile, this might just work.

“Well then, madam, come with me”, you invite her and offer her your arm.

“What! alone on the balcony? Did you not see the signs they made me?”, she retorts, her eyes wide open and her face flushed with fear.

Of course have you seen the signs made, and they were horrible indeed. Nobody is deserving of such treatment, but this is exactly why you must act now. “Yes, madam, but let us go”, you tell the Queen and turn to look at the King. He simply nods.

You step out on the balcony with the Queen beside you and her small children, the Dauphin and the Princess Royal. But as soon as you step outside, there is an outcry from the people below the balcony to send the children back inside. Good, you think. At least then they are safe, at least they do not have to see their mother murdered should the events take a turn for the worse.

You try to address the people, but you can not make yourself heard, regardless of how much you strain your voice. Pity, you had, in the heat of the moment, come up with a few pretty things to say. But since speaking seems no longer to be an option, you decide to let actions speak for you. You bow down as low as you can in front of your Queen and give her hand a gallant kiss. Let the crowd see that you are still loyal to the Royal Family and the people will hopefully follow your lead.

It works. You hear the crowd below cry out: “Long live the General!” and “Long live the Queen!” You allow yourself the second little smile this morning as you lead the Queen back inside. That went down rather well. But there is still no ends to your troubles as the King approaches you. “What are you now able to do for my guards?”

His guards? Really now? You are a soldier, not a savior! What does he think you can do? There is nothing you can do for the King’s guards.

Well, appearing in front of the people on the balcony has worked twice so far and if the King asks you, you are willing to try it a third time. Surely you will be able to coax the National Guard into a display of camaraderie.

Historical Context:

Again, this scene happened almost exactly as described here. La Fayette later noted in his Memoirs:

(…) and when the king and his family; after having promised to go to Paris, had retired from that balcony, “Madame,” said he to the queen, “what are your intentions as respects yourself?” “I know the fate awaiting me,” she replied, with magnanimity, “but my duty is to die at the feet of the king and in the arms of my children.” “Well then, madam, come with me.” “What! alone on the balcony? Did you not see the signs they made me?” And those signs had been horrible, in truth. “Yes, madam, but let us go.” And when, appearing with her before that tumultuous populace, still raging, like the waves of a stormy ocean between a hedge of national guards, who lined three sides of the court but could not control the centre, Lafayette, unable to make himself heard, had recourse to a decisive but hazardous sign; he kissed the hand of the Queen. The multitude, struck by that action, exclaimed, “Long live the general!” “Long live the queen!”

Marquis de La Fayette, Memoirs, Correspondences and Manuscripts of General Lafayette, Vol. 2, Craighead and Allen, New York, 1837, p. 327.