#victor hugo pastiche

[its-not-a-pen]

Victor Hugo + Romance of the Three Kingdoms crossover!

[I read a post somewhere talking about how cool it would be if 3k was written in the style of victor hugo. Here’s a missing scene about Dong Zhuo and young Cao Cao fighting the Yellow Turbans.]

There is a great machine crawling across the land, it is long and thin, having just a single head, but many thousand hooves, feet and wheels. It is tremendously expensive to operate, moves at a tortoise's pace and its job is to stir up a great deal of dust. This machine is known as an “army.” 

On a clear day, a man standing on a hillock can see the tell-tale plume long before he sees the marchers and with all the men and horses traveling non-stop for weeks on end, chances are he can smell the army before he sees the dust. This phenomenon is most pronounced when the land is dry, and the land has been usually dry for many, many seasons. ‘The gods are displeased,’ the villagers and townsfolk mutter, although they are always careful to omit what exactly the gods are displeased about. Now is not the time for careless talk. Now is not the time to travel after dark. Now is the time to pull your hat brim low and bite your tongue when soldiers cut through your wheat fields—it’s not like there’s much left to trample, anyway. Every year the harvests grow slimmer, and the war machine grows fatter.

Riding at the head of this column is Commandant Dong Zhuo, styled Zhongying. He is a large man in body and status, buoyed by a righteous purpose that makes every room he steps into feel crowded. The Emperor has issued a royal decree ceding power to the local lords in order to stomp out the Yellow Turbans, a series of peasant rebellions which had sprung up all across the nation. Little does His Royal Highness know, he's sowing the seeds for the Han Dynasty’s downfall. In time, these lords would become a greater threat then the rebellions they were tasked to quell, having developed powerful militias and a newfound distain for servitude. The resulting chaos would rend the kingdom asunder and be immortalised in folklore for centuries to come. A historical epic is in the making, and every great story needs heroes and villains. 

But that is for another time, today Dong Zhuo is only the Magistrate of Yanmen and a loyal subject of Han. Today he is going to bring the full extent of his military might down on the unruly peasant-warriors who dare take up arms instead of starving peacefully in their fields. Attending to him are a row of junior officers, gentlemen and the sons of gentlemen, bright eyed and fresh-faced because they have yet to taste war. 

[insert 50-page-digression about some Random Background Character Who Only Appears Once, weirdly personal opinions on stone masonry and a wikihow on horse husbandry that's like 80% conjecture]

----Extract #2----

Great men are known to have great tempers. Dong Zhuo gives a gruff reprimand, half question, half accusation, for a moment there’s silence and then as if drawn by a lodestone, the officers subtly turn their eyes towards calvary commander Cao Cao, styled Mengde. He is 24 years old, of a slight build and middling height. Not the leader of the pack by any means—lacking both the raw charisma and esteemed family name to be truly popular—but he has a sharp wit and plenty of nerve, all the markings of a man who is generally respected but rarely well-liked. At age 20 he had been appointed district captain of Luoyang and caused a scandal for daring to apply the law equally to anyone who transgressed, going so far as to flog noblemen in public. Complains were made by higher-ups and he was “promoted” to governor of Dunqiu County, ostensive to remove him from the capital. In peaceful times he might have served out the rest of his term competently, sired unremarkable sons and eventually fade into obscurity as the bookish, pedantic type who cared about things like crop rotation. But that is not our story either. 

Cao Cao steps forward and takes a knee, eyes downcast. When he speaks his voice is unexpectedly strong and authoritative—almost amusingly incongruous with his appearance; he’s not much to look at and the goatee on his chin needs another decade of work at least, but when he talks people stop and listen. 

Cao Cao says a few words and the thunderous look on Dong Zhuo’s face abates. A few more, and Dong Zhuo nods. Then, right before scores of disbelieving ears, Cao Mengde tells a bawdy joke right to His Lordship’s face; a double-entendre alluding to the shape of their vanguard. It’s filthy, low-brow and Cao Cao says it as drily as a monk reciting his mantras. Lord Dong Zhou howls with laugher. The other officers chuckle too—mostly out of relief. Letting Cao Mengde speak is always a gamble, sometimes it pays off, sometimes you get latrine duty for a month. The damage he does with his mouth takes most men to do with a hatchet. The meeting adjourns with no corporal punishments. Later that day, orders are passed up the line for adjustments to be made to the vanguard's formation.  

notes under the cut:

“Dust to dust,” somehow I always end up making a reference to the 2nd century warlord, which in turn was inspired by 3k where Zhang Fei successfully uses the “horses and branches” technique against Cao Cao. Call that circular plagiarism <3. 

