#ile saint jean

[lesmisscraper]

The Last Moment of Valjean, Volume 5, Book 9, Chapter 5.

Clips from <Il cuore di Cosette>.

[astipaxvancizbu]

Le traditionnel feu de la Saint Jean pour célébrer le solstice d'été 🔥, Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, Yvelines, France, juin 2023

[puttain]

The Île Saint-Louis apartment of heiress, writer, and activist Nancy Cunard, as imagined by Jean-Michel Frank.

[toosvanholstein]

Pionier Niki de Saint Phalle en haar droomproject Il Giardino dei Tarocchi (deel II)

Hier mijn deel 2 over Niki de Saint Phalle's Giardino dei Tarocchi. Haar droom om een plek van vreugde te creëren kwam uit, ondanks gezondheidsproblemen vanwege haar kunst. Nu genoot ik volop van haar indrukwekkende totaalkunstwerk en de blijvende impact

Twee weken geleden schreef ik er al over. Over dat grootse kunstproject van Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002). Haar Giardino dei Tarocchi in Italië. Waar ze een droom waarmaakte. “Het is mijn lotsbestemming een plek te maken waar mensen kunnen samenkomen en gelukkig kunnen zijn: een tuin van vreugde”, zo schreef ze eens. En het volgende statement van haar, als feministisch ingestelde kunstenaar,…

[dixvinsblog]

Jean Saint-Vil -Il suffit d'un coeur

Il suffit d’un coeurPour battre la chamadeD’un amour naissantQui marque au fer chaudTa petite vie tranquilleIl suffit d’une larmePour faire dévalerUn torrent de larmesDans les yeux émusQui ne peuvent plus s’ouvrirIl suffit d’un rirePour égailler la joieTout autour de toiComme une pluie d’étoilesIl suffit d’un arbreQui cache la forêtQue l’on croyait viergeIl suffit d’une femmePour changer ta…

[artandthebible]

Saint John the Baptist Preaching in the Desert

Artist: Jean Baptiste Henri Deshays (French, 1729–1765)

Date: c. 1758–1764

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States

Description

A precocious talent, Jean-Baptiste Deshays married the daughter of Rococo artist François Boucher and became his protégé. Although best known as a painter of religious subjects, Deshays often employed the soft, highly fluid manner that Boucher used for his amorous “boudoir” pictures. In fact, this work was for a long time believed to be by Boucher. The subject of the painting derives from the Gospel of Matthew: seated before the multitude and with arms dramatically outstretched, John the Baptist warns, “Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

[aurevoirmonty]

« Deux camps se font face. L’un croit aux miracles. L’autre n’y croit plus. Celui qui soulèvera les montagnes est celui qui a conservé la foi. Il vaincra. Chez l’autre, le doute mortel a détruit tout ressort. Il sera vaincu. »

Jean Raspail, Le Camp des Saints (1973)

[nesiacha]

When Revolutionaries Break Out of Prison

Gracchus Babeuf, during his frequent imprisonments, managed to escape arrest once. During his last incarceration, he attempted to escape with the help of his wife, Marie-Anne Babeuf, but the plan failed. He sent her a coded letter. Since his wife, despite being a well-known and effective revolutionary, was illiterate (though adept with numbers), it is assumed that accomplices helped her decipher it. The letter read:

"There is only one guard inside the small courtyard; we must win him over. We will take him to Paris with us—he will be welcomed as the liberator of the people’s friends. He should come between six and eight in the evening. We’ll leave through the house you know of. For the first signal, the liberator should whistle the tune of 'Victory Singing' at noon or after. In the evening, at the desired moment, he should strike the ground three times with the butt of his rifle. Reply to me through the citoyenne as agreed.”

