Tea at Trianon: Today at 3:00 pm...

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

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Today at 3:00 pm...

I will be on BlogTalkRadio today 3pm Eastern Time, talking about Marie-Antoinette. To quote:

Welcome to Episode 2 of Tea at Trianon Radio, dedicated to discussing the life and times of Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France and Navarre. Your hostess is Elena Maria Vidal, the author of four historical novels, including Trianon and Madame Royale. In this our second broadcast we will again be talking about the truth behind the legend of Queen Marie-Antoinette's alleged romance with the Swede Count Axel von Fersen. The legend has been featured in novels, films and even many works of non-fiction. But is there any historical evidence of an affair? Did the Queen really love Fersen? What were her feelings for her husband Louis XVI? Such questions and more will be explored based upon scholarship, both old and new. We will not be taking calls today but do email Elena a question or a comment at emvidal@planetrussell.net. And what are the 3 rules? Be polite, be polite, be polite.

Tea at Trianon Radio is brought to you by Mayapple Books in St. Michaels, Maryland, dedicated to publishing Modern Classics. Please visit Mayapple Books. Much of what we will be discussing today can be found on Elena's Tea at Trianon Blog and will also be included in her new non-fiction book on Marie-Antoinette entitled Marie-Antoinette, Daughter of the Caesars, to be published in September 2015 by Mayapple Books.