Hugo was a big supporter of failed rebellions and was very sympathetic to the miserable and downtrodden. I think he’d really care about the plight of the peasants and jump at the chance to tear down the bickering nobles.

“The gods are displeased” the Han dynasty was in decline due to a combination of corruption and natural disasters. Many people, especially those in the Yellow Turban Rebellion believed the Emperor had lost his divine right to rule. (shhh that’s sedition) 

Wheatfields: this takes place somewhere in Northeastern China where it’s too damn cold to grow rice. IRL Cao Cao organized a lot of agricultural reforms which kept his people fed. Later in the book he forbids his soldiers from trampling fields on pain of death, and when his own horse does it, he cuts off his hair to avoid being hypocritical (very big deal, hair is sacred).

“A bookish, capable governor.” According to legend a character-describer told Cao Cao he’d be “a capable administrator in peaceful times and an unscrupulous hero in chaotic times.” To which Cao Cao laughed. Oh and he was a poet. A really good one.

Just some guy: "raw charisma" describes Liu Bei and the "esteemed family name" describes Yuan Shao, two of his biggest rivals.

My Pen Is Big: Luo Guanzhong’s novels have a ton of dirty jokes. Water Margin in particular has this passage about a guy’s colossal donkey schlong. 

[secretmellowblog]

The reason I’m having trouble writing the second chapter of my recent Hugo-pastiche Les Mis fanfic is that, every time I try to write Jean Valjean in the style of Victor Hugo, the chapter just turns into an overlong agonized inner monologue of spiraling self-recriminations and self-loathing. and then the story never moves forward. :P

Originally I’d actually hoped for this entire fic to be a short comic, but I changed it to prose after realizing that most of the comic’s script was just Jean Valjean’s inner monologue and yet somehow all that inner monologue was still not enough to feel like anything even close to resembling something like the characterization of Hugo’s Jean Valjean.

This is why it’s so much easier to write Javert. Javert canonically hates thinking and will not do it. It makes everything so much easier

[aigle-suisse]

DJI_0535_2020 par calpha19 Via Flickr : Couleurs Printemps - - Le Donon est le plus méridional des sommets majeurs des Vosges gréseuses. Si on considère l'ensemble du massif vosgien, c'est également le deuxième sommet le plus septentrional (après le rocher de Mutzig) de plus 1 000 mètres d'altitude. Situé sur le territoire de la commune de Grandfontaine, dans le département français du Bas-Rhin, au nord-ouest de Schirmeck et au sud-est de Sarrebourg, il est riche d'une histoire humaine plusieurs fois millénaire - - Le Massif du Donon constitue avec ses 1009 m d'altitude le point culminant des basses-Vosges, à la jonction des provinces alsacienne et lorraine. Dès la préhistoire, parce qu'il est visible de loin, on lui attribue un caractère sacré qui ne le quittera plus. Sa situation à l'écart des foyers favorise le développement des légendes, mêlant mythe et réalité. Les Romains, mystérieusement séduits, consacrent le site à Mercure. Craint par les premiers chrétiens, le Donon aurait, depuis, présidé à la conception de Victor Hugo. Sous Napoléon III, un pastiche réussi de temple antique vient couronner le sommet. Partez, vous aussi, à la conquête du Donon - ( Wikipédia ) - Merci pour vos passages sur les vues, favoris et commentaires - Thanks all for the views, favs and comments, very appreciated.

[shadowsong26fic]

Coming Attractions!

Yes, I know it’s Wednesday, not Monday, but shhhhhh.

(In my defense, there’s been A Lot of IRL stuff the past couple days so. Anyway.)

As always, this is just a general overview of what I did last month and what I Hope to do next month; also an Open Question Night. Any asks about fandoms I’ve posted about here or on Ao3, or writing stuff in general is fair game. I do also accept prompts, but I make no promises on how quickly I fill them (there’s one currently sitting in my inbox that I’m hoping to get to later tonight, lol).

Anyway, here goes!

