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Dec. 26th, 2003 03:46 pmWent for blood work this morning. Then spent several hours putting things in boxes and throwing stuff away. And am now crashing.
Tempted to go watch Notre-Dame de Paris again, but figure 'twould be more productive to read the book (which got for Christmas).
Also, Renstore.com gift certificate arrived in mail today, for $100. With catalogue, which poked through for all of about twelve seconds before finding what wanted to buy--black-lined black twill bodice for $50 (cheapest had seen it elsewhere was renaissancedress.com for 70), and full black skirt for $75. So goes a bit over, but can pay $25 much easier than would be able to pay $125.
Victor Hugo is officially uberspifty. He was part of a committee for the conservation of mideival architecture, and was, like me, more of a culturalist than a straight historian--while fascinated with the esoteric minutae of bygone ages, he tended to practice "creative chronology". *droolage* *adds to list of Inspirations*
Il est venu le temps de cathédrales
Le monde est entré
Dans un nouveau millénaire
L'homme a voulu monter ver les étoiles
Ecrire son histoire
Dans le verre ou dans le pierre
Il a foutu le temps de cathédrales
La foule des barbares
Est aux portes de la ville
Laissez entrer ces païens, ces vandales
La fin de ce monde
Est prévue pour l'an deux mille
Est prévue pour l'an deux mille !
Apparently, Pierre Gringoire was a real person. He'd be 7 in 1482, so he has nothing to do with Gringoire the troubadour narrator dude. Nicolas Flamel was also apparently a real person, and indeed a real wannabe alchemist. Now the question becomes, How many Harry Potter fans catch any of the historical and mythological references Rowling makes? Props to J.K. for doing that much research for a children's book. (And props as well to Bruno Pelletier for managing to be manly-looking while playing a gay troubadour in thick black eyeliner and heavily styled long hair. I prefer not-manly people, but that's still quite impressive.)
Random linguistic connection that makes me happy:
IIRC, when Karl Marx outlined the various economic systems, he did it as a progression--we would go through capitalism, into communism and finally into anarchy. Since it was a predicted progression and not a call for installation, it was, from his POV, the destiny of the human race to eventually hit anarchy. The Greek word "Anarkia" means "destiny", not anything to do with government or lack thereof whatsoever. Le mot grec "Anarkia" veut dire "Fatalité", as Frollo informs Gringoire in his annoying Frollo-y chant.
And, a completely superfluous point, whilst watching with my mother, she wanted to know what fatalité meant, and asked if it meant death (evidently connecting it not with "fate" but with "fatal", which then itself has root "fate" if I'm not mistaken). And it is our destiny to eventually die. This brings me back to archaic English, in which the term "doom" once merely meant "fate" or "destiny" without the connotation of a horrible ending.
Au revoir,
-Claudia
Tempted to go watch Notre-Dame de Paris again, but figure 'twould be more productive to read the book (which got for Christmas).
Also, Renstore.com gift certificate arrived in mail today, for $100. With catalogue, which poked through for all of about twelve seconds before finding what wanted to buy--black-lined black twill bodice for $50 (cheapest had seen it elsewhere was renaissancedress.com for 70), and full black skirt for $75. So goes a bit over, but can pay $25 much easier than would be able to pay $125.
Victor Hugo is officially uberspifty. He was part of a committee for the conservation of mideival architecture, and was, like me, more of a culturalist than a straight historian--while fascinated with the esoteric minutae of bygone ages, he tended to practice "creative chronology". *droolage* *adds to list of Inspirations*
Il est venu le temps de cathédrales
Le monde est entré
Dans un nouveau millénaire
L'homme a voulu monter ver les étoiles
Ecrire son histoire
Dans le verre ou dans le pierre
Il a foutu le temps de cathédrales
La foule des barbares
Est aux portes de la ville
Laissez entrer ces païens, ces vandales
La fin de ce monde
Est prévue pour l'an deux mille
Est prévue pour l'an deux mille !
Apparently, Pierre Gringoire was a real person. He'd be 7 in 1482, so he has nothing to do with Gringoire the troubadour narrator dude. Nicolas Flamel was also apparently a real person, and indeed a real wannabe alchemist. Now the question becomes, How many Harry Potter fans catch any of the historical and mythological references Rowling makes? Props to J.K. for doing that much research for a children's book. (And props as well to Bruno Pelletier for managing to be manly-looking while playing a gay troubadour in thick black eyeliner and heavily styled long hair. I prefer not-manly people, but that's still quite impressive.)
Random linguistic connection that makes me happy:
IIRC, when Karl Marx outlined the various economic systems, he did it as a progression--we would go through capitalism, into communism and finally into anarchy. Since it was a predicted progression and not a call for installation, it was, from his POV, the destiny of the human race to eventually hit anarchy. The Greek word "Anarkia" means "destiny", not anything to do with government or lack thereof whatsoever. Le mot grec "Anarkia" veut dire "Fatalité", as Frollo informs Gringoire in his annoying Frollo-y chant.
And, a completely superfluous point, whilst watching with my mother, she wanted to know what fatalité meant, and asked if it meant death (evidently connecting it not with "fate" but with "fatal", which then itself has root "fate" if I'm not mistaken). And it is our destiny to eventually die. This brings me back to archaic English, in which the term "doom" once merely meant "fate" or "destiny" without the connotation of a horrible ending.
Au revoir,
-Claudia
