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THE CHINA MAIL, JANUARY 8, 1988.

THE PASQUIER CHRONICLES

I month should appear the trans- passion for viewing his characters eldest of business, and the elder

:

his

CLEOPATRA

Cleopatra. By Emil Ludwig. Allen and Unwin. 128. 6d.

:'

-

the

Pasquier Chronicles By whom the whole cycle revolves) qualified as a doctor, is as feckless. Georges Duhamel. Translated by Bea- show that altruism and individal- and egotistic as trice de Holthoir Dent. 108: 60.

ever, and his ism are not always incompatible, mother is still the "saint of the One inevitable result of this little things of life." Joseph, the Tis a coincidence that in one

brother, has started as the lation of a further instalment of dows them all with exceptionally sister, Cecile, has developed into

This is an era of biographical Jules Romains's "Men of Good vivid lives of their own. Though the musical genius already fore- and it is difficult to decide at times novels and novelistic biographies, Will" and what is apparently the they present different types of in- shadowed. The next volume, "St. complete edition of Duhamel's "Pas- dividuality they are more than John's Eve," presents us with the cular work is to be fitted without into which hybrid category a parti- quier Chronicles" for the two mere types, for they are all in- continuation of the history through authors have much in common in tensely real. And by being so real the eyes of Justin Welll. The main

undue strain of critical canons. their writing and both of them themselves they make their back themes here are two unsuccessful

Herr Ludwig claims that, though played a considerable part, ground all the more real. M. loves, that of Laurent for a fellow-

in his life of Cleopatra "the limit (Duhamel, indeed, being joint Duhamel himself' remarks that student

of the historical novel is reached, and that founder with Vildrac)

of Justin for in the es "the Pasquier history sometimes Cecile. We

it has nowhere been overstepped," are tablishment of the

also shown the Abbaye-a community which of the century." It is in fact more of business, with some sidelights graphical accessories, he may re- community of gives us a glimpse of the history Joseph's long strides in the world and, having furnished his work with an index and other solemn bio- seems to have suggested the com- than a glimpse, and although we on munity at Bievre, whose vicissitudes see

methods. There are it through the eyes of his also some further sidelights on the frivolities of fiction. Yet Herr sent its being included among the are described in the last of the five characters and so sometimes get a amoralism of Raymond Pasquier. Ludwig himself has been one of volumes which ́ ́ ́ make up the distorted view, yet it is not neces- With this volume the sequence of Chronicles. Both, too, have been sarily a false one. A distorting the story really ends, for those who have been most active loosely labelled "unanimistes," mirror, if we recognise it for what House in the Desert," as we have borderline, and though, as he also

in pushing biography over though Duhamel rejects the label it is, may misrepresent but it does said, tells of an experiment in com- altogether and Romains only ac- not deceive.

munal living for which Justin points out, in "Cleopatra" he has cepts it with reservations, and This aspect of the Chronicles as Weill is largely responsible. In the

refrained from taking the liberty both find their material in the life a piece of social history applies end individualism of the man in

of putting supposititious speeches the street, though more to the first four novels than communuity (as well

breaks up the into the mouths of his historical their methods may seem vastly dif- to the

as the im- ferent. Duhamel, indeed, will pro- from Havre," we follow the for- although Laurent himself, the least long and fanciful soliloquies in last. In the first,"Newe practicability of their schemes), personages and there is little or no conversation in his pages, the "bably find a readier audience in tunes of Laurent Pasquier's family whole-hearted of

England, for his work is less gar- from 1889

a community which his characters are allowed to to 1893 Raymond, his which he had chiefly joined out of gantuan in scale, his narrative bombastic father, and his patient friendship for Justin, is actually balance on the side of fiction. True, indulge would seem to tip the more systematic and coherent, and mother, the childhood of his the last to abandon it. his characters far more sympa- brothers and sister, and their strug-

he draws his facts from the ancient thetic. He is essentially an indi- gle to make both ends meet, buoy- vidualism rounds off the story, as no episode,