Star Wars:

I ended up dropping out of SWBB as a writer this year--just couldn’t get things to come together right--but I’m participating as an artist/podficcer! The story I’m recording is SWTOR-based, which is an area of fandom/canon that I have very little knowledge of, so it’s been a lot of fun working with my writer and getting to know a little more about that part (though it is apparently Very AU so.) I’m posting the podfic chapters as the writing chapters are posted, and you can find it here:

Writing: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47347087/ Podfic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47517721/

I have also been keeping up with my OTP meme fills for Obianidala. The one I put out this month was fun; it was a chance to go back to the Heralds of Valdemar crossover/fusion which I haven’t played with in ages. I haven’t even looked at this months prompts yet, lol, I should probably do that...

(Precipice!verse is still also extant in my head but I have done no active work on it lately unfortunately and am not sure when I’ll get back to it but, as I’ve mentioned, it’s too big a part of my life in this fandom for me to abandon. Until and unless I entirely leave the SW fandom, Precipice will be there.)

BSG:

Again with the OTP meme stuff; this month’s fill came together sort of last minute. I wasn’t totally sure what I wanted to do? I thought about something related to them eventually having kids on Earth (one of the available prompts was ‘pet/child acquisition’; also thought about something super self-indulgent involving Atia, but I think what I ended up writing turned out really well, so I’m happy.

Of course the Big news is that Galactica Big Bang officially opens in less than a month! I need to finish actually, like, Making the sign-up forms, haha. But I’m really excited for the event. I’m not sure if I’m going to be a participant as well as running it (podficcing is less intimidating than I thought it would be, based on my current SWBB experience, and I think especially if it’s something I already come to with some investment it’ll be nice? Also I do have BB-scale storyline ideas, lol. Not just the Massive Epics like TOB or continuing in the Backup Plans AU...right now the sort of top choices, if I do write, are going back to the Selkie AU or doing a Zarek character study? But we’ll see.

Other Fandom Stuff:

As you may have noticed, based on some things I’ve posted in the last couple weeks, I’ve gone down a very specific Les Mis rabbit hole XD I have two longfic projects being worked on; one I’m actually hoping to start posting later this week (I want to get at least three chapters prewritten, plus I think I want a second pair of eyes on chapter 2 just to make sure it’s not too Infodumpy, so. If anyone’s interested, lol. (on the other hand would it really be a victor hugo pastiche without at least one random infodump? lol)

The other one I haven’t started actually writing yet, but I have something of an outline for it (it’s a Groundhog Day AU which includes a few different endings out of Spite and/or Loving Mockery of other adaptations; along with a few others I just want to do). This one will have some very heavy TWs that should absolutely be taken seriously (Javert is the one looping the last like 36 hours of his life, you do the math). Anyway, once I get started on writing that, I’m hoping it’ll go pretty quickly.

I am signing up for pod_together again! As always, signing up to get assigned a podficcer; I think signups close the end of this week so I think I should be matched by Monday? This will be my third time doing the event. I’ve actually done crossovers both of the prior times? But I’m pretty proud of both pieces I put out, and it was a lot of fun to work on. We’ll see how it goes!

I think I mentioned last month that some of my AtLA plots may have resurfaced? So far not enough for me to actively work on them, but we’ll see. I did list that (as well as my other usual suspects of SW and BSG; plus Les Mis because the current brainrot is Strong and a couple others) as a primary/first-choice fandom for matching for pod_together, so that might produce something. Again, we’ll see.

Original Stuff:

Mostly OTP meme again, though a couple other things for Rainbowfic challenges have come out as well. Not really much to report here, although I am producing a lot more than I have in recent years, which is good, I’m pleased with myself on that.

...I think that’s everything? So, yeah! Open Question Night, as I mentioned above, let me know what’s on your mind! Or what you guys are working on/excited for!

[jeanremyt]

Pastiches et mélanges

Mercredi 22 avril 2020

Lorsqu’on croit que les jours se suivent en se ressemblant, on se retrouve surpris de ne pas pouvoir faire ce que l’on fait chaque soir... et pourtant, c’est bien ce qu’il s’est passé avec le petit “bug” qui m’a empêché de communiquer ce billet mercredi, comme prévu. Et si les jours se suivent sans se ressembler, il en va de même pour les textes depuis des siècles, et j’ai eu l’idée de proposer, de temps en temps, une petit ensemble d’imitations littéraires, toujours en lien avec la situation actuelle. Voilà donc un petit jeu : je vous présente trois sonnets de ma composition inspirés d’auteurs français, Ronsard, Hugo et Baudelaire, dans le désordre. Ils sont présentés “à l’ancienne”, en un seul bloc, non par choix personnel, mais parce que la mise en page de ce blog ne me permets pas de faire autrement... Je vous laisse chercher les pseudo-attributions !

