Camus' teen goth Saint-Just...

[victoriavandal.livejournal.com]

Another query - does anyone know the source, if any, for Albert Camus' description of Saint-Just (presumably while a law student) living in a room with black walls with teardrop patterns and the shutters closed? This sounds too teen-angsty to be true, but would be wonderful if it was (reminds me of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, when in a fit of depression he paints his bedroom black but Noddy's bells keep showing through!). Camus mentions it in the Saint-Just chapter of 'The Rebel'.

Comments

[livviebway.livejournal.com]

I wonder how on earth Charles Nodier would know. It's not as though Saint-Just poured out his teenage decorating secrets in the brief time they met.

...Ahhh romantic historians.

[sneerbite.livejournal.com]

Well, quite. And as I seem to recall, Nodier claimed a lot of dubious things about this meeting, if it ever indeed took place, as well. LOL. Good stuff.

As I said, I am still not sure that Nodier is the origin of this rumour, but I must defend Michelet in any case, as I am sure he did not make it up himself, but merely - perhaps rather foolishly - took it from somebody else.

[victoriavandal.livejournal.com]

Well, I suppose about nine-tenths of the stuff ever written about the revolution is fiction, so I think he can be excused because it's so gloriously gothic!

[livviebway.livejournal.com]

*So* true.

[sneerbite.livejournal.com]

Saint-Jules is excused any day in my book, for being one of the first to conduct large-scale archival research on the French Revolution. : ) Also, he nearly bled to death writing its history - that man had nothing left at the end! LOL.

I suppose the temptation of goth was just too much in this particular case - especially in relation to Saint-Just, whom he found so very overwhelming. Smirk.