Here is the original text in French The message could be deciphered by taking the first and last word of each line : « Il-n’y-a-qu’un-homme-de-garde-dedans-la-petite-court-au-bout-il-faudrait-le-gagner-nous-l’emporterons-avec-nous-à-Paris-il-serait-reçucomme-le-libérateur-des-amis-du-peuple-il-faudra-qu’il-monte-de-six-à-huit-du-soir-on-partirais-par-la-maison-que-vous-savez. Il-faut-pour-premier-signal-que-le-libérateur-ce-jour-là-à-midi-ou-après-siffle-l’air-la-victoire-en-chantant-et-le-soir-au-moment-désiréfrappera-sur-la-terre-trois-fois-successivement-avec-la-crosse-de-son-fusil-réponds-moi-par-la-citoyenne-comme-nous-en-sommes-convenus »

Felix Le Peletier Felix Le Peletier, a Jacobin deported by Bonaparte alongside many others, temporarily stayed on Île de Ré while awaiting transfer. Before his departure, he was visited by a relative, which gave him an opportunity to escape. Adding a touch of audacity, Felix informed the Minister of Justice of his escape in a letter before authorities discovered it. Parisian officials learned of the incident from Felix's letter before the local prefect could report it. His escape was facilitated by a friend :Saint-Jean-d’Angély, a State Councilor close to Bonaparte, which allowed Felix to return to Paris on his own terms. His playful defiance seemed to mock his pursuers.

The Escape of the 22 French Sailors from Gibraltar

I would like to get more information about the escape of the 22 French sailors detained in Gibraltar on November 30, 1794. Link to Paris Musées Collections.

The escape of Bertrand Barère

Check out @aedesluminis's post about Barère's escape, following the response I gave to her about Billaud Varennes: link.

Prieur de la Marne:After supporting the insurgents of 1st Prairial, he was ordered to be arrested but managed to escape so he didn't go to jail.

1. The Escape of Commander Azzedine of Wilaya IV:

As described in his memoirs, "C'était la guerre: Algérie 1954-1962", Commander Azzedine escaped twice following his two arrests. He vividly recounts how he managed to deceive General Massu after being captured by the French army. Azzedine pretended to cooperate, claiming that he would work with Massu for "the peace of the brave," in exchange for the French army's approval. However, he used this opportunity to return to the maquis and continue fighting for the revolution, after securing his family's safety by threatening to be eliminated if he did not comply with Massu's orders.

Azzedine famously said: "I am often surprised when asked about 'the word I gave' to General Massu. As far as I know, since the dawn of time, a prisoner's first duty is to escape. This is a right recognized by the Geneva Convention. I was arrested twice(...)However, when Massu wanted me to turn against my people, that subject became tragically ridiculous. What? I gave Massu 'my word' that I would return? What else! Massu was the leader of the occupying army. He was my enemy, not a friend. I didn’t make a poker game with him that I lost and owe him a debt!”

In the preface to one of his books, Azzedine states the following to Massu: "What can the victim do in the hands of its executioner? Fail your sense of honor or respond to the call of revolutionary struggle, to the call of the people? Today, I am sure, you have the answer. This book, at least, will give you the keys. If you wish, I will explain my decision to you in person."

Many years later, Massu allegedly criticized Azzedine for this, but considering Massu's own crimes,he had no moral standing to do so. Azzedine was fully in his right, and he expressed it openly (perhaps a future post could delve deeper into the tragic episode of the "Peace of the Brave").

2. Ahmed Akkache, Algerian Revolutionary:

The case of Ahmed Akkache, an Algerian revolutionary, who was apparently a friend of one of the most well-known revolutionaries in Algeria, the mathematician Maurice Audin. His friend Audin likely died under torture (his body was never found, and the French authorities, French politicians, and military personnel involved in his death have refused to answer questions, benefiting from amnesty and immunity for everything that happened, and even today it is difficult to know the truth). At one point, Ahmed Akkache was captured by the French authorities.