Le premier :

Alors que la lumière allait remplacer l’ombre

Que la sève montait dans la branche engourdie

Que le grand artisan rappelait à la vie

La nature en sommeil pendant ces mois bien sombres,

Vidant toute rue, toute place et toute ville,

Un ennemi infime et perfide arriva

Qui enferma chez eux des millions d'être las

N'ayant jamais conçu réclusion plus vile.

Terrés dans leur logis, effrayés par la bête,

Les mortels se dirent : mettons-nous donc en quête

De tout ce qui pourrait aider à oublier.

Certains communiquèrent et d'autres jardinèrent,

On en vit qui riaient, écoutant Jupiter,

Et l'on en vit enfin éteindre la télé

Le second :

Quand Phoebus en son char eut vaincu Séléné,

L’aronde revenue, le merle sur sa branche,

Charmaient ciel, air et vent, et ton oreille franche,

Comme Orphée chez Pluton envoûtait les damnés.

Philomèle et Procné, voletant dans les rais

Du soleil triomphant, se jouaient de Zéphyr,

L'Archerot rubicond n'aurait pu les punir.

Mais Jupin de son foudre envoie les premiers traits,

Et le jour s'assombrit, les huis furent fermés.

Comme devant Ilion, des Grégeois les armées,

On ne pouvait compter le nombre des mourants.

Hélios en rebroussa la course de son char,

La mer se retira au fond des golfes noirs,

Et tout le genre humain se reclut en pleurant.

Le troisième :

Abominable helminthe, ambassadeur du Diable,

Tu es venu ronger nos poumons et nos cœurs.

Avec pour fondations l'angoisse et la terreur,

Nos vies sont devenues de beaux châteaux de sable.

Tel entouré de soie ne songeait qu'à l'amour,

Tel, voyant les beaux jours, rêvait à d'autres cieux,

Tel autre encore au fond d'un effroyable lieu

Râlait, tombant dans les vapeurs d'un sommeil lourd.

Et l'infernal ciron choisit cette saison

Pour venir infecter le corps et la raison,

L'hôpital grouilla donc de malades quinteux.

Les rues furent vidées, les chambres se peuplèrent,

La volupté fit place à la peur délétère,

Nul n'eut plus à souffrir le couvercle des cieux.

[pilferingapples]

So this is the guy who asked about 1800s politics, don’t know if you remember me or not— Should I write like how Victor Hugo writes? I would love to go on long tangents about random historical events that have no substance to the core of the story at all and being long winded in general

First off let me say that my general attitude is that everyone should always express themselves in the style that suits them when it comes to art, unless they’re specifically being commissioned or employed to use another style (as in house styles for licensed properties, etc). 

...That said...look, I’m a Hugo Nerdery pedant, I’m gonna be pedantic here:P   :  Hugo does not  write “long tangents about random historical events that have no substance (relevant) to the core of the story at all”. Again, if that’s your jam ,  absolutely  go for it! But one of the really really noticeable and consistent things about Hugo’s work is that his novels follow a certain structure from NDdP onwards, which is basically : 

A- Philosophical statement as derived from and illustrated by history , leading to : B- narrative events that further illustrate, clarify, and sometimes argue with this statement, leading to  C-Another philosophical statement as derived from and illustrated by history , leading to: D:  narrative events that further illustrate, clarify, and sometimes argue with this statement...

and so on. Sometimes the relation of the two is really clear--the story of Myriel’s life sets up the explanation for Valjean’s later salvation, and establishes some of the philosophical support beams for the whole novel;  then Paris Atomized (gamins) digression properly introduces both  street-level Paris, where the next half of the book will play out,and hammers on the themes of family estrangement and children being abandoned by society that are relevant to so many characters.  Sometimes it doesn’t work so well-- IMO Hugo’s attempts to sync his (really very interesting!) thoughts on the rise of printing as creating a new form of public memory never quite get fully explored and integrated in NDdP.  But the effort is always there! 

So again, absolutely write how you want to write!  But if you’re trying to write “like Hugo”-- to do some sort of pastiche or imitation specifically-- being longwinded is not enough! You gotta be opinionated as all get out, too XD 

[iberiandoctor]

Five Works in 2020

I was tagged by the lovely @angel-in-new-york-city! This was fun, thanks for letting me play!

