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On Saint-Just’s Personality: An Introduction

Saint-Just’s personality is deeply misunderstood.

Saint-Just was a very secretive person, and guarded his personality behind walls. It might come off as surprising, considering how he’s usually depicted, but he actually was very introverted and reserved at the Convention, at the Committee of Public Safety, and during his missions in Alsace and in the North.

He was also a very sensitive person. He didn’t take slights easily (neither did Robespierre). But unlike Robespierre, he was also extremely young and wanted to be taken seriously. He was building off from nothing. So he built his own “myth”: the man (re)born with the Revolution. He made his youth his advantage: he hadn’t been as corrupted as the others by the old ways. This is something that was used by other revolutionaries, for example Marc-Antoine Jullien, who was 19 years old in 1794. They would say their youth made them closer to “nature” – that is, the natural, uncorrupted state of humanity as defined by Enlightenment philosophy.

The Saint-Just people think they know via novels and movies doesn’t really exist. I can’t think of any fictional representation that accurately portrays him. How people think of Saint-Just is basically several different “fanon” interpretations, some built by his enemies, some built by people who did appreciate him but didn’t quite understand him – which didn’t help much in the end.

This is important to point out because in the end these are the sources we have to learn who Saint-Just was as a person:

What those who knew him wrote about him (sometimes writing many decades later, which naturally impacts memory)

The little insight we can gleam from the few personal notes he left here and there in notebooks (and an unsent letter) that were never meant to be read by anyone

I know this seems obvious, but people often forget that historical figures are not fictional characters. They were real, living, breathing, human beings. They were people, and people have flaws and contradictions. People don’t necessarily remain the same at 20 years old, at 25, at 30 and so forth. People change.

The Saint-Just who writes Organt before the Revolution isn’t the Saint-Just who writes L’Esprit de la Révolution et de la Constitution de France in 1790 and isn’t the Saint-Just who gets elected deputy to the Convention in 1792. The Saint-Just who writes an unsent letter to Villain d’Aubigny (usually dated of July 20 1792, though it’s a topic of debate) is a Saint-Just no one was supposed to see. Same with most of his personal notes they built the Fragments des Institutions républicaines with.

Most importantly of all, a person will appear different to different people in different contexts. It’s a matter of perspective.

If you only take Desmoulins’ and Hilary Mantel’s and Tanith Lee’s perspectives on Saint-Just, well, I’m sorry to say, that’s not Saint-Just. That’s a perspective of Saint-Just.

Moreover, Saint-Just has many faces, many images, many legends, some of which he created himself while he was alive.

Victor Hugo was influenced by the Romantic Historians of the French Revolution, Michelet and Lamartine specifically, and their descriptions of Saint-Just to create Enjolras.

This is how you can find this connection making it even through novels that don’t like Saint-Just very much:

“He has a mind of fire and a heart of ice.”

- Bertrand Barère on Louis-Antoine Saint-Just

“It is a thing unheard of that a man should be as cold as ice and as bold as fire.”           

- Bossuet on Enjolras, in Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

“…Camille felt an instant aversion, as to the touch of ice, which is what the young man most resembled. Chiseled from an ice floe.”

- Camille on Saint-Just, in Tanith Lee, The Gods Are Thirsty

Thus, even traces of this Saint-Just lives on in Tanith Lee’s book.

Main testimonies

Most of them are here, in French, and some have been translated. If not, I will work on it. I will repost them on this tumblr as well, along with additional information about their author, their reliability, their personal biases, etc.

Sources by Saint-Just’s hand

While some revolutionaries have enough correspondence to fill entire volumes, Saint-Just comparatively left few letters behind. We do have one letter that gives incredible insight into his state of mind, but it’s important to remember this letter was never meant to be read by anyone. It was an unsent letter, found in his things after Thermidor, and then made public against his wishes, much like most of his personal notes. It is, however, an amazing letter nevertheless, but it’s important to keep this context in mind: he did not want you to see him like this.

Secondly, we have a lot of decrees he wrote during his missions. Though most don’t say very much, they do give clues on his personality, on his attitude, on his perspective. In some cases, he would write a quick postscript to a letter written by Le Bas and addressed to Maximilien Robespierre. Interestingly, while Le Bas would use the “vous” with Robespierre, and admitted to his wife Élisabeth he felt closer to Augustin than to Maximilien, Saint-Just always uses the “tu”. This isn’t just a matter of revolutionary zeal – the whole “vous vs tu” question during the Revolution is another, much more complicated story.

Finally, we have personal notes scattered through the manuscript that became known as the Fragments des Institutions républicaines. It’s a strange document to study and refer to. There is, indeed, a project he was working on concerning the Republican Institutions. There are at least two drafts. But the document has other things has well: from notes he later used in speeches (you can pinpoint the similarities) to a very short fictional romance between a man and a woman that’s hard to interpret.

