1.2.3-Primeideal

ClubNinetyThree 1.2.3: “Noble and Plebeian in Alliance”
Okay, so the first chapter was England and France (in Concert), or maybe “mixed” together? Now we’re interweaving nobles and plebians. Apparently Boisberthelot was the name of some random soldier from the right era, and la Vieuville was the name of some noble family, so plausible names (I don’t necessarily think these characters are supposed to be based on real people, but I’m not sure).

(This chapter is long and I had a lot to say about it! Although it’s much easier to pick things out the second time around so if you’re reading this for the first time I don’t blame you for not caring, hahaha.)

They start by talking about the Mysterious Stranger, and then it’s onto some bird allusions I probably should care about but don’t really. (Eagle is going to be a symbol of the Napoleonic era, but not yet.)

la Vieuville thinks that they should have a really strong leader, “a general is needed who is at the same time an attorney.” Tell us how you feel about lawyers, Hugo! The ideal candidate shouldn’t “show pity.” Then he proceeds to rattle off a bunch of other contenders and list their drawbacks. “Lescure is ill…Boulainvilliers is absurd.” As for Bonchamps, he “is tender-hearted, he is good, he is stupid.” No good guys allowed to be generals of this army D:<

"For, by thunder! what is the good of a revolution, and what difference is there between the republicans and ourselves, if we are to let noblemen be commanded by wig-makers?" la Vieuville really concerned about maintaining the old order of things, we need proper noblemen to lead noblemen. Obviously he doesn’t think there actually is much good coming from a revolution, I can’t quite grasp the phrasing of the introduction?

Boisberthelot points out that even the plebians can make good leaders, and gives an example of a chief who “takes his son prisoner, and blows his brains out.” “That is good,” said la Vieuville. So both these guys can admire the character of a military leader who’s not willing to spare even his own child from execution. Tough crowd.

la Vieuville is still appalled that these nobodies are bossing him around, and Boisberthelot continues to talk back. “My dear chevalier, the indignation is the same on both sides. We are full of bourgeois; they are full of nobles. Do you suppose that the sans-culottes are content to be commanded by the Count de Canclaux, the Viscount de Miraud, the Viscount de Beauharnais, the Count de Valence, the Marquis de Custine, and the Duke de Biron!”

Well. Does he suppose that? It’s not necessarily clear. In the most oversimplified versions of revolutionaries, in the old regime we have the nobles, who believe they’re superior to the peasants, and the peasants, who want to overthrow the hierarchy. So of course the nobles are going to be a little frustrated at having to be bossed around by lower-class individuals, but maybe the other side is more egalitarian minded, and doesn’t really care about who’s in charge of their battalion so long as they have the right ideals. If someone from a wealthy family were to reject the old regime and decide “hey, these revolutionaries know what’s up,” maybe the rank-and-file republicans wouldn’t mind. Or, maybe they need to do whatever it takes to purge themselves of the remnants of monarchy, and will reject anything too tainted with the old school.

"And the Duke de Chartres!" "Son of Egalité. Ah, when will he be king, that fellow? Never!" "He is on his way to the throne."

Hahaha foreshadowing, yo, I’m pretty sure this is our buddy Louis Philippe from Les Misérables.

Boulainvilliers, the “absurd” one, apparently likes to play telephone with his troops, and it goes about as well as 21st-century telephone. “You can’t make drilled soldiers out of backwoodsmen.” Seems a little judgmental, maybe makes more sense coming from a royalist type, but then again, we haven’t had direct narrator input about backwoodsmen and their potential or lack thereof. Yet.

"To think that this revolution has come about from the deficit of a few millions!" I can’t tell whether he’s being ironic here? But yeah, France was being carefree with its money up until that point, partly spending on the royal court, and partly on the upstart American colonies because it would tick off the British and that’s what matters. Now, the royalists are relying on a British ship to fight their fellow Frenchmen. Mixed together.

"Priests when we want soldiers! Bishops, who are no bishops! Generals who are no generals!" We already have a "general" who might not be a "general" onboard the ship. Even religious identities are being challenged, with some revolutionary ideas going against the church and causing people to turn away from it, while others turn back to it and grow more skeptical of the new government. Where do priests and soldiers complement each other, and where are they at odds? More on this later…

"Commander, have you the Moniteur in your cabin?" "Yes." "What are they playing in Paris, now?" “‘Adèle,’ ‘Paulin’ and the ‘Cavern.’” "I should like to see that."

And in the middle of all this, they’re just two guys who want to go to the theater and do normal stuff. I have to say, if you’re still reading this, good for you—this conversation felt really slow the first time around, I was like “why should I care about these two guys, should I even care about these two guys,” but I sort of know what I’m reading for now.

"Civil war should always have a false key in her pocket." More in the theme of disguises? Or just "it’s good to know how to escape from dangerous places if you can?"

"Cruel. Yes that is what we need. This is a merciless war. It is the time for bloodthirsty men. Regicides have cut off Louis XVI.’s head; we will tear the four limbs from the regicides. Yes, the general necessary is General Inexorable. In Anjou and upper Poitou the chiefs play the magnanimous; they flounder in generosity, nothing succeeds. In the Marais and in the Retz country, the chiefs are terrible, everything moves on." So, they don’t really know whether Mysterious Stranger Dude fits the bill. But they know what they’re looking for—someone merciless and bloodthirsty. Given the choice between the clockmaker who kills his son, or the absurdist who believes in the peasants’ potential and plays telephone with them, these two guys are going to pick option one every time.

Then a cliffhanger happens!

Commentary
Pilferingapples THEN A CLIFFHANGER HAPPENS! XD

yeah, I DID read the whole way through, but without knowing what’s going to come it’s sort of hard to know where to focus on these textdumps. I mean that’s part of why I reread Les Mis and it’s looking like I’m going to have to do the same thing here, because WOW I can feel points whooshing past me. This time I’m just trying to follow the story, and I am feeling surprisingly emotional about it, given my lack of prior attachment to anyone here. Granted, at the moment it’s hostile sorts of emotions, but those count!