Rules: Choose your 5 favourite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you’ve brought into the world. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

Here are five works, in seven different fandoms, in this past Year of the Plague.

1. The Adoration of the Earth: 

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Strange/Norrell, [E], 6,000+ words.

One should never flirt with odd books at Solstice-time in Faerie, as Mr Strange learns to his great chagrin.

My first JSMN fic, written for @threedomiciles in 2020′s Smut4Smut challenge. Writing explicit fic is challenging, and writing it in Susanna Clarke 19th C. pastiche even more so; still, I’m pleased with how things turned out! Plus, I live for esoteric footnotes ;)

2. The Lark and Her Lieutenants: 

Les Misérables  - Victor Hugo, Cosette/Marius, Enjolras/Grantaire, Valjean/Javert, [G], 18,585 words. 

While Cosette is stirring up the Revolution, Grantaire meets a young man in the Luxembourg Gardens.

My Les Mis Quarantine Edition Big Bang fic, a collaboration with the awesome @thebansacredbanned. Now with art from @sssara-b! In this story, Cosette and Enjolras swap roles: Enjolras is the shy ingenue, Cosette the revolutionary leader; Valjean just wants to get his daughter off the barricades.

3.  The Instruments of Their Master: 

La Comédie Humaine - Honoré de Balzac/19th Century CE France RPF, Corentin/Manuel, [E], 5,700 words. 

The Duke of Otranto had two protégés: one, a police spy; the other, a promising future Deputy. The lessons these men learned under his tutelage — none more during the Hundred Days, when the Republic hung on a knife’s edge of war and politics — left the one greater, the other more guilty.

My Yuletide treat for @kainosite, in very much a fandom of two; a crossover pairing between Balzac’s fictional police spy, Corentin, and noted 19th century French politician Jacques-Antoine Manuel. Set in France’s Hundred Days period, Napoleon’s spymaster Joseph Fouché pits his two protégés against each other so that they can better work together to secretly thwart old Boney; hatesex and politics and history collide!

4.  Diamonds Taking Shape ... : 

Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston/Crazy Rich Asians (2018), Alex/Henry, Nick/Rachel, [T], 4040 words.  

 … and an intersection with Crazy Rich Love (:winky face emoji:)

My Yuletide assignment for @legendaryguardian; when I saw I’d matched with them on both CRA and RW&RB, I knew I had to write this crossover! Alex & Henry visit Singapore, and have dinner with Nick & Rachel at Gardens by the Bay.

5.  The Age of Imagination and Experience: 

Call Me by Your Name, Elio/Oliver, Oliver/Michol, [M], 2/9 chapters. WIP.   

 “Ah – to have that kind of innocence, the innocence that seals the mind against imagination and the heart against experience!" A Gilded Age, The Age of Innocence AU.

I started writing this Gilded Age AU for the December CMBYN Challenge, though the way it’s going, it’ll be well into 2021 before it finishes! I have loved Wharton’s The Age of Innocence for more than half my life, and I couldn’t resist envisioning Elio as Ellen Olenska and Michol as May Welland, with Oliver as Newland Archer, the man in the middle. Having a bisexual male love interest in place of Wharton’s foreign divorcee is a different narrative proposition, and I am very much enjoying exploring 1870s New York society through Oliver’s eyes.

I’m tagging all the talented creators mentioned in this post, and anyone else who wants to join in - @breadcrumbsandstars, I know you wrote a lot last year? @saltedpin; @raspberryhunter, so did you guys!

[aporeticelenchus]

Not a fic per se but I could see you writing a post that's a Victor Hugo pastiche description Alcibiades.

I had to think for a moment to be sure I hadn’t written something like that, somewhere, hidden in a Grantaire!blog post or something.

Highly on brand; I cannot deny this.

[pureanonofficial]

A Dilemma

Wanting to write Les Mis fanfic vs knowing that if I did I would feel duty-bound to write in a Victor Hugo pastiche.

[lostprofile]

AN INCOMPLETE HISTORY OF MEDIEVAL ART LIX

Nôtre Dame de Paris

The fourth of five posts on the long, complex history of the Cathedral of Nôtre Dame.

IV. The Nineteenth-Century Restoration

Sans doute, c’est encore aujourd’hui un majestueux et sublime édifice que l’église de Notre-Dame de Paris. Mais si belle qu’elle se soit conservée en vieillissant, il est difficile de ne pas soupirer, de ne pas s’indigner devant les dégradations, les mutilations sans nombre que simultanément le temps et les hommes ont fait subir au vénérable monument. Victor Hugo, Nôtre Dame de Paris, 1831.