The document known as the Fragments des Institutions républicaines was made from random papers found on him when he was arrested, taken from his apartment, and in a notebook that Barère kept. Pages are missing. Some pages are obviously torn. This is the one place where he confided some of his deepest thoughts, which reveal a great deal of insight on the Revolution and on his role, as well as his mental state. It was written in the last months of his life, when he could feel what was coming.

Saint-Just wrote fiction: yes, there’s the much maligned, very misunderstood Organt. In the same period, which is shortly before the Revolution, he also wrote a play called Arlequin Diogène, a short story called La Raison à la Morne, and a very short epigram of 8 verses, Épigramme sur le comédien Dubois qui a joué dans Pierre le Cruel.

Most of these must be treated as any work of fiction regarding their author: separating fiction from the author is complicated. Is he referencing his own life? Is he even aware that he is? The context of their redaction, however, gives a lot of information and some insight on himself. One of these texts is extremely interesting in order to study his personality. It’s a sort of foreword to Organt titled Dialogue entre M… D… et l’auteur du poëme d’Organt. The format almost resembles that of an interview. This is important as this is Saint-Just the Author, as he wants to be seen. The style is trenchant, concise, straight-to-the-point. Here Saint-Just the Author of 1789 meets Saint-Just the Representative of Year II.

(This post in an introduction to a series of several posts in the process of being written. Please be patient. If you want to know more, feel free to send me questions though! I’ll try to answer as well as I can.)

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Miniature portrait of Georges Couthon by Jérome Langlois (1753-1804), 18th century (probably 1790)

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Excerpt of Saint-Just’s Speech of 9 Thermidor + Jacques-Louis David Paintings

Happy Thermidor! I erred on the side of poetic with some of the translation, mostly for my own enjoyment, so make sure to take it all with a grain of salt! 

Painting names + text (with actual punctuation!) under the cut

Keep reading

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To all Palestine supporters 🙏

🫂🫂

l am abeer from gaza 🇵🇸 l am 55 years old.I am married and have one daughter named Judy. I hope to return to the life we lived before the war. We lost everything . ‼️

Your donations are important To help us rebuild a new life.

Please help me reach our goal as soon as possible 🙏

We appreciate your help ❤️🙏

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Please read our story in bio 🙏🏻https://gofund.me/1b8a0d05

Verified by association.

Please share and donate.

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Save Abdulsalam's Father!

Abdulsalam Al-Anqur (found at @aboodanqar20 and @imanfamily2024) and his family have been trapped in Gaza, enduring a genocide for almost a year. Abdulsalam is a husband, and a father to a one year old daughter, Iman. He hopes to evacuate his family to safety in Egypt.

Abdulsalam's goal is even more urgent, as his elderly father, Ahmed Al-Anqur, has been diagnosed with cancer, and requires surgery every 3 months. However, due to the war, being able to get the necessary surgery is extremely unlikely, and far too expensive to afford on their own. Ahmed also needs access to medications which are very hard to obtain in Gaza.

Here are some of the medications Ahmed requires, as well as medical documents Abdulsalam asked me to share.

Right now, Abdulsalam needs funds to care for his family. He needs to purchase food, a good tent to protect against the coming winter cold, and medicine for his father. He also needs to save money so that when the border opens, he and his family can evacuate to Egypt.

The costs for traveling to Egypt are extremely high, and the prices for housing, hospitalization, and housing are massive as well. Abdulsalam needs more money to pay for his father's treatment, but he has only raised a small amount of what he needs.

€2,745 / €50,000

Right now, Abdulsalam has only raised a fraction of his goal. He needs your help get the food, medicine, and safety his family desperately needs. Don't ignore him. Donate, share his campaign, send it to your friends.

Don't be complacent, you can make a difference in this family's lives.

Verified by @gazavetters, #4 on their spreadsheet

Tagging for reach:

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I want to keep a simple memory of me with you if I die in this war. I may not be a professional artist, but I want to give you something that expresses my deep love for you. In many moments, sadness and despair filled my heart and I wished for death a lot, but your support and embrace of me was a beacon of hope for me. Israel killed a person I loved and adored and built my future with, but it compensated me with you (I am not exaggerating or flattering you), but you are a family to me. You may not consider me as such, but I consider you family and friends to me. If I die in this war, know that you have made me very happy with your support. Goodbye my friends. You are the most beautiful thing I have gotten in this war. This is the fundraiser I created to save my family. If you want to support me, donate to me and my family. I love you all.

Forgive me if I have saddened any of you.

