Discussion Post: 2.3.13 : Marat In The Green Room

[thjazi]

AN END TO THE UNTITLED SUBCHAPTERS HALLAY HALLOO

ahem I mean

yes

please discuss the chapter here!:D

Comments

[primeideal]

"the one who later on presented a decimal clock, surmounted by a bust of Marat, to the Convention." Decimal clocks another attempt at a new, revolutionary, timescale, contrasting with the old system.

"My father was a soldier, my grandfather was a weaver." <- Montaut trying to dissociate himself from the collective guilt of the marquises and the old regime. This part seemed very contemporary!

Then we get a great digression about how Marat scares everyone in his tiger pajamas. Vampire? Vampire.

"and one day they refused to play a game of piquet because they were given a pack of cards with kings and queens." Haha, we saw the monarchic deck of cards digression at the beginning of Book II—I think that was one of the things I enjoyed in this book the first time I read it. Anyway, these bygone dukes are incredibly scared of the backlash against them, like the way Chabot treats Montaut, so they go above and beyond the pale to fit in.

Then they get killed anyway.

And Dussaulx uttered this exclamation,—

"It is easier to die than to live."

That’s very telling. These random guys tried their best to go with the new order, sacrificed even the joy of playing cards, and it wasn’t enough to live. But at least their struggle is ended, they don’t have to worry about compromising anymore.

'We have no prisoners, because we no longer take any.' <- Republican leaders now playing at Lantenac's level. Would the Radoubs of the army still be able to take in people like the Flechards, or would they be too scared?

"all that is necessary is to introduce death into the matter." Makes for a funny contrast with Marat’s later "Then it is as good as a dead letter…Chabot, it must be given new life." They want to bring death into the system to show how hardcore and serious they are, but the metaphorical death of laws and orders are bad; they need life, even if they themselves take the lives of other people.

"I do not go to Robespierre’s house." <- Ties back in with the neighbors/visiting/personal grudges section from the other RPF part.

"This decree was but a first step; the Convention was to go still farther. Some months later, the eleventh Brumaire, year II. (November, 1793), with regard to Laval which had opened its doors to the Vendéan fugitives, it decreed that any town which should give asylum to the rebels should be demolished and destroyed.

In their turn the princes of Europe, in the Duke of Brunswick’s manifesto, inspired by the refugees, and framed by the Marquis de Linnon, intendant of the Duke of Orleans, declared that all Frenchmen taken armed should be shot, and that if a hair fell from the king’s head, Paris should be razed.” <- Hugo’s chronology getting messed up here again? The Brunswick Manifesto came in August 1792, and that was about King Louis XVI the one who’s already been executed (who they had that big debate about). Also, we get another explicit linking of the old and the new calendars. Just…out of order. Whatever, maybe that is deliberate.

Basically, yet another scene of the “we need to be inexorable, guys” ideology so pervasive on both sides. Except I guess this time we’re blaming vampire Marat. Gotta say the fake-mythology aspect makes this book more bearable. Let’s see what it’ll take to get me through 3.1…

[(Anonymous)]

The last Convention chapter doesn't seem to have a post. ~lifeisyetfair

2.3.2: Marat dans la Coulisse

[(Anonymous)]

(reposted from earlier!)

So is Gauvain going to get his head chopped off for helping an insurgent escape out of mercy? And will Cimourdain be responsible for ratting him out? I expect something along these lines to happen, but certainly with a twist: maybe Cimourdain will be inspired by the Power Of Love to save Gauvain, or die alongside him.

In case we thought the republicans were all benevolent humanitarians, we hear at the end of this chapter of the decree that any city sheltering rebels will be demolished. It doesn’t exactly SAY that the city’s inhabitants will be slaughtered en masse, but one can infer that the city’s inhabitants would have good reason to flee and not get caught by the republican army. Of course, in case we forgot that the royalists are even worse, the Duke of Brunswick promises to shoot any French person who offers armed resistance to his foreign invasion and to raze Paris to the ground if a hair falls from the king’s head.

Despite this background of death and terror, though, Hugo does a really good job of highlighting the petty human conflicts and concerns, like people gossiping about Marat from a distance while falling silent near him, or the “you’re a noble!” “yeah, well, you’re a priest!” sniping of Chabot and Montaut.

Re: 2.3.2: Marat dans la Coulisse

[bobbiewickham]

aaaaand that was me.