In a sense this triumph of indi- historians and may have invented vidualist, which is a refreshing ed up by the hope of a legacy far as ideas go, though it leaves he has certainly let his imagina- but, psychologically, change in a world too prone to which is mortgaged before it ar the narrative of events very much tion run riot, and he has tricked bow down to those arbitrary ab- rives. “Caged Beasts" covers the in the air, and one might deduce out his story in all the highly col- stractions the community and the adolescence of the children, of from the prelude to volume 4 that oured flummery of what may be State; and his characters all stand. Laurent in particular and for different aspects of individual- friendship with the Jew

his there is really more to come. We called the Hollywood school of bio- ism. As might be expected, the Weill. With volume 3, "In Sight of apart from some unreality in the said for his latest work is that he Justin should welcome it, if it were so, for, graphers. The best that can be worst of them are arrant egotists, the Promised Land," we reach 1900. dialogue, which may be due rather has turned the fragmentary records but the best of them (among whom Laurent is a medical student, his to the translator than to the of Cleopatra's life which Plutarch is the Laurent Pasquier round father, though he has somehow author, the whole book is a remark- and other writers have left us into |able and fascinating piece of work. coherent narrative. But, unfor- As a French critic has remarked, tunately, Herr Ludwig has a cliche- Duhamel has a particular skill in ridden mind which would seem to making intelligible the reflections accept unquestioningly all the of the inner life and in investing falsities of facile popular generali- the most insignificant with the halo

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NIPPON YUSEN KAISHA King's Building.

of human brotherhood; this wasons, and his literary style has

the tawdry flashiness and the

said of an earlier work, but it re- meretricious smartness that We mains equally true of the Chroni- associate with the cheapest journ cles,

THE

alism.

WORLD GOES BY

By "ULYSSES"

WWE have it on the best authority that Jewellery verged on the indecent.

it's darned hard to be a good girl. Although, as the book accurately nowadays.

The implication is that it gets harder every year: that it was pretty easy be- fore the war, and that last century it was just ho trouble at all.

We're not so sure. We have been glancing at excerpts from “The Behn- viour Book, a Manual for Ladies," pub- lished in 1853. It was a tough job, being a lady, even then.

Starting with food: upon being seat ed at the table, "unfold your napkin and secure it to the belt of your dress with a pin, to prevent it from slipping. This may be done so that the pinning will not be perceptible.

"Bring with you a spare pin or two for the purpose. Or, better still, keep always a pin-cushion in your pocket?"

Muffled up in her napkin, the good girl of the 'fifties could neither eat salt fish ("the odour is now considered en- tirely ungenteel"), gnaw bones, or men- tion the word stomach, except when "conversing with a physician, private-

ly

points out, "the practice of enclosing letters in envelopes is now universal," any girl aiming at refinement is most strongly advised not to write to anyone to whom she is. not closely related or actually betrothed..

the letter may "show the superscrip

The reason is that the recipient of tion, or the signature, or both, to his idle companions, and make insinuations much to her disadvantage."

Even in the excerpts quoted by the "New Current Digest we detect a fine stern note about the whole book which makes us wish that it could be reprint- ed for the Modern Girl

Of drink, it remarks crisply: "It is not customary for the lady to empty her glass.

If she should, as somebody's guest, find insects in the bed (referred to in the book as a "visitation") the mistress must on no account be complained to.

"Confide the fact to the chambermaid only. She will attend to the matter the more readily if you promise her a Should she be partaking of the re-reward in the event of complete suc- past with a gentleman acquaintance, he ceas.". mast on no account be allowed to pay Those were the days. You certainly for the meal. She must deposit her had to be tough to be good, There was whack of the damage into the hand of no compromise, no quibbling. the gentleman previous to their depar- Another distinguished writer, Lady ture

Gough, echoed the spirit of the Manual a few years later when she wrote: "The woman perfect hostess will see to it that the works of male and female authors be will properly separated on their book-

roximity. nless they happen married, should not be tolerated.” Ladies of the 'fifties, we salute you.

an

Nothing in life was free, because no "truly modest and dignified would incur, such obhgations

Similarly,-"no gent! offer her anything more than a bouquet, a book, one or two aut tinguished: PETBUHH, ONE mementoes of memorable

and