#cambronne

[postcard-from-the-past]

Gare de Cambronne metro station in Paris

French vintage postcard

[dolphin1812]

“This entire chapter is conceptually hilarious, but some of the moments in it are so bizarre. Take this, for instance:

“ To make that reply and then perish, what could be grander? For being willing to die is the same as to die; and it was not this man’s fault if he survived after he was shot.”

Hugo what

Anyway, the themes of this chapter are fascinating as well. This paragraph encapsulates most of them:

“Cambronne’s reply produces the effect of a violent break. ’Tis like the breaking of a heart under a weight of scorn. ’Tis the overflow of agony bursting forth. Who conquered? Wellington? No! Had it not been for Blücher, he was lost. Was it Blücher? No! If Wellington had not begun, Blücher could not have finished. This Cambronne, this man spending his last hour, this unknown soldier, this infinitesimal of war, realizes that here is a falsehood, a falsehood in a catastrophe, and so doubly agonizing; and at the moment when his rage is bursting forth because of it, he is offered this mockery,—life! How could he restrain himself? Yonder are all the kings of Europe, the general’s flushed with victory, the Jupiter’s darting thunderbolts; they have a hundred thousand victorious soldiers, and back of the hundred thousand a million; their cannon stand with yawning mouths, the match is lighted; they grind down under their heels the Imperial guards, and the grand army; they have just crushed Napoleon, and only Cambronne remains,—only this earthworm is left to protest. He will protest. Then he seeks for the appropriate word as one seeks for a sword. His mouth froths, and the froth is the word. In face of this mean and mighty victory, in face of this victory which counts none victorious, this desperate soldier stands erect. He grants its overwhelming immensity, but he establishes its triviality; and he does more than spit upon it. Borne down by numbers, by superior force, by brute matter, he finds in his soul an expression: “Excrément!” We repeat it,—to use that word, to do thus, to invent such an expression, is to be the conqueror!”

Hugo aims to focus on the people over the famed generals, and here, he does so by asserting that even if there was no victor at Waterloo (”this victory which counts none victorious”), Cambronne was the “conqueror” for recognizing the horrible situation he’d been put in by these men, then expressing his frustration and mocking the whole thing in one word. “Life,” for him, is a “mockery;” while his life is in danger, kings sit in safety, generals command and have honors bestowed upon them, and the man he’s been told is “great” - Napoleon - has been defeated while he remains standing. Hugo compares the curse to a “sword,” underscoring its force, but it’s also notable that it isn’t automatically accompanied by violence on Cambronne’s part. Through its humor and anger, this swear rejects the system that has put Cambronne in this place; by not fighting at that moment (and thus participating in the system of battle) and instead expressing himself, Cambronne (at least in this instance) rejects these harmful systems. The “conqueror” at Waterloo, then, is the common man who spurns the systems oppressing him.

Hugo furthers this comparison by saying that this swear was not only divinely inspired, but channeled the French Revolution (”he hurls it at the past in the name of the Revolution. It is heard, and Cambronne is recognized as possessed by the ancient spirit of the Titans. Danton seems to be speaking! Kléber seems to be bellowing!”). The curse contains within it, then, a spirit of rebellion.

I also think Hugo’s thoughts on what this swear mean speak to why this book, even with a title like Les Misérables, isn’t actually sad overall? There are definitely moments of great sadness (Fantine’s death still hurts), but the booj contains two other key emotions: rage (at the systems that caused this suffering, leading to a desire for change) and, most importantly here, humor. Cambronne’s frustration led to the swear, but it’s also funny to read a full chapter justifying the use of this word. Similarly, many of the characters hold themselves together in the face of the cruelty and despair they witness through humor. We see this with the bishop, who, after losing many friends and relatives to the Revolution and then witnessing the poverty of those he aims to help, constantly mocks himself and the expectations for someone of his status. Even when the characters themselves are less prone to joking (like Valjean and Javert), Hugo either includes jokes in his narration or makes them comical through their absurdities (Valjean’s reverse robberies as mayor, Javert basically all the time). The events the book describes are tragic, but this humor offers hope.

This is a minor addition, but it’s also hilarious that Hugo has somehow made a Frenchman the conqueror of Waterloo. I can really see how someone would come out of reading this and think, “wow, this is great for the French government, one of France’s most notorious losses is now a victory!” without seeing all of the criticism of the political system woven into it.

[microcosme11]

Disembarking at Cannes

le 5 mars 1815 Napoleon débarque sur la rade de Cannes, les hommes de sa garde qui l'avaient accompagné dans son éxil de l'ile Elbe établirent sur la rive leur bivouac et y arborent le drapeau tricolore: Napoleon se promène sur la rive avec le général Cambrone que lui désigne en mer les vaisseaux anglais à travers lesquels ils ont passés sans être decouverts. Si nous avons été obligés de nous cacher aujourd'hui dit l'Empereur, dans 15 jours nous serons a Paris et nous ne craindrons pas de nous y faire voir.

