A Classical French Romance

Captain Fracasse by Théophile Gautier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'd never heard of this novel or the author before I took a chance on the book, but I'm glad I did (take a chance, I mean). I liked it quite a bit.

Written in a style similar to Sir Walter Scott or Alexandre Dumas, this historical romance tells the story of an impoverished nobleman, the baron de Sigognac, who who walks away from his crumbling chateau to survive as an actor in a troop, hoping he may find some way to improve his family's fortunes. Along the way, he falls in love with a beautiful, sweet young actress named Isabelle. Though she loves him back, she refuses to consider marrying him as her place in society is too low and would compromise the dignity of his position. He accepts her answer but does not give up hope, and he continues to travel and perform with the troop so that he can be near her.

The actors have some success, but the young woman's beauty draws the attention of an unscrupulous nobleman, Vallombreuse, who tries to seduce her. When she rejects him and de Sigognac defends her honor in a duel, injuring Vallombreuse, he instead attempts to have the baron killed. His lackeys fail in numerous attempts, though they eventually succeed in kidnapping the young woman.

The resolution is satisfying and entertaining, which is about all one can hope for in such novels, though the character of Vallombreuse is redeemed a bit too much for my taste. However, the affecting scenes with de Sigognac's loyal cat, dog, and horse, left behind through most of the action and reunited in the end, seemed rather modern, and I liked that touch.

On my scale, I'd say it falls just short of "awesome" but is nicely ensconced in the "very good" range, and I recommend it for those who like Scott or Dumas and would like to read another novel kinda like that set in 1600s France.

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The French OG of Science Fiction. Not too bad, all in all

20000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This will not be everyone's cup of tea, but I rather enjoyed it.

In most ways, it's a slower and smaller novel than I expected. My only experience with it is cultural references and a vague memory of a Disney (I think?) version that I saw as a kid. It is an adventure novel to some extent, but it is much more a book of wonders.

Some of Lovecraft's work is like this; traveling to Antarctica to find amazing ruins, following the protagonists as they explore the site, while experiencing very little plot development is a lot like this novel. We see amazing things under the sea, like tourists, and don't ask for a lot of plot. (Some Elizabethan theater is like this, IMO--Marlowe's Tamburlaine has a thin plot but is full of spectacle and action; Greene's Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay shows the audience magical marvels just for the fun of it; and many other plays of the time seem to focus on what would just be fun to see without so much concern for plots and subplots.) So--that's cool, then. It's one station along the development of science fiction. "Imagine being in this very strange place." Then you show it to an audience or describe it for your readers and it's like a little trip.

It's just our generation that want's more story in it. I mean, there is some, of course; there are conflicts and subplots. But really, the star is what's going on around them under the water.

It's not that long ago I finally read Dracula and had the same sense of closure after finishing it, the same sensation of, "Oh, I see, that's how it goes." It's a pleasure to come at the original at last and know it for myself instead of through cultural intermediaries.

Also, the anti-colonial theme was interesting. I didn't realize that was there. Seems a little ahead of its time.

So--a bit slow and not terribly exciting, so probably not fun for many readers. But I liked it. :)

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