On December 14, 1961, Ahmed Akkache, along with four fellow prisoners (Benakli Ahmed, Sadek Keramane, Cheurfi Salah, and Ali Stambouli), escaped from Algiers prison after sawing through a window bar with a piece of saw hidden in a toothpaste tube, with help from accomplices outside the prison. After climbing several walls and attempting to use a rope made of sheets, Akkache managed to escape, but his companions were quickly captured.

He was then hunted down. Injured during his escape, he found refuge with a doctor, Lucie Cannone, to whom he revealed his status as a fugitive because he knew she had once been involved with networks of Algerian independence sympathizers. A network of former resistance members helped him evade the authorities.

3. Hélène Cuénat, Member of the Janson Network:

Hélène Cuénat, a member of the Janson network (a group of people helping the FLN operatives in France), was responsible for distributing the FLN's funds hidden in suitcases. After her arrest, she publicly announced that she wouldn’t remain in prison for long. She kept her word, escaping with five fellow prisoners (Joséphine Carré, Micheline Pouteau, Fatima Hamoud, Zina Haraigne, and Eliane Rossario). The prison director was suspended, and the escape made headlines.According to newspapers, the last escape from this prison was in 1942.

4.Mostefa Ben Boulaïd’s Spectacular Escape:

Finally, the most spectacular one in my opinion: that of Mostefa Ben Boulaïd, considered one of the six historical leaders of the FLN (it would require a separate post about this exceptional Algerian revolutionary, like so many others, who had already been active in the MTLD and the OS organization before). He was the colonel of Wilaya I (Wilaya I corresponds to the Aurès, and colonel was the highest rank within the interior of the Wilaya during the Algerian revolution). However, Ben Boulaïd was arrested in 1955 at the Tunisian-Libyan border because he had gone to acquire firearms.

He was judged and sentenced to death despite the help of brilliant lawyers such as Pierre Stibbe (colonial courts were real parodies of justice, as I mentioned in posts about Fernand Iveton, who was guillotined by the colonial justice system of the time as you can see here https://www.tumblr.com/nesiacha/754386579065389056/fernand-and-helene-iveton-a-couple-in-the-algerian?source=share ). But he managed to escape with other death row prisoners. Here is what I understand about this spectacular escape from the Coudiat prison in Constantine. It was on November 10, 1955, at 6:30 p.m. Days before, Ben Boulaïd and his companions, all sentenced to death, had scouted the area. Ben Boulaïd realized one thing: the collective cell where they were all imprisoned was adjacent to a storage room that led to the inner courtyard and then to some alleys. The plan began in October 1955, with prisoners taking turns for 28 days to dig a tunnel from their cell to the storage room. A homemade ladder, made from beds and sheets, allowed the prisoners to scale the prison walls.

On the chosen day, at 5 p.m., taking advantage of a moment when only three guards were on duty, the prisoners entered the tunnel and climbed the inner wall using bundles of straw. They used the ladder as a bridge to cross the gap between the inner and outer walls. The order of passage was determined by drawing lots. However, when the 12th man, Saïd Chouki, passed through, the bridge collapsed, leaving him injured. The other eleven escapees, including Mustapha Ben Boulaïd and Mohamed Laifa, managed to escape.

The remaining 19 prisoners, blocked in the walkways, were recaptured (including Saïd Chouki). They were transferred to the Casbah prison, where executions by guillotine began in the summer of 1956. It is said that the Constantine prefect of the time, Pierre Dupuch, was shocked when he saw the hole dug in the cell. The prison director and the chief guard were imprisoned for negligence in the same prison where the escaped prisoners had originally been held. The director of the Constantine Penitentiary District was removed from his position. The press made a big noise about this spectacular escape.

Personally, one of the many reasons why I find Algerian revolutionaries more impressive than French revolutionaries (but then again, it’s a bit anachronistic to compare the two periods, as the contexts and situations are completely different). Feel free to share escape anecdotes of other revolutionaries from any period or country.

