Final Paper!

Final paper!

"The Prostitute and Modernity"
https://docs.google.com/open?id=1LMZx8Lhxksepmh4f02-1fQhYsCTX_M28tk-HWZmnWoRCvFxKueXIdwvHqD8V

Day 27

So I have a new paper topic! Just got it approved. I'm going to do.... wait for it... "the courtesan." Yup, that's a nice word for a prostitute. It should be a pretty good topic, though, because there are lots of artistic representations of prostitutes and brothels from this time. Degas, Manet, etc, were all captivated with this image, probably because it evoked the decadence of the age, as well as captured the objectification of women during this time. ANYWAY, Professor Bloch liked the idea, so we'll see how it goes.

Today I read a lot of Le Grand Meaulnes, our last full book. I liked it a lot, but I kept waiting for something to happen! The prose was beautiful, but it was very melodramatic and eerie, as though something was about to happen, but I just finished it, and nothing really did! I'm guessing Professor Bloch will argue that it's evocative of the gulf between imagination and reality that Proust went on and on about in Swann in love. Apparently, Proust thought that the "idea" of something was always better than the reality. He found reality so disappointing that he spent the last eighteen years of his life in his bedroom.

So I just saw Mrs. Mosley! She's here visiting Anne, and she told me to say hi. She's leaving on Monday, so she'll just miss you, but she wants to get together with me some time this weekend. Anyway, I've just finished the book, and I'm going to try and start researching my new topic now.

It's Chris's birthday today! I just sent the girls another postcard.

<3

Day 26

Today we went to the Musee d'Orsay for the second excursion of the week. We had a proper guided tour, which was very interesting, but was a bit tough to get through considering we'd just spent 4 hours in a 90-degree classroom, and I'd spent all morning doing the writing assignment.

Anyway, I found my camera cord, so here's the photos from yesterday's excursion. Rodin was a sculpter who did some very strange sculptures. I was more interested in the beautiful rose garden!

I thought the last photo was rather artistic, no?

I'm trying to find a new paper topic :-( Apparently I misunderstood the prompt-- we have to choose an object or an image and argue why that particular thing is symbolic of the Belle Epoque. ... Grrrrrrr.

Day 25

I can't find my camera cord :-( so I can't show you pictures of the Musee Rodin, where we went on our excursion today.

We had a very long lunch and quite a bit of red wine at le Petit Lutetitia.

I'm making no progress whatsoever on my paper.

Now for a few petty rants: You've been warned!

I haven't been able to do pilates in over a week because Isabelle's always in the room.

I'm sick of the security guards here, who are really nasty. You have to "check out" plates and silverware from them and give them your ID as a "deposit." If you leave the cafeteria to go to the bathroom, the guard's like "Where's your plate? You must return your plate!" in such a bossy, condescending voice. It drives me crazy. I'm like, "I haven't finished eating yet... sorry."

You can leave stuff in the fridge, but it has to be labeled on special St. John's labels with your name, school, and the date. The residential advisors (who are in their twenties and really rude and don't care about us at all) go through the fridge every day and throw out anything they feel like throwing out, regardless of whether it's near its expiration date.

The other students here all have really thick Southern accents. They take over the cafeteria, which is the only common area, and I can't even eat dinner in peace without having to listen to their gossip. We also see them coming down the slippery, spiral staircase every night in sky-high sequined stiletto heels. They wake me up when they come back at 3 AM, drunk.

Laundry here is 2 Euros for a wash cycle and 2 Euros for a dry cycle. The machines only take "tokens." The token machine only takes 2-euro coins. The machines only accept the special detergent squares that the front desk distributes. You have to show them your tokens before getting your pitiful little square. But God forbid you ask for any extra detergent to hand-wash other clothes!

The door into St. John's looks like it's automatic, but it's actually not. The only person who can open it is the security guard. When he/she goes to the bathroom, you can't exit or enter the building. Similarly, when he/she is taking a cigarette break, which is ALWAYS. Oh, and god forbid you ask for a plate after she has just given another person a plate, because she'll scold you for making her stand up and walk 10 steps to get the second plate. Please. She could use the exercise...

If you lose your key to Saint John's, you have to pay a fine of 100 euros.

If you lose your ID to Saint John's, they won't let you in the building, and someone else has to look for it for you, even if they've been seeing you go in and out for weeks now.

The hallways are always dark.

There is a crucifix in each room, and in each hallway.

Overall, it's functional but unfriendly. The different school groups don't speak to each other.

Days 23-24

Reading list for Tuesday's class is:

Lafcadio's Adventures by Andre Gide
Ubu Roi by Alfred Jarry
Vengeance of a Woman by Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly

Lots of reading! Tried to meet up with Guadaloupe and MJ yesterday but it didn't go so well.

Lots of reading and errands. Frustrated that my professor doesn't seem to like my research topic, because I've already spent a lot of time finding sources and starting to take notes.

Planning to talk to him on Tuesday after class.

Hope the new house is great! Can't wait to see it.

Day 22

Today, me, Isabelle, Camille, Zana, Grace, Otis and Eleanor went to Versailles.

We took the Metro for a few stops, then transferred over to the RER. We got to the Versailles train station after about an hour.

