Why does this exist?

[montagnarde1793]

I repeat: Why does this exist?

http://revolutioninfiction.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/trompe-l%e2%80%99oeil-imagery-irma-ou-les-malheurs-d%e2%80%99une-jeune-orpheline/

I don't mean the blog, though I haven't yet read anything I thought was particularly insightful, despite the linkage from revolution-francaise.net.

First of all, why does the novel exist in the first place? (Don't answer that. There are probably several decent historical explanations for the phenomenon that is this book, but that would require a good deal more thought and research than a livejournal post has a right to demand.)  ...Stupid royalists.

Second, and perhaps more importantly, why on earth does the author of the post on it seem to find nothing wrong with or even internalize the book's discourse? If you think the best definition for Robespierre is "the infamous terrorist," you should really have a better explanation than, Royalists circa 1800 thought he was demonic! I mean, am I the only one who thinks that analyzing this book as historical evidence for what royalists either believed or wanted others to believe or somesuch c. 1800 about the Revolution and Robespierre might be slightly more useful than uncritically accepting the book's premise while patting oneself on the back for noticing a demonic face (not-so-)hidden in one of the illustrations?

...Any overreaction, real or perceived, is probably due to sleep deprivation.

And some advice: Never buy cookie dough if you are not planning on actually baking the cookies. It's just a very bad idea, trust me.

Comments

[estellacat.livejournal.com]

The sad thing is, these people are professors. Literature professors, for the most part (which explains a lot), but still. Critical thinking - and imparting the ability and desire to think critically to their students - is part of their job description.

I don't blame you; it's delicious. I'm just kind of paranoid about food poisoning ever since my sister read me an account of a kid who ate raw meat on a dare and... basically all his internal organs imploded and he died a horrible death. So. >.>;