P.S.: I hesitated to include the Girondins because, in fact, most of them were mainly under house arrest, as far as I understand, although some were supposed to be imprisoned, so they can be counted. But feel free to include them if you wish.

[selidren]

Automne 1930 - Champs-les-Sims

2/4

Mais tu ne me la feras pas à moi. Ton espèce de déni me prouve sans doute que j'avais raison d'avoir des soupçons sur ta soupirante, d'autant plus que ma question était assez innocente. Dommage pour toi. Tu sais, j'ai passé des années avec un frère qui a tenté de me jurer sur tous les saints qu'il pouvait connaître qu'il n'a jamais essayé de courtiser notre bonne. Je connais ce genre de réaction sur le bout des doigts.

Avant de te parler d'Antoine, un mot sur mon plus jeune frère, Jean-François, qui a commencé ses études d'égyptologie. Papa est ravi bien sur, et ils s'échangent des courriers très régulièrement. Ce serait mentir que te dire que je ne suis pas jalouse, comme a essayé de le faire Antoine avec son visage rouge pivoine et sa mâchoire contractée.

Transcription :

Aurore « C’est bon ? Tu te sens mieux ? »

Marc-Antoine « Pas vraiment. Je pense que ça va prendre du temps pour que je m’en remette. Je n’en reviens pas que ça me touche encore alors que ça va faire plus d’un an. »

Aurore « On ne peut jamais vraiment dire combien de temps durera un deuil. »

Marc-Antoine « Il a fallu à peine quelques mois à Noé pour faire le sien. Qu’est-ce qui ne va pas chez moi ? »

Aurore « Tout va très bien chez toi. Tu es juste plus sensible que les autres. Et je croyais que tu avais dit qu’il était interdit de te comparer à tes frères et sœurs ? »

Marc-Antoine « Quand c’est moi, ça ne compte pas. J’ai encore bien le droit de me déprécier à l’envie non ? »

Aurore « Pas si ça doit te mettre dans de tels états. Ecoute, dis toi que je suis là quand tu en as besoin. Et je suis certaine que tu pourrais en parler à ta sœur, elle n’est pas du genre à frapper un homme à terre. »

Marc-Antoine « Donc, je suis un homme à terre... »

Aurore « Bon sang, Antoine ! Tu es impossible ! »

Marc-Antoine « Merci Aurore. Sincèrement. Je… je ne sais pas comment j’aurai pu tenir sans toi. »

Aurore « Tu te serais probablement effondré, comme la plupart des gens. »

Marc-Antoine « Il n’y a pas à dire, tu sais comment parler à mon égo. Avec toi, il y a peu de chances que j’attrape un jour la grosse tête. »

Aurore « Tu sais très bien ce que je veux dire ! Il n’y a pas de honte à reconnaître qu’on a du chagrin et qu’on est malheureux. J’aimerai simplement que tu comprennes qu’il n’y a pas qu’à moi que tu peux te confier. Je ne compte pas être ta béquille jusqu’à la fin de ma vie ! »

Marc-Antoine « Alors, ça veut dire que tu refuserais de m’épouser ? »

Aurore « Bien sur que non ! Je serais folle de ne pas vouloir t’épouser ! »

Marc-Antoine « Oui, j’ai beau être un homme à terre, effondré par le chagrin, je n’en reste pas moins un homme politique issu d’une famille fortunée… Un bon parti malgré tout. »

Aurore « Mais, comment ose-tu… quel sens de l’humour ! J’en reste ébahie à chaque jour qui passe ! »

Marc-Antoine « Très bien, alors pourquoi voudrais-tu m’épouser ? »

Aurore « Certainement pas par vénalité. On n’épouse pas un communiste par vénalité, même si il est riche. Ce simple état de fait pose déjà des questions assez pertinentes, mais passons... »

Marc-Antoine « Alors ? J’attends. »

Aurore « Tu es plutôt bel homme pour commencer. Et comme dirais ma grand-mère, tu as la tête pas trop mal faite. »

