The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion
Sentimental Education
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Sentimental Education Week 7: Part 3 Chapters 2 and 3
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Frederic is spending almost all of his time with Rosanette, but he is not her only lover.
Arnoux is having money problems, as usual. Frederic goes to the Arnoux , but only Mme Arnoux is there. He learns the reason why she did not meet him that night, and the conversation is going smoothly when Rosanette arrives with the news that she's pregnant-but who's the father?
The time is May 1850 and politics is once more the topic of this chapter. Should Frederic run for office?
Frederic has changed. He’s been ambitious but lazy, unprincipled but proper, selfish but seductive. Now he’s a cad juggling four women. - Mlle. (Louise) Roque, a hometown teen infatuated with him who he heartlessly strings along.
- Mme. Arnoux, his obsession, who he seduces emotionally but not physically, although that too could have been.
- Rosanette, a courtesan who, after a series of other lovers, becomes his mistress, who might not be faithful but whose unborn child probably is his.*
- Mme. Dambreuse, wife of a financially and socially distinguished banker who has taken Frederic under his wing. Frederic seduces her emotionally and has every reason to expect she too will become his mistress. Frederic “did desire her as a kind of extraordinary difficult-to-acquire thing, because she was noble, because she was rich, because she was devout.” He believes that "to rise to the very top, all he needed was a woman like that one."
What does this say about Frederic? Without judging him myself, he closes this week’s reading answering that question: “ ‘I really am a beast’ — while at the same time admiring his own perversity.”
* After hearing that Rosanette is pregnant, Frederic imagines the child as girl who looks like Mme. Arnoux and him. He exclaims, "By God — we're not going to abort this kid!" His reaction is not a kindness; it is selfish as always. We already know his principals, morals, and loyalties are skin deep.
Rosemarie wrote: "Chapter 2: Frederic attends a dinner party at the Dambreuses ..."I have to admit that I found the dinner party section hard to read, and even harder to follow. I didn't spend a lot of time with it and hope I didn't miss anything important. Someone let me know if I should go back and reread that section.
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Translations are so hard to judge. In the version Gary's reading, Frederick greets the news that Rosanette's pregnant with, "By God — we're not going to abort this kid!" In the one I'm using Frederick says, "By Jove, we mustn't kill this little one!" Flaubert wrote: "Parbleu! On ne le tuera pas, ce marmot!' Of course "By Jove" has a very Victorian flavour, but then this is taking place in 1850, and like "Parbleu" it's a euphemism to avoid mentioning the Almighty. And the verb "abort" (and the French "avortir") to mean terminate a pregnancy was not used before the 20th century. "Tuer" of course means "kill" and here it's used in an impersonal construction usually translated in the passive voice in English. I posted about "marmot" befoe, but I have to grant "rugrat" will scarcely do for a foetus!. But neither will "kid"--which properly denotes a baby goat and in 1850 was gangster slang for a young desperado (like Billy the Kid). Were I translating, I'd probably have Frederick exclaim, "By heaven, they'll not kill the dear child!" But I'd by no means think I'd found le mot juste. And I miss the rugrat.
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Interesting, there's a big difference between "we won't kill" and "they won't kill". The French "on" is so useful. You say "si on prendrait un café?" for "how about if we get a coffee?" or "En Angleterre, on conduit à la gauce" for "in England, they drive on the right" or "on doit être honnête" for "one should be honest".
And I feel a difference between "mustn't kill" and the French that say s "won't kill".
Gary’s focus on that quote regarding Moreau seems to sum up this week’s section quite succinctly.I make no apologies for giving it again, as it appears in my book.
”Her pretty eyes sparkled with such intense passion that Frederic took her upon his knees and said to himself”
‘What a rascally part I am playing” while admiring his own perversity.’
No doubt in his relatively few quiet moments he is reading a biography of Byron as an instruction manual to see just how perverse he can get.
It was a masterstroke from Flaubert that just as Moreau ( I will no longer call him by his first name, he no longer deserves it) is described descending into his pit of debauchery, he reintroduces, if only for a moment, his friend Deslauriers.
Deslaurier’s attempt to do something decent for the ‘working man’ resulted in his own humiliation both physically and emotionally. When comparing the two I almost felt like despising Moreau, whose money might have been helpful to Deslauriers but still seemed like a slap in the face or at least a push in the back to send him on his way.
Louise might have been a good wife for Moreau but she is much better off without him and hopefully she will forget him and find someone who deserves her love and attentions.
Moreau’s attentions towards Madame Arnoux have wrecked her life as well, only making her miserable and causing her to become increasing antagonistic towards her husband.
‘…..He (Moreau) had made her very unhappy in order to avenge himself on her with his own shame.’
But it is with Rosanette and Madame Dambreuse that Moreau is now playing with fire. Both of them are far more experienced in life and the intrigues of society passions than Moreau.
Moreau’s admiration for himself, his perversity and the way he has these women falling at his feet might become a little dangerous.
Madame Dambreuse has taken up Moreau, but surely he was her second choice and her passion for him is that of a woman on the rebound. Her manipulation of him at the dinner party revealed to me that the lady is in command. But is there something more she wants from him?
As for Rosanette, Rosemary’s question about paternity is very appropriate. Rosanette needs someone to support her and she has determined that Moreau is best placed to do that. However, her roaming lothario doesn’t seem to have the best emotional credentials for fatherhood. Rosanette has already destroyed his attempted reconciliation with Madame Arnoux. Will she act in any way to sour his relationship with Madame Dambreuse?
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What will he do when the fountain runs dry?
Frederic attends a dinner party at the Dambreuses, along with Baron Cissy, Madame Arnoux and other friends. The conversation is varied, including discussion of the duel, and, of course, politics.
While Frederic is at the party, Louise, accompanied by Catherine, goes to Frederic's house and is disappointed to discover he's not there.