•My campaign has been verified✓✓

@\nabulsi here @\el-shab-hussein here

@fancysmudges @brokenbackmountain @aleciosun @fluoresensitivearchived @khizuo @lesbiandardevil @transmutationisms @schoolhater @timogsilangan @appsa @buttercuparry @sayruq @malcriada @palestinegenocide @sar-soor @akajustmerry @annoyingloudmicrowavecultist @feluka @tortiefrancis @flower-tea-fairies @tsaricides @riding-with-the-wild-hunt @visenyasdragon @belleandsaintsebastian @ear-motif @kordeliiius @brutaliakhoa @raelyn-dreams @troythecatfish @theropoda @tamarrud @4ft10tvlandfangirl @queerstudiesnatural @northgazaupdates2 @skatezophrenic @awetistic-things @camgirlpanopticon @baby-girl-aaron-dessner @nabulsi @sygutka @junglejim4322 @heritageposts @chososhairbuns @palistani @dlxxv-vetted-donations @illuminated-runas @imjustheretotrytohelp

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Coton Manor  by @aaron.etc

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Michaelina Wautier - Saint Joseph (1650-1656)

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Saint Michael the Archangel

Luca Della Robbia, 1475

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Léon-Marie-Joseph Billardet (French, 1818 - 1862) Abélard instruisant Héloïse, Detail, 1847 Musée d'Arts de Nantes

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URGENT: HELP SAVE THE LIFE OF MY CHILD

I'm Amal from Gaza. 🍉

Here’s my story, and I’m reaching out with a hopeful heart 💔✨, hoping someone will feel what my family and I are going through.

The Israeli occupation forces launched drone strikes on my husband, Fayez, and my son, Mohammad.

my husband was hit in the head, while my son Mohammad was wounded in his legs.

Although my husband's condition has stabilized, my son is still suffering immensely and urgently needs medical treatment outside Gaza.

I lost most of my family. I'm afraid to lose my son too 🥺 .

I need your help please donate and share, evry contribution, no matter how small, brings us hope in these dark times.

Mohammed deserves to live a happy and healthy life, just like every other child on this earth.

Please Donate now:👇👇 👇

https://gofund.me/305028dd

—————————————————————————

#gaza #free gaza #free palestine #save palestine #palestinian genocide #i stand with palestine #all eyes on palestine

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🌟 A Plea from Gaza: Rola’s Story 🌟

Hello, my name is Rola, and I am a mother of two children living in the Gaza Strip. Our lives were once filled with love, laughter, and dreams for the future. But everything changed on October 7th, when the war shattered not only our home but our entire world.

That morning, my family and I were enjoying coffee together on the balcony. Out of nowhere, an explosion erupted, shaking our home violently. My husband and son ran for cover, falling over each other in panic, while I stood frozen, still holding my cup, unable to process the chaos around me. When I looked out the window, I saw that our neighbor’s house, once filled with life, had been reduced to rubble. Ambulances rushed to the scene as people scrambled to rescue the injured and pull bodies from the debris.

The bombings didn’t stop. At night, the rain poured heavily, and the cold seeped into our bones. I stayed awake, covering my children to keep them warm and praying for their safety. But safety is an illusion here. Another explosion shattered the night, and our neighbors’ home was destroyed. Their children, who had been sleeping peacefully under a blanket, were found lifeless, their cover soaked in blood.

I looked at my children with tears in my eyes and thought, How can I protect you? We had to flee our home with nothing but the clothes on our backs. We left behind my children’s toys, their clothes, and their beautiful bedroom. Everything we had worked so hard to build is gone.

Our Current Reality Now, we are displaced and living in a nightmare. Food is scarce, and prices are unimaginably high—$10 for a kilo of sugar! The fear of death hangs over us constantly. My children deserve a life of joy and hope, not one defined by fear and loss. Why can’t we live like everyone else—go to work, visit family, and watch our children play in safety? Why do our children have to grow up surrounded by death and destruction?

How You Can Help I am pleading for your kindness to help us rebuild our lives. We need your support to: 💔 Rebuild our home, so my children can feel safe again. 🌍 Evacuate from Gaza, seeking a future where my family can live with dignity. 🩺 Provide urgent medical care for my children, who need protection from this nightmare.

Even the smallest donation can make a difference. If you can’t donate, please share my story. Every share brings us closer to hope.

What Your Support Means Your kindness is not just about helping us survive; it’s about giving us a chance to dream again. To rebuild what we’ve lost and to ensure my children have a future filled with possibilities, not fear.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Your support means the world to us. Let’s work together to rebuild hope, one step at a time.

🌸 Please share our story and consider donating today. 🌸

Together, we can create a better tomorrow. 🌍❤️

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🚨 A Voice from Gaza: Please Hear Us 🚨

My name is Abdelmajed Elderawi, and I am writing to you from Gaza, where life has become an unimaginable struggle. Our days are filled with uncertainty, and the hope for a better future feels like a distant dream.

The war has left deep scars on my family and me. We’ve endured the heartbreaking loss of 25 loved ones—each one a light extinguished too soon. Their absence is a pain I carry every day, and I often find myself lost in memories of the laughter and joy they brought into our lives.

