1.2.1-Dingelchen

Club Ninety-Three, Erster Theil, 1.2 Die Korvette »Claymore«., 1.2.1-3
'''1.2 Die Korvette »Claymore«.

I have to say, the image starting the chapter off looks like a ye olde vintage horror film poster with that wobbly script.



''—Victor Hugo's "Auf hoher See" and "Toilers of the Sea": vintage Maritime Horror double feature on Romanticism Friday. Reduction for widows, orphans, disowned students, and people named Jean.''

'''1.2.1 Englisch-französische Mischung.

Age of Sail shenanigans. Ship camouflage.

Old but Tall and Noble General. Dressing up as peasants. More Breton dress. …those Bragou-Bras trousers are quite huge; I mean the added ‘Pumphosen’ did kind of point in the direction, but I didn’t expect them to be quite that large.

Intrigue! Duplicity! Double agents! Spies!

'''1.2.2 Ueber Schiff und Passagier Nacht.

…Spies eating chocolate. What. So chocolate bars were already a thing back then; didn’t expect it. And the French also says ‘tablette de chocolat’, so it doesn’t seem to be a translation thing.

Are we talking about literal or metaphorical bombs here? And super secret name is secret.



''—"Old Man in Huge Pants during Farewells, bevor Embarking on Sea Voyage to the Continent.", anonymous master, 19th century.

'''1.2.3 Adelig-bürgerliche Mischung.

Dialogue chapter: Count du Boisberthelot and Lieutenant Chevalier La Vieuville.

Pigeons, eagles, ravens, vultures. Everything is bird?

Ah, not a spy so much as transporting a leader-to-be for the anti-revolution side.

Yes, what a difference is between you if you can’t uphold your class snobbery. The poor nobles. Everyone is getting revolution cooties. (‘I am sorry to tell you, but you are suffering from LEF. Libegalfraternitosis. Paging Dr. England, stat!’).

Ami name twin Joly, but with less cute and more murder. And, Jean-Jean - I fear that might go on to enrich the ‘everyone is named Jean’ fanons.

First footnote! On ‘untranslatable Philipp Bourbon le Bourbeux’, but without even giving a literal translation … Then why did you put the footnote there in the first place, Anonymus, to inform us there was a phrase you didn’t use, if you just force people off for a dictionary? But I laugh at you, for I am from way in your future and have internet. Well, there’s also some printed dictionaries in the house but this is easier. So, Bourbon ‘the muddy/swampy’? Is there any more context?

Vieuville gleefully spreading misinformation - see, if I didn’t already hate you I would now. Willfully and knowingly spreading false info is a very hateable offense in my book.

The ‘peasants with pikes’ discussion is kinda funny to me, because here ~’learning s.th. from the pike onwards’ is an established idiom for learning from the ground up.

'Never underestimate little things.' - Well, that is like the first intelligent thing you said, Boisberthelot. Also your name looks dumb.

“Ein Prinz müßte kommen, ein französischer Prinz, ein Prinz von Geblüt, ein echter Prinz." ♫ … while reading that line I had the image of him breaking into song about their dreamed-about prince, all romantic and shit. But then they ridicule them, so apparently that’s not to be, with the prince = coward bit. The German translator doesn’t do the literal thing here but goes with a bit of wordplay instead: "Durchgebrannte Prinzen… – Fürchten das Feuer." = "Fled/eloped [lit. ‘burnt-through’] princes … fear the fire.", harking back to the idiom "Gebrannte Kinder fürchten das Feuer." = "Burnt children fear the fire.".

Aand sudden catastrope! Dun dun dun. Cliffhanger.



''—"Old Man in Huge Pants on a Sea Voyage, Walking on Deck and presumably Eating Chocolate.", anonymous master, 19th century.