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elegantsparklyllama · 11 months

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The Case for Klay Infantes x Placido Penitente

Maria Clara at Ibarra came into my radar when I was obssessed with El Filibusterismo and the works of Jose Rizal in general. When I first read the twitter post announcing the new historical portal fantasy, I was a bit skeptical. Maria Clara at Ibarra is about a Gen Z who is also named Maria Clara, nicknamed “Klay” who time-travels into the time period of Noli Me Tangere to learn about nationalism, patriotism and all that jazz.

By the time the show tackled El Fili, viewers noticed the lower episode count compared to Noli and the some glaring exclusion of scenes from the book. Despite the lower episode count, I’m surprised by the impact a lot of the scenes had on me as a viewer. In my opinion, the writers did a fine job adapting the parts of El Fili. I’ll go as far as to say the lower episode count benefits El Fili for me as a viewer. This is mostly personal bias but I found a lot of scenes in Noli to be a bit dragging at times. The lower episode count demanded writers to be more careful with their time. However it can still feel rushed in some parts.

One of the significant changes in the adaptation is the absence of Placido Penitente’s character. From a plot perspective, even for someone who liked El Fili, Placido Penitente is almost a useless character. Rizal added his character for symbolism. Readers remember Placido Penitente for standing up to Padre Millon but beyond that, the character disappeared after teaming up with Simoun and the readers know little to nothing beyond that.

I’m not mad at the show runners for excluding Placido Penitente in their adaptation. The writers of Maria Clara at Ibarra are free to write whatever the hell they want. Instead, I want to make my case for the ship of Klay Infantes and Placido Penitente and why I think not making the 2 characters meet or even interact is a missed oppurtunity. Think of this meta as a thought experiment or speculation. Because Placido Penitente never happened, the meta will be based on not only the original El Fili and MCI but also on lots of speculation. I’m not going to hate on Filay. I think Filay is cute but I’m also a sucker for possible ships beyond the canon ones and how it can narratively impact the story.

Now on with the meta...

Maria Clara “Klay” Infantes, The Gen Z Fighter

Klay, the main protagonist functions as the audience’ self-insert. She is the Gen Z character stuck in the world of Rizal’s novels. As the audience self-insert, she says the things the audience is thinking in their minds as they watch events unfold. I like that her status as a self-insert is informed by her present characteristics. Klay being outspoken is part of her character along with her fierce love for her mother and brother. There were times her outspoken mouth grates on my nerves as a viewer especially when she preaches feminism seemingly out of ignorance of the systems that oppressed these women in the first place.

To the world of Noli and El Fili, she is a peculiarity. A woman who speaks her mind about women being as capable as men? That is preposterous. (sarcasm)

Since her real name is technically, “Maria Clara,” she is also a foil to the Maria Clara of Noli. Maria Clara and Klay are almost opposites in terms of characterization. Maria Clara’s meekness and quiet nature is there to contrast with Klay’s more outspoken nature.

Another important thing about Klay is her background. Klay defined herself by her struggles even before she came into the world of Noli.

She is a struggling working student who aspires to graduate from Nursing to support her family without her stepdad. She is not the person to back down in the face of adversity especially when her loved ones are at risk. Because of it, she has to create an outer shell to cope with the burden of studying in school and being the breadwinner of the family. She is a girl from a broken family who cries when no one is around because she has to appear strong for her family. Her outspoken nature came from her intolerance to injustices.

At the start of the series, she can’t bring herself to care about the lofty ideals of nationalism as a Filipino because of the struggles she faces everyday. Like the audience, the narrative pushes her to care about her country more and to open her eyes to the injustices that many Filipinos experience. Over the course of the story, she begins to call out the systems that oppressed the Filipinos and pushes for reform and change in the town of San Diego.

By El Fili, she is determined to change the fates of her friends to prevent the tragedies that will befall them in El Fili. She also grapples with the mystery of the fates of the other characters such as Elias and Fidel.

Placido Penitente, The Ordinary Filipino In the Olden Times

I think Placido Penitente is one of the most relatable characters in all of Jose Rizal’s writing. Every teacher would point out Placido Penitente means “Silent Suffering”. Placido Penitente is a poor Indio who was able to attain education in Manila and at UST no less. The narration mentions he is very focused on his studies to the point of not having time for other past times his classmates normally have. He is considered one of the most intelligent by both the characters in the story and the narrative.

