For this year’s St Valentine’s Day I decided to research the
characters depicted on one of my favourite scarves, Les Amoureux de Paris, by Maurice Tranchant. It shows a map of Paris
and images of famous lovers who lived there.
It is quite a useful scarf – it will guide you from the Gare du Nord to
the Blvd Lefevre without getting lost.
It features 23 sets of lovers, and I read up on all of
them! Rather amazing how many different
forms love relationships can take, from the frankly selfish and lust-based to
the deeply caring and enduring. One day
I hope I’ll get my act together and review the book ‘Can love last, the fate of
romance over time’, by Stephen A Mitchell, the most insightful book on the
topic I have ever come across. But until
then you will have to make do with the précis (too simplified sometimes, no
doubt) of the stories of the 46 lovers depicted on my scarf.
I have to say that many of the lovers depicted behave in extremely
silly ways, which may help explain the bad name romantic love has in some
quarters. Romantic love is not an excuse
for being idiotic and irrational, but can be the most wonderful of all
experiences if managed sensibly. But I
suppose such lovers don’t make for good stories ….
Balzac and Madame De Berny. Louise Antoinette Laure de Berny was Honore
De Balzac's first love, and a loyal and steadfast friend who had a huge
influence on his life. She was 42 when
the 22 year old Balzac fell in love with her and already a grandmother. Balzac courted her for months and in the end
they become lovers. He said of her that
‘she has been mother, sweetheart, family, friend and counsellor; she has formed
the writer, she has consoled the man, she has created my taste; she has wept
and laughed with me like a sister, she has come day after day and every day to
lull my sorrows, like a beneficent sleep.’
Chopin and George Sand.
The composer and the novelist had a famous ten year long relationship,
still much debated by their respective biographers. I won't add to their labours!
Duchesse de Langeais and A de Montriveau. La Duchesse de Langeais is a 19th
century novel by Honore de Balzac. Armand
de Montriveau, a war hero, falls in love with the Duchess Antoinette de
Langeais, a coquettish, married noblewoman who does not return his love but
plays him mercilessly. When he
eventually pretends to lose interest, she falls in love with him and makes a
fool of herself until her family pack her of to a Spanish nunnery. Montriveau who continues to love her finds the
duchess in the nunnery in the guise of a nun. However he is a bit late and only manages to
recover her corpse.
Heloise and Abelard. Almost
too universally known to attempt a precis, but here it is. Abelard was one of the greatest thinkers of
the 12th century. He seduced Heloise,
whom he was supposed to tutor. She got
pregnant, the pair secretly married, her relatives castrated Abelard, Heloise
became a nun and Abelard a monk.
Afterwards they corresponded extensively, encouraging each other in their
dedication to God and the Church.
Henry IV and La Belle Gabrielle. In 1591, Henry IV fell in love with
Gabrielle d'Estrées. Although he was
married toMarguerite de Valois, Henri and Gabrielle
were openly affectionate with each other in public. Fiercely loyal, Gabrielle accompanied Henri
during his campaigns. She was an intelligent and practical woman, and Henri
confided his secrets to her and followed her advice. Henri and Gabrielle had several children,
which Henri had legitimized by parliament.
Gabrielle became Henri’s most important diplomat, and an orator of great
brilliance.
J J Rousseau and Sophie Houdetot. The Comtesse Houdetot is mainly known for
having inspired an intense – though short-lived – love in the bosom of Jean-Jacques
Rousseau, the philosopher who argued that private property was the start of
civilization, inequality, murders and wars.
I have to say I am a bit miffed – I think he should have been paired
with Thérèse Levasseur, a seamstress he had five
children with (which he all donated to an orphanage!) and who was his domestic
partner for 33 years.
Josephine and Bonaparte.
Too well known to describe. I am not even going to try!
Julien Sorel and Madame de Renal. Stendhal’s 19th century novel the
Red and the Black describes the life of Julien Sorel who comes from a poor
family but enters society, managing to win the love of a married woman, Madame
Renal, and later of the daughter of his employer, a marquis, despite his lowly
station. He almost manages to marry this
daughter, but Madame Renal warns the marquis that Julien is a social-climbing
cad, and the wedding is off. Julien then tries to shoot Madame Renal, who survives, and, love rekindled, visits him in
jail until he is guillotined.
Lamartine and Elvire.
Alphonse de Lamartine was a writer, romantic poet, and politician of the
19th century who helped found the Second
Republic
Lauzun and La Grande Mademoiselle. Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans, Duchess of
Montpensier, known as La Grande Mademoiselle, was the eldest daughter of Gaston d'Orléans, and one of the greatest
heiresses in history. But she never
married, having only ever loved one man, the impoverished scion of a noble
family, the Duc de Lauzun – known for his wit and physical attractiveness
despite being "the smallest man god ever made”. However Louis XIV did not approve of the
proposed marriage and kicked Lauzun into the Bastille for ten years. La Grande Mademoiselle sacrificed much of her
wealth to get her beloved released, but although freed they still weren’t
allowed to marry. Lauzun courted other
women, the lovers quarrelled, and thus their love story ended.
