You know, much as I don't want to think about it, there probably was at least an element of that to it.
Even the dogs do not come out of this novel feeling clean. Poor Brount.
I don't understand what it is with people finding Camille so pretty.
Camille wasn't good looking. He said he wasn't good looking, his wife said he wasn't good looking, the contemporaries Claretie interviewed said he wasn't good looking. Camille=/=good looking.
I think his brush with being the star of 19th century romantic interpretations probably improved his looks a fair bit. Then PoGS came along and gave him a further upgrade, possibly because despite its pretensions it is really a soft-core bodice-ripper with good quality writing, and you can't be the star of such a work unless you are supremely attractive.
Maybe it's because it fits so well with the ridiculous narrative of Camille and Saint-Just vying for Robespierre's soul or some such nonsense -
I think it might be even less than this, because conversely Saint-Just gets a beauty downgrade. He's got a funny chin. He's a bit athletic but nothing special. (I can't find the exact quote). I have a grim feeling it's as simple as Good Guy = Good looking Bad Guy = ugly.
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regna
(no subject)
Date: Tuesday, 1 June 2010 07:01 (UTC)Even the dogs do not come out of this novel feeling clean. Poor Brount.
I don't understand what it is with people finding Camille so pretty.
Camille wasn't good looking. He said he wasn't good looking, his wife said he wasn't good looking, the contemporaries Claretie interviewed said he wasn't good looking. Camille=/=good looking.
I think his brush with being the star of 19th century romantic interpretations probably improved his looks a fair bit. Then PoGS came along and gave him a further upgrade, possibly because despite its pretensions it is really a soft-core bodice-ripper with good quality writing, and you can't be the star of such a work unless you are supremely attractive.
Maybe it's because it fits so well with the ridiculous narrative of Camille and Saint-Just vying for Robespierre's soul or some such nonsense -
I think it might be even less than this, because conversely Saint-Just gets a beauty downgrade. He's got a funny chin. He's a bit athletic but nothing special. (I can't find the exact quote). I have a grim feeling it's as simple as Good Guy = Good looking Bad Guy = ugly.