On March 5, 1815 Napoleon landed in the harbor of Cannes. The men of his guard who had accompanied him in his exile from Elba set up their bivouac on the shore and displayed the tricolor flag.

Napoleon walks on the shore with General Cambronne who points out at sea the English vessels through which they passed without being discovered. “If we have been forced to hide today,” said the Emperor, “in fifteen days we will be in Paris and we will not fear being seen there.”

bnf gallica. Vinck's collection. A century of French history through prints, 1770-1870. Flight. 72 (parts 9377-9502), Restoration and Hundred Days

[aux-barricades]

Cambronne at last! One of my favourite characters in Les Mis. 😄

[adieuparis]

Cambronne huile sur toile 81 x 60

[psalm22-6]

The classicists, the nap-III supporters, the ultramontane Catholics, et al. when they had to read it uncensored

Hugo: If any French reader object to having his susceptibilities offended, one would have to refrain from repeating in his presence what is perhaps the finest reply that a Frenchman ever made. This would enjoin us from consigning something sublime to History.

Hapgood having just redacted said finest reply:

[gabrielferaud]

“Les Bleus”, the Republican set of a pair of Grimaud Royalist/Republican Vendee war themed playing card decks with text and art by Jean Bruneau

[Open images for better quality + more under cut]

[coquelicoq]

victor hugo ended one chapter on the word "merde!" and then wrote a three-page follow-up chapter to justify including such a bad word in his book. and the best part is that i just looked up a contemporary translation and discovered that the translator (isabel f. hapgood) replaced the "merde" with "-----". so she ended a chapter on a bleep and then went ahead and translated the next chapter about why she shouldn't bleep out that word. incredible.

[hyperfixationstation1]

General Colville in the eleventh hour at Waterloo: “You have fought well, brave Frenchmen! Surrender!”

A relatively unknown French officer named Cambronne: “Shit!”

Beloved author and certified Frenchman, Victor Hugo, forty-ish years later:

[sanguinarysanguinity]

“I can only tell your lordship the facts as disclosed to me. She is under charter to a French general, Count Cambronne.” “Cambronne? Cambronne? The man who commanded the Imperial Guard at Waterloo?” “That’s the man, my lord.” “The man who said, ‘The Old Guard dies, but does not surrender’?” “Yes, my lord, although report says he actually used a ruder expression.”

C.S. Forester, Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies

Today’s Les Mis has a tie-in to the Hornblower novels!

[psalm22-6]

Source: the San Luis Obispo Tribune, 18 December 1917 From an article about the dangers of iconoclasts who deny biblical literalism, refute the hagiography of George Washington, and believe that Christopher Columbus was a fraud. And worst of all, they believe that Cambronne would say M****! 

[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!

[les-mis-guy-supreme]

ROUND 1-D

[aux-barricades]

If you feel like giving up, shout "merde!" (ideally at Victor Hugo) and keep at it. You can do it! 💪🏻

I love how so many people trying to read Les Mis give up at the Waterloo digression—.Waterloo defeated them just like it defeated Emperor Napoleon 😔

When Waterloo comes you really gotta ask yourself, are you a Napoleon or a Wellington?

[lmchaptertitlebracket]

Hit 1862 novel Les Misérables has many wonderful book and chapter titles, but which one is the Best?? The people (i.e. tumblrinas) shall determine once and for all.

We’ll start with choosing the best translation for each title (or at least, all the ones that have differences between translations beyond slight spelling/punctuation variances etc— skipped ones are under the cut), and then we shall continue on to matching up titles! …there are a lot, it will be a long haul. But We Shall Persevere. To start, I’ll try to queue up one book’s-worth of titles over about 1-2 days. If a chapter appears to be skipped, check under the cut— it’s likely there is no disagreement or insignificant disagreement between translations.

English language translations because they’re the only ones I’m familiar with, sorry! I’ll put what translation is from what translator(s) under the cut, but will leave it out of the polls.