Louise and Julien. Louise is
an opera
by Gustave Charpentier. The opera depicts Parisian working-class life,
telling the story of the love between Louise, a seamstress living with her
parents in Paris,
and Julien, a young artist. Louise’s
parents don’t approve of Julien, so the lovers run away to Montmartre and lead a free life of love and art. They love Paris as much as each other, and
after an abortive attempt of Louise’s parents to separate them live happily
ever after in their garret.
Madame de Staël and Benjamin Constant. Madame de Staël was a French woman of
letters and one of Napoleon's principal opponents. Celebrated for her conversational eloquence,
she participated actively in the political and intellectual life of her times. She had many lovers, but Benjamin Constant,
the politician and writer, was the most constant and devoted. They had a 17 year relationship, but she was
not really physically interested in him and refused to marry him many times. She had a volcanic temper and unlimited
energy, and he seems to have been a sensitive neurotic, and they managed to
make each other quite miserable. But
when she died, years after they broke up, he considered himself to be dead as
well.
Madame Recamier and
Chateaubriand. Juliette Recamier was
a great society hostess, known for her charm, beauty, and intelligence, and
many famous people attended her Salon, among them Chateaubriand, the father of
French romanticism, whose muse she became.
Whether they were lovers is much debated, they certainly never lived
together. Victor Hugo witnessed one of
their final meetings: ‘M. de
Chateaubriand, at the beginning of 1847, was a paralytic; Mme.Récamier was
blind. Every day at 3 o'clock M. de Chateaubriand was carried to Mme. Récamier's
bedside. It was touching and sad. The woman who could no longer see stretched
forth her hands gropingly towards the man who could no longer feel; their hands
met. God be praised! Life was dying, but
love still lived.’ (Hugo's Memoirs)
Manon and Des Grieux.
Des Grieux comes from noble and landed family, but forfeits his
hereditary wealth by running away with Manon. In Paris, the young lovers enjoy a short time of bliss, while Des
Grieux tries to satisfy Manon's taste for luxury. He manages to do so for a while by borrowing
and cheating, but eventually Manon leaves him for a richer man because she
cannot stand the thought of being poor.
Margarite Gautier and Armand Duval. The famous characters of the story by
Alexandre Dumas fils, The Lady of the Camellias. Although a courtesan, Margarite deeply loves
Armand and is willing to forego her luxurious lifestyle to lead a simple but
happy existence with him. But Armand’s
father convinces her that both Armand and his family will be better off if she
returns to her demi-monde life, and she sacrifices her love – and indeed her
life – for his future happiness. I read
the book as a child and was quite tear-stricken about it, especially when
Armand has her grave dug up …
Michelle Morgan and Jean Marais. Two French actors of the 20th
century. Marais played inter alia
Alexandre Dumas’ the Count of Monte Cristo, d’Artagnan and Fantômas. Of Michelle Morgan he once said that she was
the only woman he could have loved.
Michelle Morgan was a leading lady for thirty years, and starred in To
the Eyes of Memory with Marais. Whether
she returned his sentiments is not known (to me, anyway).
Mimi and Rodolphe.
Characters in the opera La Boheme by Puccini. Mimi is an embroideress and Rodolphe an
aspiring playright and they fall in love with each other in 19th
century Paris . Mimi does what she can to help Rodolphe get
his plays staged, but he keeps misinterpreting her motives, breaks up with her,
and only understands what she has done for him when she has died of
consumption.
Moliere and Armande Bejart. The playwright and the actress were
married and had three children.
Apparently Moliere had a relationship with Armande’s mother first, and
kept it up after his marriage to Armande.
Doesn’t sound all that romantic to me.
Ninon de Lenclos and Villarceaux (Louis de Mornay). The most famous of the French 17th
century courtesans,
Ninon had been forced into the role by poverty.
But she was of good birth, highly educated, intelligent, and very
beautiful, and made a success in her chose occupation – she died rich at age
82. She fell deeply in love with Louis
de Mornay, and came to live with him in the countryside. They had a son together, but eventually she
got bored and returned to Paris , to
the stimulating companionship of her former circle of poets, painters, and
philosophers.
Victor Hugo and Juliette Drouet. Around 1831 Victor Hugo's wife became
romantically involved with a well-known critic and good friend of the family, Sainte-Beuve,
and Victor fell in love with the actress Juliette Drouet, who soon became his
mistress. Drouet became his assistant
and traveling companion for the next fifty years. Hugo and Drouet wrote each other many letters,
which are graphic and passionate. Although Hugo had other liaisons, he always returned
to Juliette.
Villon and la Grosse Margot. Francois Villon is the best known French
poet of the late Middle Ages. In England
the line ‘Mais où sont les neiges d'antan’ – ‘where are the snows of yesteryear’
is the best known part of his work. La
Grosse Margot features in one of his ballads, and he as her pimp. According to the ballad they are equally
vulgar and filthy, but well suited to each other precisely because of it.
Rodin and Rose.
Auguste Rodin, the sculptor and Rose Beuret, a seamstress, were together
for most of their lives, with varying degrees of commitment. Rodin finally married Rose 53 years into
their relationship, two weeks before she died; he died later in the same
year. She supported him loyally when he
was unsuccessful, and he always returned to her, abandoning his other lovers.
Happy St Valentine's Day! May you have many more to look forward to!