Marc-Antoine « Jusque là mon portrait est déjà plus flatteur. »

Aurore « Tu as une quantité effarante d’émotions. »

Marc-Antoine « Oh... »

Aurore « Et c’est tout à ton honneur. Je n’aime pas les hommes qui ressemblent à des pains de glace. Tu as aussi un don pour me taquiner et me faire tourner en bourrique. Tu es d’une fidélité sans bornes, et je ne parles pas de ta grande patience. Et je dois également avouer que si on pourrait penser le contraire, ta dévotion envers ta famille a quelque chose de beau et d’attirant. Tu me donnes envie d’en faire partie. »

[raisongardee]

"Une caractéristique essentielle de la faculté désirante, qui témoigne que le désir de l’homme est fondamentalement unique, est qu’elle ne saurait se partager entre Dieu et la réalité sensible […] Il convient rappeler ici l’enseignement de saint Paul lui-même : "La chair a des désirs contraires à ceux de l’Esprit, et l’Esprit en a de contraires à ceux de la chair ; ils sont opposés entre eux, afin que vous ne fassiez point ce que vous voudriez (Ga 5,17)." On peut aussi appliquer à ce contexte la parole du Christ :"Nul ne peut servir deux maîtres. Car, ou il haïra l’un, et aimera l’autre ; ou il s’attachera à l’un et méprisera l’autre" (Mt 6, 24. Lc 16, 13). Ainsi, en investissant son désir dans un domaine, l’homme par ce fait même le détourne automatiquement de l’autre."

Jean-Claude Larchet, Thérapeutique des maladies spirituelles, 2000.

[lesmisscraper]

The House of Rue Plumet, The House with a Secret

Analyis Part 3.

Continued from Part 2. Goinging up on the first floor!

1. 1st Floor

1st floor consisted of two chambers and a boudoir, which were for sleeping. Same as the parts before, its references are from <Il cuore di Cosette>.

2. Cosette's Rooms

Cosette and the servant occupied the pavilion; she had the big sleeping-room with the painted pier-glasses, the boudoir with the gilded fillets, the justice's drawing-room furnished with tapestries and vast arm-chairs; she had the garden. Jean Valjean had a canopied bed of antique damask in three colors and a beautiful Persian rug purchased in the Rue du Figuier-Saint-Paul at Mother Gaucher's, put into Cosette's chamber, and, in order to redeem the severity of these magnificent old things, he had amalgamated with this bric-a-brac all the gay and graceful little pieces of furniture suitable to young girls, an etagere, a bookcase filled with gilt-edged books, an inkstand, a blotting-book, paper, a work-table incrusted with mother of pearl, a silver-gilt dressing-case, a toilet service in Japanese porcelain.

Well. It's the room that had the most descriptions in the Rue Plumet of course, how Cosette was pampered by Valjean. And, we'll discuss what she had in her rooms. First, her bedroom had painted pier-glasses, which means just a mirror like the below.

Next, she had a canopy bed with damask and a Persian rug. The canopy's shape differed even in the same period but ICDC chosed the left one and 2012 film chose the left one.(Both are from the same period(Late 18 to 19th century.) style but with different designs.)

Following is what furniture she had in her room. Etagere(set of shelves), bookcase, lots of books and papers, inkstand, blotting book(became important in later chapter), work table, dressing case and toilet. I brought all of the examples from 19th century.

And in the boudoir, it had gilded fillets but I don't get what does this mean. Does this mean the wall structure's fillets or the others?

In addition, it seems like the staffs merged the drawing room and bedroon in ICDC, since the armchair was seen in bedroom scenes. and we can see the Paris Green wall on the mirror in the piano-organ scenes. The 19th century's tapestry and armchair, which probably Cosette used.

But I don't get the what's actual piano-organs are. Searched through the internet, and even with the original French word, but the results are always about half the piano and half the organ.(Please help me!)

