RussellinVT’s Comments (group member since Apr 11, 2024)

RussellinVT’s comments from the Ersatz TLS group.

The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Napoleon by Karl Marx is an interesting and quite impressive piece of extended journalism. In a commentary of some 120 pages on the essentially contemporary politics of 1848 to 1852 (seven articles written, in the immediate aftermath of Louis Napoleon’s coup of 2 December 1851, for a New York weekly that never in the event appeared, and then receiving very limited distribution in book form), he manages to place it all in the long perspective of history.

In particular he explains the issues by reference a phenomenon which, it appears, was entirely missed by other commentators, e.g. Victor Hugo, the struggle for dominance between the social classes. Thus, in May 1850, the Party of Order (Legitimists and Orleanists temporarily in alliance), who have a majority in the National Assembly, neatly abolish universal (male) suffrage, and disable the “democratic” parties, by a new requirement for three years’ residence in a locality, such residence to be proved in the case of workers by a certificate from their employer! But that very action proves to be the undoing of the monarchists.

On the specifics of the coup:

Why does he do it? Because in a few months’ time, in May 1852, there will be elections for a new Assembly and a new President. Under the Constitution of 1849 he is not permitted to run for another term. The Constitution could be amended to remove this bar, but that requires an affirmative vote of three-quarters of the Assembly, and the pure republicans, who are adamantly opposed to an amendment, hold more than a quarter. To stay in power he has to act.

How does he do it? By ensuring that the generals commanding the army are loyal to him personally (and the soldiery too, with increased pay), by making speeches designed to terrify the middle and lower bourgeoisie that without him there will be disorder among the working classes and violent uprisings led by demagogues on the left, and by having the military arrest all the parliamentary leaders of the high-bourgeois opposition, breaking into their houses overnight, pulling them from their beds and hauling them off to prison. He announces the dissolution of the Assembly. When the remaining opposition members gather in a mairie to pass a resolution condemning the coup he has them arrested and imprisoned as well.

To his supporters, especially the vast class of small-holding peasants who had voted for him as President, he promises stabiliity. Marx makes the observation that Louis Napoleon, like a conjurer, was at the same time under the necessity of keeping the public gaze fixed on himself, by springing constant surprises.

To catch all the allusions to persons and events one needs a fair knowledge of the period. Still, it was an instructive read, and a vigorous example of Marx’s intellect in action.

Gpfr wrote: "Logger24 wrote: "As the clocks have gone back and it’s now getting dark at tea-time I thought I would mention the best Christmas murder mystery I ever read ..."

Thanks for the tips, GP.

Thanks for the new thread, GP.

As the clocks have gone back and it’s now getting dark at tea-time I thought I would mention the best Christmas murder mystery I ever read (not that I have anything like the knowledge of the real aficianados here): An English Murder, by Cyril Hare. Atmospheric, witty, and not at all nasty. As the blurb says, the snow is thick, the phone line is down, and no one is getting in or out of Warbeck Hall. It’s long enough since I read it to forget what actually happens, so I’m looking forward to pulling up a chair in front of the fire and re-reading it.

Amélie Nothomb - Thanks to Berkley, Robert and GP for the mentions. I might well try those. I hadn't heard of any of them.

Annie Ernaux - Bill - I think I will join you in not reading the photography book!

Barbe Bleue – Amélie Nothomb (2012)

This is the story of a young woman who responds to a small ad for a sort of flat-mate (colocataire). At first I thought I was reading something in the new genre of adult fantasy romance, not unlikely when the young woman is given the name Saturnine Puissant. But the property happens to be a sumptuous hôtel particulier in the VIIth arrondissement, the owner is a wealthy Spanish Don recluse, and his eight previous colocataires, all women, have mysteriously disappeared. The accommodations are so wonderful the young woman decides to stay, even though she is beginning to think the Don might be a serial killer.

This modern re-telling of the Bluebeard legend was actually quite well done, almost entirely in rather clever and allusive dialogue, and with one or two funny moments. I’d never heard of Amélie Nothomb, who turns out to be a Belgian baroness and a prolific author. I picked this one out of half a dozen on a shelf in a used book store. I would put it in the Interesting Fable category, and will very likely try another of hers.

I learned from the book that a secondary school in Belgium, of the kind that would be called a lycée in France or a gymnasium in Germany, is there called an athénée. Lovely term, I thought, a place of intelligence and wisdom.

I also learned that Saturn was a Titan, the Roman equivalent of Chronos in Greek mythology, and as such the father of Jupiter-Zeus, but also, unfortunately for him, rather a sad character. His son, who was quite the opposite (saturnine - jovial), decided he didn’t want this loser around the place any more and evicted him from the heavens.

giveusaclue wrote: "Just finished reading Henry V by Dan Jones. I can highly recommend it...."

It sounds like a good read, one for winter nights in front of the fire. Have you read his earlier histories? I’m wondering if it would it be an idea to start with his book on the Plantagenets.

I enjoyed your history nerding!

I did Henry V in school. The early scene where the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Ely discuss how to fend off a bill in the Commons to take Church lands, and then the long passage on the Salic law, seemed very tedious. You think it is all dull exposition. But years later I saw an Iraq-War-era production by the RSC (the one with Adrian Lester, an armoured personnel carrier roaring onto the stage) and here they were played as two deeply cynical old clerics puffing on cigarettes as they worked out a semi-plausible story to support Henry’s claim to the French throne, which neither of them believed for a second, and enjoying their own cleverness. Brilliant! It made you wonder if that’s what Shakespeare thought all along.

