The odd dates scattered through the manuscript are derived from the French Revolutionary Calendar, a very peculiar calendar created in the aftermath of the French Revolution, to remove all traces of mythology, Roman emperors, and other things deemed non-revolutionary. In our world, it didn’t last very long—I fear it’s not actually a very good calendar—but it’s delightful and rather absurd, full of things like “Turnip Day” and “Compost Day.” I loved all the imagery and was always looking for some piece of writing to use it. (You can still buy the French Revolutionary Calendar online, and never
...more