Plus, I'll add Cosette's bedroom in 2012 film. Though it was only with a few minutes,her but it was beautiful to look and got to see her writing tools and the blotting book.

3. Toussaint's Room

Did not have that much information in the Brick nor other adaptations. Probably this is the other chamber mentioned on earlier. Then, it could be that the servant used the almost same room as the master in this way? If this is true, Valjean and Cosette were indeed a good employeer.

The attic and the house of Valjean would be on the last part.

[o-link]

La petite histoire des Deux Magots, café mythique de Saint-Germain

Depuis presque 140 ans dans le quartier de Saint-Germain-des-prés, les Deux Magots sont devenus une véritable institution ! Et on ressent forcément toujours une certaine émotion en s’installant à une table de cette brasserie historique…

Une clientèle mythique

Le café des Deux Magots ouvre en 1885, à la place d’un magasin dont il ne garde que deux figurines chinoises. Ces “Magots”, qui lui donnèrent leur nom, ornent toujours la salle principale. Très vite, des artistes de renom prennent alors l’habitude de s’y retrouver. Notamment Mallarmé, Rimbaud et Verlaine, rien que ça ! Plus tard, il deviendra aussi le QG d’Hemingway, Picasso, Prévert, des surréalistes comme André Breton et des existentialistes avec Simone de Beauvoir et Jean-Paul Sartre.

Quand l’histoire continue

Jouant un rôle important dans la vie culturelle parisienne, les Deux Magots affirment définitivement leur vocation littéraire avec la création du Prix des Deux Magots en 1933. Aujourd’hui, les lundis des écrivains sont un rendez-vous incontournable pour tous les amoureux de la littérature. Un lundi par mois, un auteur est invité à parler de son œuvre et à faire une séance de dédicace. Pour rencontrer votre écrivain préféré, consultez donc le programme et réservez par mail à evenementiel@lesdeuxmagots.fr !

[toosvanholstein]

Il Giardino dei Tarocchi, het Ultieme Kunststuk van Niki de Saint Phalle, die leefde voor haar kunst en er aan stierf

Altijd al willen bezoeken, de Giardino dei Tarocchi van Niki de Saint Phalle. Eén van de grootste vrouwelijke kunstenaars in de 2e helft van de 20e eeuw. En nu kan ik er in beeld en woord verslag van doen in mijn blog TOOS&ART. #kunst #art #expo

Er zijn van die musea en kunstuitingen die ik ten minste eenmaal in mijn leven wil hebben gezien en ervaren. Flink wat ervan heb ik, mazzelaar, al kunnen wegstrepen. En sinds kort is er een nieuw streepje bijgekomen. Voor ‘Il Giardino dei Tarocchi’. Al jaren wilde ik er heen, naar die Tarottuin van Niki de Saint Phalle bij het Italiaanse plaatsje Grosseto. Vlak tegen de kust aan, een dikke 100 km…

[rjthirsty]

My list of favorites and their birthdays for no reason whatsoever.

Gilbert von Obsidian (IkePri): 12/21 (Sagittarius)

Akaza (OlySoi): 8/9 (Leo)

Clavis Lelouch (IkePri): 6/17 (Gemini)

Vlad (IkeVamp): 6/6 (Gemini)

Chevalier Michel (IkePri): 11/1 (Scorpio)

Licht Klein (IkePri): 10/9 (Libra)

Dazai Osamu (IkeVamp): 6/19 (Gemini)

Dante Falzone (Piofiore): 9/17 (Virgo)

Kanetsugu Naoe (IkeSen): 8/1 (Leo)

Kenshin Uesugi (IkeSen): 2/18 (Aquarius)

Sasuke Sarutobi (IkeSen): 4/10 (Aries)

Edgar Bright (IkeRev): 8/23 (Virgo)

Silvio Ricci (IkePri): 7/23 (Leo)