Restaurer un édifice, ce n’est pas l’entretenir, le réparer ou le refaire, c’est le rétablir dans un état complet qui peut n’avoir jamais existé à un moment donné. Eugène Viollet-le-Duc

Victor Hugo’s novel, Nôtre Dame de Paris (1831) drew attention to the deplorable condition of the Gothic cathedral of Paris. The novel’s success was partvof a reawakening of interest in medieval art and history, which had long been denigrated and ignored. In 1841, recognizing the nationalistic value of a monument created in an indigenous French style, the July monarchy formed a committee to gather professional opinions concerning the 700 year-old edifices’s condition. Based on the committee’s findings, in 1844, King Louis-Philippe ordered a sweeping preservation program including the complete restoration of Nôtre Dame and the construction of a new sacristy.

above: Nôtre Dame as construction site, c. 1850

The architects chosen to rebuild Nôtre Dame, Jean-Baptiste Lassus and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, had just completed the restoration of the Sainte Chappelle. Prior to that Viollet-le-Duc had also rebuilt the monastic church of Vézelay, which saved it from imminent collapse. Other than experience, there were few established protocols or resources to consult concerning the restoration of medieval buildings and the scope of the Nôtre Dame project was daunting: the mortar binding the ashlar masonry had eroded to the extent that pieces of stone fell to the ground on a daily basis. The stained glass of the clerestory had been replaced with 18th-century grisaille glass. After centuries of neglect, during the violent period of the Revolution, the cathedral had been deconsecrated and its sculpture defaced or crudely hacked off the building by the mobs. The crossing spire had been declared unstable and removed in the 1830s. The bishop’s palace was crumbling into the Seine.

above: The Ile-de-la-Cité c. 1830

In the Conseils pour la restauration en 1849, the co-authors Viollet-le-Duc and the Inspecteur Général des Monuments Historiques, Prosper Merimée, state that:

Les architectes attachés au service des édifices diocésains, et particulièrement des cathédrales, ne doivent jamais perdre de vue que le but de leurs efforts est la conservationde ces édifices.

In practice st Nôtre Dame, however, Viollet-le-Duc’s approach to historical monuments restoration was idealist and holistic. For him, the cathedral’s form existed independently of the materials that composed it at any given time; therefore the form, and not the materials, were the object of restoration. The medieval building fabric would be replicated, but the retention of original stone and glass was not essential. Gothic masonry could be recut or removed to implement a gothicizing solution that harmonized better with the totality of the building, or redesigned, if necessary, to assure structural and or aesthetic integrity. Where there was doubt about original appearances or configurations, other Gothic cathedrals would serve as models. The result would be half recreation of the historical cathedral of Paris, half catalogue of 19th-century conceptions of architectural and sculptural ideas current in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. A delapidated medieval building was transformed into a crisply pointed allegory of medieval architecture.

above: Viollet-le-Duc and Lassus, Nôtre Dame façade, 1847

When Viollet-le-Duc visited Pisa, he found the sight of the torre pendente to be “désagréable” and opined that it should be corrected. The imperative to “correct” irregularities and errors in the original construction is a defining component of his restoration practice at Nôtre Dame. He and Lassus went far beyond conserving the Gothic fabric and repairing damage and wear. Over the long course of its construction, multiple medieval revisions to the design had resulted in many irregularities and discontinuities, which posed no threat to structural integrity. For example, the chapels between the nave buttresses had been added at different times in the 13th and 14th centuries and differed in size and decoration. Together they formed a micro-history of the evolution of Gothic chapel design within the broader narrative of cathedral design.

Viollet-le-Duc demolished the back walls of all of chapels and rebuilt them to a uniform size to be flush with the buttresses and applied a generic decorative program across them all. This imposition of anachronistic notions of visual consistency deprived the building of massive amounts of 13th-century masonry and decorative carving and gratuitously obliterated a bit of architectural history. In the equally destructive “correction” of the perimeter wall of the ambulatory, a delicate business involving the shifting and rebuilding walls while they supported the vaults, excised still more medieval stone. As a result of these needless interventions, the lower level of the exterior masonry, which wraps around the entire building, is entirely 19th century work. This high-handed approach is an example of historical destruction, not preservation.