By the way, French advertisements are WEIRD. Here's one for Orangina that we see everywhere:

Anyway, we bought our (very expensive) tickets online beforehand, so we were able to skip the atrocious lines. We still had to queue for almost an hour to go through security though. Here's a picture of the palace from the bottom of the hill in the town. You can't really see the whole thing. It's absolutely ginormous.

The palace itself is about what I'd expected. Just room after room of mindboggling luxury. Everything inch was gilded.

Isabelle kindly took a few pictures of me!

Anyway, the real surprise-- and the one that kept us there all day-- was the gardens. Looking out from the palace, there's a vista that goes for miles. But what we didn't realize at first was that the Versailles estate goes for 8 million square meters and includes two other palaces-- the Grand Trianon and the Petit Trianon-- and THEIR respective gardens.

Here's an aerial photograph taken from HALFWAY DOWN the vista, looking back at the palace (found this online.)

 And here's the rest of the vista:

On either side you've got manicured gardens with hedges hundreds of feet high

We found lots of little nooks

And had a picnic in the less manicured part of the grounds

It just kept going... and going... and going...  I think we spent about five hours walking in the grounds. Everywhere there were gorgeous flower beds and busts of famous people, fountains, and Grecian-looking stone structures. The two other palaces were like mini versions of Versailles, though their interior decor was far less gilded. We learned that those palaces were built as "recreational residences" for the King. Huh? As if Versailles wasn't luxurious enough! I suppose his ministers didn't follow him when he went there.

Anyway, it was a LONNGGGGG day. I was ready to leave a few hours into exploring the gardens. My legs were sore, and my capacity for wonder was diminishing. It was just so overwhelming! Anyway, I'm really glad that we went. It was quite a spectacle.

Day 21

Saw Jo and her friend this afternoon! We had a drink in the gardens in front of the Louvre. It was great catching up and hearing about how things are going in England.

I'm afraid the rest of the day was miserable, but I'm not comfortable writing about it on here. Love to all.

Oh, btw, this is a picture of my class, and the guy with the white hair is Professor Bloch. Also, I am standing on my tip-toes in this picture and I'm still shorter than almost everyone. The girl in the green floral dress, second from the left, is Isabelle.

Day 20

Had an early start today because I had to finish the writing assignment before class. Class was long but interesting. We heard oral presentations about the Universal Expositions and the construction of the Metro, talked about Erik Satie, a totally insane composer, and discussed Georges Feydeau's "Cat Among the Pidgeons," a comical farce full of mistaken identities.

My latest adventures in Carrefour have yielded a new discovery-- delicious mini quiches I can cook in the toaster oven! Very exciting. Also, Mousse with berries on the bottom. YUM! I wonder what kinds of pre-made gems I would find if I had five weeks to explore an American supermarket within walking distance. New Haven is hopeless- Stop & Shop is very far away and in a really dangerous area, and Gourmet Heaven is just too darn expensive.

ANYWAY, tonight was the Fete de la Musique, a night when bands perform at different locations all along the streets of Paris. 

I spent a few hours wandering around, taking in the scene, and properly experiencing Paris after dark for the first time! I felt a little unsafe though. There were swarms of sketchy, drunk people everywhere and the smell of marajuana was in the air...

 Doesn't the Seine look beautiful at night?

 The Louvre?

Lucky people on the BatoBus?

I'm having tea with Joanna tomorrow afternoon-- hopefully, that is, if we can manage to find each other outside the Louvre. Lots of love!

Day 19

Today was an Excursion day! Destination: Chez Maxim's, a famous restaurant built during the Belle Epoque. However, since a single entree at Maxim's costs between 75 and 100 euros, we ate instead at Chez Minim's, the sister restaurant next door.

The French method of dining never ceases to confuse me. They have an entire course just dedicated to cheese, and it comes between the main course and the dessert!

Following lunch, we entered Maxim's, which wasn't closed until dinner.

Here's a glimpse of the dining room, a destination for the rich and famous during the Belle Epoque.

Kinda spooky isn't it? Can't you just imagine it brimming with decadence?

This image is Maxim's a bit after the Belle Epoque, but still!

Upstairs, we visited the museum housed above the restaurant, which consists of an impressive collection of "art nouveau"-- decorative art (like furniture and vases)-- from the Belle Epoque. I must say though, I kind of hate the style. Everything was twiddly with lots of dark wood, florals, and naked women. The "art nouveau" artists didn't believe in right angles. Everything had to look "woodland fairy-like."

Take a look:

Even things as simple as lamps and candlesticks had to be twirly-whirly!

We had the most extraordinary guide, dark haired and dressed in a tuxedo despite the 80 degree heat. He was the most flamboyant Frenchman I've ever seen, and he had seemingly memorized every quip ever made by a famous visitor to Maxim's restaurant. He had all these stories about the famously promiscuous courtesans who eaten there, from the names of their lovers to the tables at which they'd sat. We were all in stitches because his accent was SO strong, and he often butchered English words, pronouncing "dowery" like "diary," so that the punchlines of his jokes were ruined.

Anyway, it was an interesting Wednesday! I'm not surprised that the brief period during which "art nouveau" thrived was followed by a reactionary movement called "art deco" -- straight lines, geometrics, simplicity. It must have felt like a breath of fresh air after all the stuffiness of the Belle Epoque!!