The Vulgar Eclectic

Vulgar: of the usual, typical, or ordinary kind
Eclectic: composed of elements drawn from various sources

definitions courtesy of Merriam-Webster

recent blog posts

• The Life of a Simple Man by Émile Guillaumin

  Here is a book jot from February, 2021:

  I just finished reading The Life of a Simple Man, written by Émile Guillaumin and published in 1904 (translated by Margaret Holden; revised translation by Margaret Crosland). It is a fictional memoir about Tiennon, a peasant born in 1823 in rural France. He tells the story of his life in a straightforward manner that often exhibits a certain lyricism. Tiennon, although fairly isolated in the countryside, lives through many changes in his society.

  I enjoy reading about this period of time; one of my favorite books is The Debacle by Emile Zola, which takes place during the Franco-Prussian war. This event also occurs during the course of this book, and it is interesting to get more context from a peasant’s point of view. It is a convincing story that chronicles many episodes of Tiennon’s life, the sad and the happy intertwining in his thoughtful reflections.

  “It seems to me that the true duty of each person lies in this very simple line of conduct: to work honestly, to cause sorrow to none, to help when we have a chance, and to come to the aid of the poor and suffering. If we conform to that as nearly as possible, I believe we need fear nothing either here or elsewhere.“

  

• The Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier by Jakob Walter

  I finished reading The Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier by Jakob Walter (edited and with an introduction by Marc Raeff). This was an amazing read. The author was a German stonemason who was conscripted into Napoleon’s Grande Armée and served in multiple campaigns during the Napoleonic Wars, including the ill-fated 1812 Russian campaign.

  At some point after his military service, Walter hand-wrote his memoir, stitched the pages together, and eventually passed it on to one of his sons in 1856 (the edition I read was published in 1991). He wrote with great facility, producing a work that is descriptive, moving, and often terrifying. Although some works written by educated officers exist, Walter’s book seems to be the only example of a memoir detailing the disastrous retreat from Moscow penned by a common soldier.

  In the face of slaughter, starvation, and extreme cold, the will to survive felt and acted out by ordinary people is profoundly illustrated. This was a most memorable read and several of the haunting scenes will stay long in my memory.

  “From Smolensk to Moshaisk the war displayed its horrible work of destruction: all the roads, fields, and woods lay as though sown with people, horses, wagons, burned villages and cities; everything looked like the complete ruin of all that lived.”

  

• Took a Walk in the Dirty Rain

  

  

• The Pioneers by James Fenimore Cooper

  I just finished reading The Pioneers (1823) by James Fenimore Cooper. Although the fourth and penultimate volume in the narrative chronology of The Leatherstocking Tales, it was the first published.

  I had a wonderful time reading this chapter of the life of Natty Bumppo. The reader feels as if they are adventuring along with him and Chingachgook in the woods and mountains, always assured of Hawkeye’s simple good nature and deep friendship.

  Like the other novels in this series, the reader is introduced to and gets to know a number of characters, as well as the landscape in which the plot unfolds. The tension between the old ways and the new (in the form of European settlement) is a strong undercurrent running throughout the narrative. There is much humor, often at the expense of a few of the characters, as well as pathos, sadness, and a certain steadfastness. The ending is moving, especially having read the previous books; the last scene is just as it should be.

  “The meanest of God’s creatures be made for some use, and I’m formed for the wilderness. If ye love me, let me go where my soul craves to be agin!”

  

• La Princesse Lointaine (The Princess Far-Away) by Edmond Rostand

  I just finished reading La Princesse Lointaine (The Princess Far-Away) by Edmond Rostand (translated by Charles Renauld), first published in 1895, and I loved it. I stumbled across this play and went into it knowing practically nothing about the play or the author. It’s superbly crafted and I was drawn into it almost immediately.

  Rostand perfectly blends romanticism with a sense of realism to create a deeply affecting story. The language is beautiful, the characters sharply drawn and memorable. One quickly sees a representation of the romantic ideal, but I also read it as something akin to Viktor Frankl’s existential diagnosis of life and the need to find or create a source of meaning.

  “I love grand hopes and dreams with limit none; 
  I envy too the fate of Icarus, 
  Who sought above the purer breath of life! 
  And, if I fall to-day as fall did he, 
  I love no less the cause for which I die.”

  

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