above: Viollet-le-Duc, design for Nôtre Dame flèche, c. 1855

Lassus and Viollet-le-Duc believed that the cathedral was incomprehensible without its sculpture and stained glass and insisted in their proposal that all of the stone sculpture be restored. As no reliable visual record of the sculptures existed, the team of 23 stone carvers were instructed to find and copy equivalents at Chartres, Reims, and Amiens. Based on different models, carved by numerous artists, at different times, the resulting “program” was unified by obliging the sculptors to work in a singie communal style. The sculptures of the façade formed a survey of Gothic cathedral sculpture that was then averaged and masked. The “restored” jamb figures did not replicate the originals nor did their style correspond to any historical medieval practice. The sculpture of the west portals are a misleading, medieval-flavored pastiche that blur rather than sharpen the view into French history supposedly provided by the cathedral.

When it showed signs of imminent collapse, the thirteenth-century spire had been removed in the 1830s. The plan submitted by the architects to the planning committee had included steeples, which had been planned in the Middle Ages but never built, but made no provision for restoring the spire. After the steeples were harshly criticized and dropped from the plan, the spire was added, relatively late in the project, to create a vertical accent. The absence of accurate, detailed images of the original did not stop Viollet-le-Duc from devising a convincing structure that represented a “typical” Gothic spire, but one that had no meaningful connection to the building. All the uninformed post-fire blather about the “iconic” spire completely misses this point.

The restoration of Nôtre Dame was completed in 1864, 20 years after it was launched. Lassus had died in 1857 and Viollet-le-Duc had become a celebrity, moving on to even larger projects like the restoration of the entire walled city of Carcassone. The cost of the cathedral restoration had been estimated at 2.6 million francs; in the end, it exceeded 10 million.

[primeideal]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Les Misérables - Victor Hugo Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Géborand (Les Misérables), Baptistine Myriel, Bishop Charles-François-Bienvenu Myriel Additional Tags: Victor Hugo Pastiche, Biblical References Summary:

The saintly Baptistine Myriel, in a less-than-saintly moment.

[call-me-schmidt]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Les Misérables - Schönberg/Boublil, Discworld - Terry Pratchett Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Javert/Jean Valjean, Javert & Jean Valjean, Havelock Vetinari & Samuel Vimes, Havelock Vetinari/Samuel Vimes, Sybil Ramkin/Samuel Vimes Characters: Javert (Les Misérables), Samuel Vimes, Carrot Ironfoundersson, Fred Colon, Nobby Nobbs, Captain Emile (Discworld), Jean Valjean Additional Tags: Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Victor Hugo Pastiche, Crack Treated Seriously, Paris Era, Pre-Seine, Alternate Universe - Les Misérables, City of London - Freeform, A Distinct Lack of Sewers, International Policing, Regrettable Footnotes, Inspector Javert is Not a Golem, The Fauchelevents Flee to London Summary:

Sir Samuel Vimes of the London City Watch entertains a visit from Inspector Javert, regarding a certain convict who has fled on a ship across the sea.

[parametricarchitecture]

Paris-based architect @vincentcallebautarchitectures released his proposal for the #paris #notredame #cathedral by bringing science, art, and spirituality together. "PALINGENESIS, TRIBUTE TO NOTRE-DAME" advocates for an exemplary project in ecological engineering that feels true to its time and avoids a pastiche architecture that turns the city into an open-air museum. Circular economy, renewable energies, inclusive social innovation, urban agriculture farm, protection of biodiversity, without forgetting beauty and spiritual elevation: our design proposal feeds on such values to deliver a deep, conscious meaning. From primitive Gothic in the 12th century to its restoration by Viollet-le Duc in the 19th century , through the radiant Gothic of the 13th century and the flamboyant Gothic of the 14th century, Notre-Dame cathedral undoubtedly arises from centuries of work and multi-faceted inspiration. As such, it is hardy encumbered by useless musings about the overlapping styles inherent in the building. Each wave of time contributes its alluvium, each race deposits its layer on the monument, each individual brings his stone. Thus do the beavers, thus do the bees, thus do people. Victor Hugo • The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1831). . Post by: @hamithz . * Turn ON Post Notifications to see new content * Instagram 👉🏼 instagram.com/parametric.architecture * Website: 👉🏼 www.parametric-architecture.com * Facebook: 👉🏼 facebook.com/parametric.archi * Pinterest: 👉🏼 pinterest.com/parametricarchitecture * YouTube: 👉🏼 youtube.com/parametricarchitecture * Twitter: 👉🏼 twitter.com/parametricarch * Snapchat: 👉🏼 snapchat.com/paarchitecture . #notredame #notredamedeparis #notredamecathedral #paris #parisfrance #rebuildnotredame #circulareconomy #crosslaminatedtimber #woodenstructure #clt #solarglass #photovoltaic #renewableenergy #climatechange #urbanfarming #garden #spirituality #ecological #urbanagriculture #biodiversity #socialinnovation #beauty #gothic #forest #victorhugo #catholic #tribute #green (at Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxJ6x_ynsaN/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1p3ckrvdd1yfd