Paul wrote: "Looking into the controversy, it would appear to be that he was blackmailed into informing on the communists by the fascist police that were torturing his brother in prison...."

That does look better, and it also fits better with the books.

Paul wrote: "...His book Fontamara is a wonderful book and is still a centerpiece for ant-fascist Italian literature."

Yes - Parks makes Fontamara sound even better then Bread and Wine, so I shall be reading it at some point, in spite of everything.

AB76 wrote: "i think it takes a special kind of person to be a legit undercover agent or a double agent/informer...."

I was amazed to discover recently from Tim Parks’ book on literary Italy that Ignazio Silone, born Secondino Tranquilli, was a double agent. It seems clear from documents emerging in the mid-1990s that for ten years until 1931, while he was an activist close to the heart of the Communist Party in Italy, sitting on the central committee, he was also a police informant. I only ever read Bread and Wine, back in student days, but this was enough to establish him in my eyes as a principled Orwellian figure. That impression now has to undergo serious revision. Tranquilli spent the years after 1931 creating a new persona for himself, including publishing under a new name. Two biographies reviewed in TP’s longish essay give opposing accounts, one for, one very definitely against.

Gpfr wrote: "A perfect autumn day ... Like hundreds of other people, I was in the Jardin du Luxembourg."

Getting perfect weather here too in Vermont, almost too hot for all the end-of-season tasks that need doing out in the “yard”.

AB76 wrote: " Agents of Influence about the British infiltration of the IRA in the 1980s is a fascinating read ..."

Interesting, AB. You wonder how anyone in those groups felt they could trust a single person around them, and the deep-cover operatives themselves must have had incredible self-possession.

Tam wrote: "...I might just drift off and fade away..."

Hope not, Tam. Just start afresh and don’t worry about what you missed.

Anne Michaels is a new name to me. It sounds as though Fugitive Pieces might suit me better also, rather than the magic realism of Held, even if it does feature love, romance, and the ever-interesting Curies.

Robert wrote: "... Poking around in the current facility's small library, I found Erin Morgenstern's "The Night Circus."..."

Robert - Good to see you’re in a facility with some stimulating books, but what’s the latest on your recovery? You seem to have been in rehab a very long time.

GP - Thanks for the new thread.

scarletnoir wrote: "Last night, we started to watch a TV 'policier' based on the novel 'Sur la Dalle' by Fred Vargas... We weren't convinced ... We quit after 15 minutes or so. That's it: no more Vargas for us."

I haven’t seen or read Sur la Dalle, but have read three or four other Vargas titles and found them really enjoyable, once you realized every person in the story was going to be an oddball. But that was enough - they do get a bit samey.

Fantaisie allemande – Philippe Claudel (2022)

A slim collection of five varied stories spanning a century but all relating in one way or another to the German experience of 1933-45. They are well told, in precise language. This was for me an introduction to Claudel (who seems to be very eminent in French literary circles), and it was quite impressive. In a short space he made you interested in each of his characters. I shall be looking out for more of his.

AB76 wrote: "Struggling with Waterland by Graham Swift. Its displaying numerous modern novel faults and particular modern english novel faults, despite it being over 40 years old

The potential was there, is there maybe, for a very interesting regional novel but the dead body and the slimy, dirty feel is putting me off fast , as is the style of writing. A shame but i will keep plugging on."

It didn’t grab me either. The author seemed to be hard at work, trying to generate a watery image at every turn, and the story wasn’t overwhelming, yet another on a standard modern theme. I read it when it came out, and I’ve never re-visited Graham Swift, distinguished as he is. But don't let me put you off!

Gpfr wrote: "...I suppose the NYRB edition reproduces pages of the manuscript as my French edition does?"

Yes - they make for a very attractive little volume. Plus an excellent intro from the translator, Eric Karpeles, who worked from the French.

The NYRB cover is similarly eye-catching. I do believe I've successfully copied it over with a link:

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/9...

AB76 wrote: "Logger24 wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Polish artist Jozef Czapski and his memoirs of WW2 have been on my radar for a while..."

Yes, it was a Russian prisoner of war camp. Czapski was among the group of Polish officers who (unaccountably) were not executed.

AB76 wrote: "Polish artist Jozef Czapski and his memoirs of WW2 have been on my radar for a while, since two of his volumes were printed in new translations by the NYRB Classics series

I have just started Inhuman Land published in Polish in 1951..."

Thanks for those details of Czapski’s story, which I may have known but had forgotten. His prison-camp lectures on Proust, also in NYRB, are a small marvel.

Berkley wrote: "Logger24 wrote: "I thought I would see what Christopher Clark says about this..."

I wonder if Clarke, presumably having immersed himself in the writing related to his chosen subject, assumed it was too well-known to require formal citation.

Could be – though I tend to think he might have been a bit more conscious of the generalist reader.

I for one would be very interested in your thoughts when you have finished Feuerbach, of whom I know very little.

On a different point, I’ve started on the Clark’s introduction and was struck by what may become one of his main themes: “Nothing demonstrates better than these connected upheavals and their fragmentation in modern memory the immense power of the nation-state as a way of framing the historical record.”

Yes, indeed. Sometimes we must consciously unthink this way of looking at history.