Discussion Post: 1.4.6

[genarti]

OOPS SORRY MY FRIENDS, I completely forgot to post last night's discussion post at the usual time. Work has eaten all my brains. Here you go! Chapter 1.4.6, "Les péripéties de la guerre civile," translated variously as "The Whirligigs of Civil War" and "The Sudden Changes of Civil War."

Comments

[primeideal]

"The marquis was alone, standing on a summit which could be seen from every point of the wood." So leaving the dune didn’t really do that much good, here he is on top of things and in plain view once again.
"He took off his hat, turned up the rim, broke a long, dry thorn from a furze-bush, drew a white cockade from his pocket, fastened the brim and the cockade back to the crown of the hat with the thorn, and putting the hat on his head again, so that the raised rim showed his forehead and his cockade, he said in a loud voice, speaking to the whole forest at once,—" If he’s going out, he’s going out with style. Sort of calls back to the white flag on the ship, with the soldiers knowing they were going to their deaths. Again as in the scene with Tellmarch, this seems less of a reverse psychology talk like he gave to Halmalo, and more just going out with a bang or whatever.

"and throughout the whole thicket sticks were seen rising with brown woollen caps whirling on the end of them." Is this referencing the "whirligigs" that are apparently in one translation of the chapter title? Wikisource just has "sudden changes" in the title which is much more boring. :(

"The marquis felt something the same as one of these beings must have done, when, expecting to be treated as a monster, he was straightway worshipped as a god." Sort of dehumanizing the marquis, but also sort of dehumanizing the Vendeans. Maybe it’s "Ewokizing" them—by treating Lantenac as if he was a different and superior species, they limit their own agency.

"and while some looked fierce, ail [sic] had a frank expression in their faces." Unfortunately it doesn’t look like "frank" is related to "French" here. But yeah, another example of people being French and/or straightforwardly naive, the opinions of others not withstanding.

"I was their commander, I am promoted to a higher rank, I am your soldier." Following Lantenac is more powerful and more important than actually leading anyone. This was the sailors’ attitude too.

"I belong to the Marquis de la Rouaire." People have talked about how Lantenac sort of sees others as his property; the other Marquises (?) have the same effect on their underlings.

"Everything is explained by a word." French "mot"—I’m not sure if this has anything to do with the other mentions of "words"/the "Word".

"Will you condescend to accept it, general?" Concern about Lantenac’s station. Why is it demeaning of him to accept a horse from a lower officer? Not sure what’s going on here.

Then we meet another vaguely-competent religious authority, the vicar, who’ll be responsible for confessing any Blues who are up for it before they get executed.

"Monsieur le Marquis," said the priest, "Gaston, at Guèménée forced the republicans to confession."

"He is a wig-maker," said the marquis; "but death should be free."

Lantenac: a noble and more high-quality executioner than your measly wigmakers. This is the same guy we heard about in 1.2.3: “My dear la Vieuville, I make an exception of this Gaston. He hasn’t acted badly in his command at Guéménée. He shot three hundred Blues very prettily, after making them dig their own graves.” I smell a song parody coming on…

No…one…shaves like Gaston!
Orders graves like Gaston!
Reminds prisoners that Jesus saves like Gaston!
But his heritage we must be denigrating…
My what a guy, that Gaston!

"The Blues tried to defend themselves, but they were a hundred and fifty, and we were seven thousand." Mismatches of scale. No underdog victories so far in this book, the naval battle was another one-sided rout.

And then…well, the no mercy thing had to show up at some point, tying the multiple plotlines together. :(

[thjazi]

I'M VERY UPSET
THIS IS THE OPPOSITE OF EVERYTHING I WANTED
I swear last year a couple people said " hey, read Ninety Three! IT'S NOT AS UPSETTING AS LES MIS"
LIES
ALL LIES

*wails for ages*

I can't get over how eager everyone is for the Marquis to take over; it's reminding me a bit of Futurama's Wall of Prophecy thing ("FREE US FROM THE BURDEN OF RATIONAL THOUGHT!"). I mean, I realize this is basically what Royalty and the system that goes around it is ABOUT, and this is why I dislike it even in 90 percent of the High Fantasy I see, and all, but...URGH. EVEN MORE URGH THAN I USUALLY FEEL. I wonder what these soldiers would do without any kind of king? I mean, I guess they'll get to find out, if they aren't annihilated in their turn...


Also, " whirligigs" is a MIGHTY easygoing title for this chapter. PINWHEELS OF DOOOM.

1.4.6

[bobbiewickham]

I knew it! I knew they were royalists, and now Lantenac has ordered all of the Bonnet Rouge executed, including Houzarde and Michelle, but not including the kids—not yet, anyway. Lantenac won’t force people to confess to a priest (that’s what trashy wigmakers do, donchaknow, and he is a nobleman and above such things), but he will summarily kill prisoners. And he will slaughter a hamlet full of people for not resisting the government that’s currently in charge.

I called it, and I so wish I’d been wrong. We don’t even see our favorites’ last stand—we just hear about it secondhand from the perpetrators.

Tellmarch made Lantenac promise to do no evil. He didn’t understand Lantenac’s particular definition of evil.