Leon Dompteur (IkePri): 8/1 (Leo)

William Shakespeare (IkeVamp): 11/11 (Scorpio)

Himuka (OlySoi): 8/8 (Leo)

Jean d'Arc (IkeVamp): 1/6 (Capricorn)

Kyle Ash (IkeRev): 7/17 (Cancer)

Rio Ortiz (IkePri): 4/13 (Aries)

Keith Howell (IkePri): 2/20 (Pisces)

Mitsuhide Akechi (IkeSen): 10/4 (Libra)

Kicho: 11/15 (Scorpio)

Fenrir Godspeed (IkeRev): 4/15 (Aries)

Saint-Germain (C:R): 8/2 (Leo)

Victor Frankenstein (C:R): 8/26 (Virgo)

William Rex (IkeVil): 4/24 (Taurus)

Yukimura Sanada (IkeSen): 7/7 (Cancer)

Ray (MysMes): 6/11 (Gemini)

Monshiro (PotBB): 7/7 (Cancer)

Charles-Henri Sanson (IkeVamp): 2/15 (Aquarius)

Yves Kloss (IkePri): 9/16 (Virgo)

Lancelot Kingsley (IkeRev): 1/11 (Capricorn)

Hikage (PotBB): 1/1 (Capricorn)

Harr Silver (IkeRev): 12/12 (Sagittarius)

Riku (OlySoi): 7/15 (Cancer)

Sirius Oswald (IkeRev): 5/7 (Taurus)

Leon (SCM): (Leo)

Jumin Han (MysMes): 10/5 (Libra)

Ichiya Mitsumori (VariBarri): 7/13 (Cancer)

Scorpio (SCM): (Scorpio)

Taiga Isurugi (VariBarri): 12/3 (Sagittarius)

Loki Genetta (IkeRev): 2/22 (Pisces)

Il Fado de Rei (CE): 7/7 (Cancer)

Orlok (Piofiore): 4/23 (Taurus)

Heudhaut (SCM): (Aquarius)

Victor (IkeVil): 2/20 (Pisces)

Ellis Twilight (IkeVil): 7/4 (Cancer)

Elbert Greetia (IkeVil): 1/27 (Aquarius)

Liam Evans (IkeVil): 9/6 (Virgo)

Alfons Sylvatica (IkeVil): 8/8 (Leo)

Jin Grandet (IkePri): 3/5 (Pisces)

Masamune Date (IkeSen): 9/5 (Virgo)

I know the list is long! I love a lot of 2D men. These are only the ones I'd buy merchandise for, so... that's telling you something about my hobby. Color-coded by how much I adore them. Most other characters fall into the next category, which is merch that I'd collect, but not seek out on its own or buy without someone else in the list.

Grand total of loves in each sign

Leo: 8

Cancer: 7

Virgo: 6

Sagittarius: 4

Gemini: 4

Scorpio: 4

Aquarius: 4

Pisces: 4

Aries: 3

Libra: 3

Taurus: 3

Capricorn: 3

Turns out I like Leos the most and subsequently fire signs at 15. This is tied with water signs at 15 and Cancers taking up second place. Virgo is my third favorite sign with earth clocking in at 12. And strangely, air signs only hit 11, which I thought would be my most loved kind since I tend to like Gemini characters, but I guess not.

[aurevoirmonty]

"Baron Ungern von Sternberg… Comme un orage sanguinaire du Karma vengeur, il passa sur l’Asie centrale. Qu’a-t-il laissé derrière lui? L’ordre du jour sévère qu’il adressa à ses soldats et qui se terminait par les paroles de la révélation de saint Jean.