If I make an error in a poll, please let me know!

blog run by @gloomth-and-wanderings

Chapters skipped in translation polls (ones with asterisks shall be subjected to Posts of Shame for objective mistranslations):

I Fantine I.i.2 M. Myriel* I.i.7 Cravatte I.i.13 What He Believed I.i.14 What He Thought I.ii The Fall* I.ii.6 Jean Valjean I.iii In the Year 1817 I.iii.1 The Year 1817 I.iii.8 Death of a Horse (only variation is whether to have “the” at the beginning, and I don’t want to run a poll just on that) I.iv.3 The Lark I.v The Descent * I.v.2 Madeleine I.v.11 Christus Nos Liberavit I.vi Javert II.i Waterloo II.i.2 Hougomont II.i.3 The 18th of June, 1815 (because all the variants are different date formats) II.i.4 A II.i.6 Four O’Clock in the Afternoon II.i.10 The Plateau of Mont Saint Jean (only punctuation differences) II.i.12 * The Guard II.i.13 it’s The Catastrophe or Catastrophe which seems unimportant II.i.14 The Last Square II.i.15 Cambronne II.i.16 Quod Libras in Duce? II.ii (only punctuation differences) II.ii.1 Number 24601 Becomes Number 9430 (comma differences but unimportant)

[sgiandubh]

Hola, Sgiandubh.

Mordor no debe estar muy contento con esas fotos que publicaste. Nos acusan de publicar recibos antiguos cuando hay un avistamiento Tait y, ahora, BIF y sus seguidores se dedican a rebloguear antiguas entrevistas donde ella hablaba del prometido "sin nombre". Ya se encargaba el magazine de turno de editar el texto añadiéndolo para que no quedara duda de su identidad. Como ese bloguer de IG que ha cambiado la secuencia de fotos y no ha publicado las que han causado tanto revuelo pero si se ha dedicado a seguir insultando a las #shipperscrazies. Manipulando la información real que hay disponible. Si eso no es reunir a las tropas para tranquilizar los ánimos no sé qué es 😆

Dear Rallying the Troops Anon,

Me alegra mucho que Mordor no esté contento con estas fotos, por supuesto. La idiotez colectiva del Otro Lado es contundente y menospreciar al adversario - la peor estrategia que pueda imaginarse.

But without further ado, let's translate your comment:

'Hi, Sgian-dubh,

Mordor must not be very happy with the pictures you posted. They accuse us of posting old receipts every time there's a Tait sighting, but now BIF and her followers are busy reblogging old interviews where she talked about the 'unnamed fiancé'. The magazine had already dutifully edited the text, adding to it so there would be no doubt about his identity. Just like that Instagram blogger who changed the order of the pics and did not post those that caused so much commotion, but who did continue to insult the #shipperscrazies. Manipulating the real information that is available.

If that is not rallying the troops to calm things down, I don't know what is 😆.'

Well, then - LOL. As I just said: I am very glad that these pics irritated the shit out of Mordor, of course. The collective idiocy of the Other Side is blatant and of course, belittling the adversary - the worst possible strategy.

But remember (hahahahaha), darling: double standard is a paramount policy of the Best Fans and the Only Ones, FWIW. They feel they have a license to do just about everything: repost things when reality bites and people begin to realize maybe things are not just as black and white (but rather more than fifty shades of grey, LOL). Insult people who dared question their honesty and/or intentions, with a ferocity that says a lot about their unsavory mob. And also play the ostrich, when people come to them with info like this very recent one:

The reactions are just priceless:

Sure, Jan, wherever you'd live (a 500 people village, somewhere, I suppose). Because social and business dinners happen on Saturday nights, since the dawn of humanity (where is McIdiot, on that Saturday night, since it's all so social/business? rehearsing Smooth Operator with Blonde Bambino?). And yes, of course, 'pictures or it did not happen' (it did happen before, btw, albeit with chaperones, but never with the multi-millionaire, successful music producer!), on that we agree, and it's rare - this round's on me. That being said, it's priceless to read (and almost hear) those banshee shrieks: 'They are not romantically involved!!!!!!!!!!!!' I spat my Coke, again and remembered this wonderful Terry Pratchett quote:

 'Multiple exclamation marks,' he went on, shaking his head, 'are a sure sign of a diseased mind.'

So, as you can see, that rally cry was also very, very far away from being efficient. As Cambronne famously said at Waterloo: merde!

One last thing and please try and not hate me for it, since I might have misunderstood what you really meant: there was no editing, as far as I know, of that interview BIF reposted. That name was always there, but once more, never uttered by C and just added for context by the journalist, when she wrote her paper. See for yourself:

Reading that last phrase tells the whole story: 'finding time that suits both their schedules is also proving challenging'. ROFLMAO. For Christ's sake, the 'intensely private' one ain't no Quincy Jones! And this is how you just know Tatler sugarcoated a very bland, unenthusiastic interview. A very common practice.

Salud! Don't be a stranger, Anon. You inspire me. 😘

PS: that banshee shriek was completely unnecessary. Anon just said they were 'catching up', nothing more (which immediately makes me think there was something more about it). Nobody suggested anything romantic. Pavlov's dog will always react to the stimulus, though. And thank you, querida, for the heads-up. 😘🙌