Tea at Trianon: A Moment for Louis On His Day

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

Friday, January 21, 2011

A Moment for Louis On His Day

Remembering Louis XVI in pictures. Share

6 comments:

May said...: The Coursacs did an interesting study of the various portraits of Louis XVI. I'm a bit chary of accepting all of their conclusions, but their work is always intriguing and contrary to stereotypes; it stimulates thought.; January 21, 2011 at 3:47:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: They did not like Marie-Antoinette, but their assessment of Louis I totally agree with.; January 21, 2011 at 4:05:00 PM EST
anothertwocents said...: If I may inquire, why do you think that Louis XVI ended the way he did. As sovereign of his own country, the decisions he made must have affected his fate?; January 21, 2011 at 10:36:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: I answer that question in my novel TRIANON.; January 21, 2011 at 10:43:00 PM EST
Brian Miles said...: anothertwocents:

Here's my two cents: Have you ever wished to uncover some long lost treasure? Open Trianon. The hidden historical riches that Mrs. Vidal reveals to us there are not to be missed. And even if you're not particularly keen on history, read Trianon anyway. To enjoy this book you need only appreciate a good story told well. Trianon is the kind of book that readers hope for and writers dream about.

Though I am not yet finished with Trianon, I especially enjoyed how Mrs. Vidal began the story. How clever to first show us the Queen through the eyes of an artist. We begin with Madame Vigee-Lebrun describing for us, with all of the characteristic insight of a master, the first impressions of the woman she would try to capture on canvas. That her work was ultimately a great success is beyond dispute; it is the kind of portrait that discloses much more than mere appearances: mystery, kindness, and strength of spirit--all of those qualities which make us sit up and say: "Ah! Who is she?" But in the end that is where even a great painter must (and probably should) leave us guessing. For the rest of the story we must turn to the master of another genre. Enter Trianon where Mrs. Vidal's pen so ably picks up where Madame Vigee-Lebrun's brush left off.

This is a story of epic tragedy and triumph; the kind of high and dangerous subjects that a lesser writer might easily make a mess of. But here there is no mess, only masterpiece; and one which brings honor and glory to the Heart which shine through on every page.; January 22, 2011 at 1:38:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Mr. Miles, thank you for the high praise!; January 22, 2011 at 3:41:00 PM EST