Que personne n’arrête la vengeance qui doit frapper le corrupteur et le meurtrier de l’âme russe. La révolution doit être arrachée du monde. Contre elle, la révélation de saint Jean nous a prévenus en ces termes: « Et la femme était vêtue de pourpre et d’écarlate, parée d’or, de pierres précieuses et de perles; elle avait à la main une coupe d’or pleine des abominations et de la souillure de ses impudicités. Et sur son front était écrit ce nom mystérieux: la grande Babylone, la mère des débauches et des abominations de la terre. Je vis cette femme enivrée du sang des saints et du sang des martyrs de Jésus. »"

Ferdinand Ossendowski, Bêtes, hommes et dieux (1924)

[shsenhaji]

Les Misérables - 1.1.2: Monsieur Myriel Devient Monseigneur Bienvenu

Day two of posting about Les Mis Letters 2024, and today I have actual Thoughts!

My overall impression is that I'm enjoying the original French a lot better. I'm definitely able to pick up a lot more nuances, and I'm glad I decided to go this route in 2024.

First main thought: Monsieur Bienvenu is very much not the same thing as Monseigneur Bienvenu, and I have some Feelings about the fact that the English translation (at least for Les Mis Letters) does not carry that over.

Of course, those who are more knowledgeable about the ins and outs of this translation and the others are free to jump in, but I wouldn't have thought it would be so hard to just go with Monsignor Bienvenu, or even keep Monseigneur Bienvenu. The title for me makes a very big difference, in terms of the character and what Victor Hugo is trying to do. Especially since, as the chapter title says, Myriel goes from Monsieur to Monseigneur from the will of the people of Digne.

His new title also is part of the theme that we are presented with in the very first chapter, of having to overcome first impressions or being judged in a skewed fashion - either too harshly or too well - by others; I think the English version does the reader and the story a disservice for not keeping that specific word.

My second main thought is that I was able to grasp a lot more nuances this time around, such as the fact that in M. Myriel's budget, there are several items that have to do with prison rehabilitation and improving prison conditions and freeing fathers imprisoned for debt. As I told my friend, who is reading Les Mis in French for the first time with Les Mis Letters (not his first re-read, though), the foreshadowing is not subtle at all. We love to see it :)

I also do like how this budget helps makes Monseigneur Bienvenu's actions regarding Jean Valjean later on much more understandable. He's already for helping ex-convicts already, if only in theory. As we see later, Myriel's lofty thoughts and principles don't always come through to real-life issues, especially when he has a personal bias, but having that mentality of wanting to help out is already very important. It's also very sad, because all the money in the world doesn't help out very much in this case, as we see again and again throughout the book when encountering systemic and societal issues.

Finally, as many others pointed out last year and this year, the fact that Myriel does all of this charitable work at the expense of his sister and his housekeeper, and not even giving them a choice in the matter, is kind of sad.

Not only does this self-sacrificial impulse negatively impact these two, who already don't have much agency in their world, but it's also that he doesn't seem to realize that they may want him to have some things as well. The line "Bon, dit-elle à mademoiselle Baptistine, monseigneur a commencé par les autres, mais il a bien fallu qu’il finît par lui-même" [“Monseigneur began with other people, but he has had to wind up with himself, after all."] really stood out to me.

My friend rightly pointed out that "when self-sacrifice turns into sacrifice of others, you've gone too far," which I think is true in this case and is even more obvious later on. I really wonder where a certain Jean Valjean gets it from... It's a total mystery...

Last parting thoughts: I liked how the relationship between mademoiselle Baptistine and M. Myriel was described in French a lot better than I did in the English version; for whatever reason, it sounded less sketchy and more heartwarming, though I couldn't say exactly why: "Pour cette sainte fille, M. de Digne était tout à la fois son frère et son évêque, son ami selon la nature et son supérieur selon l’église. Elle l’aimait et elle le vénérait tout simplement."

All in all, I'm very glad I was able to listen to this chapter today - I was so engrossed while listening to the story that I totally stood while doing nothing else for more than five minutes just listening to the narrator tell me all about our bestie Monseigneur Bienvenu. 😆

I hope to have more thoughts tomorrow!