[aigle-suisse]

DJI_0535_2020 par calpha19 Via Flickr : Couleurs Printemps - - Le Donon est le plus méridional des sommets majeurs des Vosges gréseuses. Si on considère l'ensemble du massif vosgien, c'est également le deuxième sommet le plus septentrional (après le rocher de Mutzig) de plus 1 000 mètres d'altitude. Situé sur le territoire de la commune de Grandfontaine, dans le département français du Bas-Rhin, au nord-ouest de Schirmeck et au sud-est de Sarrebourg, il est riche d'une histoire humaine plusieurs fois millénaire - - Le Massif du Donon constitue avec ses 1009 m d'altitude le point culminant des basses-Vosges, à la jonction des provinces alsacienne et lorraine. Dès la préhistoire, parce qu'il est visible de loin, on lui attribue un caractère sacré qui ne le quittera plus. Sa situation à l'écart des foyers favorise le développement des légendes, mêlant mythe et réalité. Les Romains, mystérieusement séduits, consacrent le site à Mercure. Craint par les premiers chrétiens, le Donon aurait, depuis, présidé à la conception de Victor Hugo. Sous Napoléon III, un pastiche réussi de temple antique vient couronner le sommet. Partez, vous aussi, à la conquête du Donon - ( Wikipédia ) - Merci pour vos passages sur les vues, favoris et commentaires - Thanks all for the views, favs and comments, very appreciated.

[sunny-day-sky]

art tag game~

Tagged by my darling @sassytimemachine 💜😘 thank you, lovely!

1. One Insecurity

-Can I just say “my writing” and leave it at that? 😅

2. Two Fears

-That my plots are contrived

-That my transitions are clumsy

3. Three Turn-Ons

-Finding that perfect word

-Dry, subtle humor that doesn’t call attention to itself

-call me Victor Hugo but I love a good digression 😱

4. Four Life Fandom/Art Goals

-Being able to play with deep themes while still keeping a compelling story (à la Dostoevsky)

-Developing my OCs more 🌸

-Getting better at creating pieces that don’t have filler-- every word is there on purpose, and I’m not just settling because there should be a sentence there

-this is purely selfish, but I would absolutely be over the moon if my stuff was good enough for people to read, comment, and reblog

5. Five Things I Like Doing

-Homages/allusions/pastiches

-Character studies

-Writing parties, for some reason

-Personalizing a work based on who the audience is

-Hopeful endings

6. Six Weaknesses

-Predictable sentence structure

-Too much reliance on dialogue

-Lack of subtlety

-Inconsistency with voice

-Putting too much of myself into the work

-Honestly, stories that nobody wants to read except me

7. Seven things I love

-I said it before, but ✨ hopeful ✨ (not necessarily happy) endings!

-I don’t know how to describe it, but snappy Oscar Wilde-style dialogue, except updated and modernized (so ,,,, like shrek I guess)

-A really nice, healthy well-done romance that doesn’t take over the rest of the story

-Linguistic details!!!!!

-Humor (but not uproarious humor or crude humor, I dunno, it has to be really subtle)

-Character development, for good or ill

-Conflict/drama/problematic elements

8. Tag 8 people

I would like to tag @pollypeaches @decayingliberty @amiedelabaisse @fixaidea @violetmorbidity @jaylawheed @sssara-b and @prouvairism and anyone else who wants to do it! Just say I tagged you! 💖

[ao3feed-lesmiserables]

Géborand Reprimanded

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2wK9INK

by primeideal

The saintly Baptistine Myriel, in a less-than-saintly moment.

Words: 1151, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Les Misérables - Victor Hugo

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: Géborand (Les Misérables), Baptistine Myriel, Bishop Charles-François-Bienvenu Myriel

Additional Tags: Victor Hugo Pastiche, Biblical References

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2wK9INK