robespapier - Tumblr blog

[robespapier]

reading about Goujon is such a rewarding experience, just last night i opened a biography of his to a random page and learnt he helped a wounded soldier on a battlefield by giving up his horse for him to ride. he then declined public praise from people who had seen this happen and he himself never talked about it

[robespapier]

"Do you think we're enemies in every universe?"

Us in every universe:

[robespapier]

erm what the sigma

[robespapier]

When you get publicly slapped by 4 surrealist poets because you insulted a guy's historical crush

(translation and context under the cut)

Gallantly Defending Robespierre’s Honour

In the conservative daily paper, Le Gaulois, on March 3, 1923, the journalist and man of letters, Wieland Mayr, expressed his pleasure: there would not be, he wrote, a "vile apotheosis" for "that holy scoundrel" Robespierre. On the other hand, Mathiez had the Surrealists with him. Following the article in Le Gaulois, Robert Desnos (1), accompanied by Paul Éluard (2), Max Ernst (3), and André Breton (4), summoned Mayr in a café and publicly slapped him for insulting the memory of "the Incorruptible."

Why did Mayr get Slapped?

In short: studying history in the 1920s was a messy business, especially when it came to the French Revolution….

To explain why Mayr ended up getting slapped, please allow me to briefly dive into the French Revolution's historiography during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Keep in mind, that this is a grossly oversimplified version.

Before 1848, it was pretty standard for French republicans to proudly see themselves as inheritors of Robespierre’s legacy. (If you’ve ever wondered why in Les Misérables, Enjolras’ character is very much channeling Robespierre and Saint Just, here’s your answer!) However, things start to change with the Second Republic.

In 1847, Jules Michelet brought back the negative portrayal of Robespierre as a tyrannical "priest" and leader of a new cult. This narrative helped fuel an increasing dislike for Robespierre, with radicals like Auguste Blanqui arguing that the real revolutionaries were the atheistic Hébertists, not the Robespierrists.

Jump to the Third Republic, and the negative sentiment towards Robespierre was only getting stronger, driven by voices like Hippolyte Taine, who painted Robespierre as a mediocre figure, overwhelmed by his role. This trend was politically motivated, aiming to reshape the Revolution's legacy to align with the Third Republic's secular values. Obviously, Robespierre, the "fanatic pontiff" of the Supreme Being, didn’t quite fit this revised narrative and was made out to be the villain. Alphonse Aulard (a historian willing to stretch the truth to make his point) continued pushing Danton as the face of secular republicanism. Albert Mathiez, one of Aulard’s students, was not having any of it and strongly disagreed with his mentor’s approach.

The general disdain for Robespierre began to shift after World War I. One reason was that people could better appreciate the actions of the Revolutionary Government after experiencing the repression during the war themselves. Albert Mathiez and his colleagues were actively working to change Robespierre's tarnished image. With tensions high, it's no wonder Mayr ended up being publicly slapped by a bunch of poets who were defending the Incorruptible's honour!

Notes

Robert Desnos (1900-1945) was a French poet deeply associated with the Surrealist movement, known for his revolutionary contributions to both poetry and resistance during World War II.

Paul Éluard (1895-1952) was a French poet and one of the founding members of the Surrealist movement, celebrated for his lyrical and passionate writings on love and liberty.

Max Ernst (1891-1976) was a German painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and poet, a pioneering figure in the Dada and Surrealist movements known for his inventive use of collage and exploration of the unconscious.

André Breton (1896-1966) was a French writer, poet, and anti-fascist, best known as the principal founder and leading theorist of Surrealism, promoting the liberation of the human mind.

Source: Robespierre and the Social Republic by Albert Mathiez

[robespapier]

[robespapier]

I did this thing where I combined a bunch of portraits of Robespierre and Saint-just (separately of course)

[robespapier]

Germinal

[robespapier]

how funny would it be if Fouché wins the napoblr sexyman tournament when he is already the titleholder in frevblr?

[robespapier]

Walks up to a couple: Soo, which one of you is the Prussian-born monarch with emotional baggage and which is the overly dramatic French philosopher they can't help but keep throwing their money at?

[robespapier]

the get me out of here mood

[robespapier]

[robespapier]

POV: The year is 1787, and you are the intendant of the royal Garde-Meuble Thierry de Ville-d'Avray going to bed after a long day of work

[robespapier]

POV: The year is 1787. You have business with Thierry de Ville-d'Avray and are meeting him in his office at the Garde-Meuble royal:

But let me tell you this sumptuous office's main purpose is to receive and impress visitors like you. When he's alone Thierry de Ville-d'Avray mostly works from a tiny, simple office.

It's cramped, which means it's easier to heat to a confortable temperature.

[robespapier]

reading Vinot's biography on SJ and im like

[robespapier]

They are! A tap for hot water and another one for cold, there's a mezzanine floor above the bathroom accessible via a service stair, it contained the water tanks. And it was built like this in 18C!!!

Oh, but maybe you find the bidet a little bit too Spartan and fancy a full body soak? Here's a cosy bathroom ready just for you.

[robespapier]

Oh, but maybe you find the bidet a little bit too Spartan and fancy a full body soak? Here's a cosy bathroom ready just for you.

[robespapier]

can someone knowledgable in french language please help 😭😭

i’m not getting anything for ‘souflet’ and google says bonbonnière is ‘candy box’ (???) what is ths?? what are these words???