Life in Gaza Today: 💔 Overwhelming Loss: The pain of losing so many family members is impossible to describe. 🍽️ Barely Getting By: Even basic necessities like food and water are becoming harder to afford. 🏠 No Safe Shelter: Our homes, once our refuge, now feel fragile and unsafe. 📚 Dreams on Hold: The pursuit of education and opportunities has been replaced by the constant fight for survival.

What We Need: In these desperate times, even a small gesture can mean so much. A $5 donation could provide us with food or water for a day. If you can’t donate, simply sharing our story could help us reach someone who can.

Your Support Gives Us Hope: This isn’t just about financial help—it’s about knowing that someone, somewhere, cares. Your kindness can be a source of strength for us, a reminder that we’re not alone in this fight.

How You Can Help: 🙏 Donate if you can. 🙏 Share this post to spread the word. 🙏 Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

I’m not asking for much—just a little hope, a little relief, and a chance to keep moving forward. Your generosity, in any form, can make a difference in ways you might not even imagine.

Thank you for taking the time to hear my story. Your kindness means more than words can express.

With heartfelt gratitude, Abdelmajed ❤️

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Urgent surgery needed to save Gaza teen’s leg

Mohammed is in a crisis situation, on which you can find more information under our “#mohammed al habil” tag.

Mohammed has been unable to attend his physical therapy due to lack of funds. The condition of his leg has deteriorated as a result.

He now requires an urgent operation in order to save the function in his leg. Mohammed is only 18, and he is terrified of spending the rest of his life with only 1 usable leg.

The operation costs $4,000. Currently, Mohammed's campaign is at just over €17,000. This represents the total funds raised over time, not the funds currently avallable.

New temporary goal: €21,000 EUR

Need to raise: €3,712 EUR (about $3,828 USD)

Please help Mohammed save his leg!

NOTE: I am unable to effectively fundraise for Mohammed. We are urgently hoping for bloggers who will be able to devote time and attention to promoting his campaign. Please consider making a post for Mohammed to promote his campaign so he can save his leg!

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Emergency!!

Bashaer’s @bshaeromars-blog father Abdullah has been diagnosed with liver hypertrophy! He has 3 large, growing masses on his liver that need to be removed IMMEDIATELY! His condition is advanced, and he urgently needs an operation to keep it from getting worse! He is already very very sick!

The operation costs $4,000 USD. Please share his household’s GFM and donate if you can!! He does not have much time left, and surgery is his only hope for survival!!

EDIT: ALTERNATE LINK TO CHUFFED

GFM has paused withdrawals, meaning the family is unable to access donations!! Until this is resolved, please donate to their Chuffed campaign!!!

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6-year-old Joan Al-Habil is has been repeatedly hospitalized due to severe gastrointestinal problems and overwhelming fatigue. This poor girl has been to multiple facilities and seen multiple doctors, undergone extensive testing (as extensive as is possible in Gaza's collapsed medical system), even having to endure an unsedated endoscopy.

She has now been diagnosed with severe gastritis due to starvation and hazardous living conditions. Remember, she and her family are living on the streets, which are cold and wet due to winter rain. Homelessness, stress, exposure to the elements, her previous injury when the lOF firebombed her tent, and malnutrition all conspire to sap little Joan of her strength.

Her condition is so serious that she even had to undergo surgery. Gastritis very rarely requires surgery to treat, so this is an indication of how dire her condition is. The surgery was successful to a degree, but she is going to need ongoing treatment to manage her symptoms.

The treatments are administered weekly and cost $500 USD (just under €500 EUR). Her family has no income and cannot afford this. If Joan goes more than a few days without treatment, her symptoms worsen rapidly, and she sometimes has to be hospitalized. It is vital that we help her family procure her treatments so that her condition does not worsen!

You can help Joan get her surgery and treatment by

reblogging this post

copy-pasting this link (https:// gofund.me/85a1b400) in your own Tumblr posts and all across your social media accounts to share her family’s story

boosting posts from her parents @mahafamily1 and @ahmed-family-1

donating to her family’s GFM campaign below

Current: €22,271 EUR

New temporary goal: €22,771 EUR

Need to raise: about €500 EUR ($500 USD)

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Muscling through an art hiatus to contribute to the 2017 Les Miserables Charity Calendar - Valvert edition, organized by @ninjaninaiii and @withinadream27.  My assigned month was May, hence Valjean’s ridiculous armload of lilies of the valley :) 

There are three editions in total (feat. Valvert, e/R, and Les Amis) with gorgeous artwork by some fantastic fandom artists. If you’re still in need of a calendar for next year or need a holiday gift for a musical/literary friend, please consider checking them out!

All profits go to charitable organizations! More info can be found here: Les Miserables Calendar Master Post