Tea at Trianon: Another Meme

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Another Meme

Alexandra tagged me.

What I was doing 10 years ago:
The first edition of Trianon had just been published, so I was going to book signings and speaking at ladies' clubs. I was also writing and researching Madame Royale.

Five Snacks I enjoy:
I don't really snack.

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Donate to my favorite charities and help some people who have serious debt. Then buy a house in the country, one with room for all of our books.

Five jobs that I have had:
Babysitting, teaching, helping the elderly, retail, writing.

Three of my bad habits:
1. Accumulating clutter.
2.Staying up too late.
3. Reading too many books at once.

Five places I have lived:
Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Germany, France
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6 comments:

Anonymous said...: *sigh* I envy anyone who goes to France. By the way, I love your blog. I love the history and Marie Antoinette. I think I have an unnatural obsession with it all. Anywho, kudos on the blog! (sorry to sound so "rushed"); April 10, 2008 at 6:43:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Thank you for your kind words and I am glad that you are enjoying the blog!; April 10, 2008 at 7:15:00 PM EDT
Brantigny said...: Would you name your home?

Trianon Vidal perhaps?; April 11, 2008 at 9:09:00 AM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: I don't know, Richard; it would have a lot to do with the landscape.; April 11, 2008 at 9:16:00 AM EDT
Alexandra said...: Thanks for playing. :0 I can relate to your bad habits. I've four books on the nightstand all half read, and clutter is a real problem here. I think I've exhasuted myself cleaning out the house of clutter these past few months.; April 25, 2008 at 10:15:00 AM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Clutter...don't even mention it!!; April 25, 2008 at 10:17:00 AM EDT