As said by his namesake, he silently endures the discrimination of the Dominican priests in UST. His mother instilled to him the value of meekness because of their poor status despite his intelligence. To his classmates, he is very silent. They wouldn’t expect him to stand up for himself. Deep down, anger boiled within him as he endured the taunts of the priests and the mindless lessons he is forced to learn.

To a lot of readers, the struggle is relatable and understandable. If you ever encountered the El Fili fandom, Placido is a sort of fan favorite. I enjoy scrolling through Tumblr to find a lot of content on him and how many fans could relate to him even in the modern age. There are moments in life when we silently suffer to not disrupt the peace of other people. Rizal used Placido Penitente as an allegory for regular Filipinos during the period of the Spanish era. If Placido’s anger is a Filipino’s anger, his suffering is a Filipino’s suffering.

Placido didn’t exactly start out with patriotic ideals or even the moral framework to correct the injustices he sees. I’d argue he also represents the apathetic Filipino. He cares about injustice when he experiences injustice. He didn’t study to become a lawyer out of a sense of justice, rather he did it out of obligation to his parents. Whenever I read chapters focusing on his point of view, I notice a selfishness within them. He quits school because his intelligence is not appreciated. He doesn’t like being insulted and humiliated. These traits were never shown in relation to his relationship with other marginalized groups. Unlike Isagani, Placido is a pragmatic, not an idealist. I’ll even go as far as to say he is apolitical as Klay was in the beginning of her story.

Same Struggles, Different Timeline

It baffles me when people say El Fili is more boring than Noli. My old tutor said she preferred Noli over El Fili. El Fili has a much darker and more political tone than Noli but as a student, I find El Fili more relatable than Noli. El Fili is not only a dark political novel, it is also a novel that places emphasis on the youth characters than Noli did. While Simoun plots to take his revenge, the college students plan to establish a Castillian Academy. I don’t like that MCI lessened the emphasis on the youth characters which I think would’ve been as relevant to Klay.

Now why Klay and Placido? They’re more similar than you think. They’re meant to be relatable characters to their respective audiences. It baffles me when people say the texts of El Fili and Noli are not relevant to the struggles of today’s generation. Klay and Placido are both struggling students. Klay may not have the intelligence of Placido and Placido may not have Klay’s selflessness but in them, I see a similar grit that almost mirror each other.

Although their situations are not the exact same, the issues remain. Placido may not be a working student but he is actively disrespected by the Dominican teachers in his school that more often than not tested his patience. He is in a position where he can’t speak up for his rights out of losing his education. His mother even pleaded him to go the priest’s way despite the humiliation Placido was put through because of them.

Klay doesn’t experience this situation in school but in her everyday life before the events of MCI, she is pitted against authorities that try to belittle her at every opportunity. This is exemplified in her part time job when the café owner forced her to pay for the food the customers didn’t pay. She lost at least 3 days of wages because of them but she can’t speak up.

Placido and Klay were in a situation where they are encouraged remain meek and quiet by their society and peers. And their mothers want them to employ said traits for survival. They are the characters written to be relatable to their audience. If the characters meet, perhaps the audience of MCI and Klay herself may discover that the past rhymes with the present more than they think.

Finding connections and similarities between the past and the present is one of the main themes of MCI. By looking at the past, one can better appreciate the present. This is also the main reason why the professor forced Klay to live the experiences of Noli. A character similar to Klay in terms of situation and struggles can be an eye-opener for Klay herself and the audience.

Yes, I’m kinda salty that MCI didn’t include Placido Penitente in the final product but the writers are put into the position of fitting all of El Fili in like 20 episodes when Noli had 70+.

A Potential Enemies to Lovers Pair?

Hot take: the pair has as much enemies to lovers potential as Filay. An enemies to lovers pair as defined by a lot of people is the pairing of 2 equally strong-willed and proud people unwilling to back down. From the previous parts of the meta, it is clear that both Placido and Klay are proud individuals who suffer the brunt of unfair authorities. What elevates the pair for me compared to Filay, is their similar characteristics and backgrounds. I’m sorry I can’t think of a ship name…

I admit Filay is cute and even an endearing ship. As a viewer, I didn’t expect them to get together but they worked. Their dynamic started out with a sort of rivalry wherein Klay argues with Fidel about gender equality. Over the course of the show, they begin to form a bond which eventually evolves into a full on romantic relationship. That’s cute. It is the ideal progression of enemies to lovers.

Like Filay, I imagine Placido and Klay to have an enemies to lovers dynamic. Placido will find Klay annoying because of her impulsive mouth. She goes against what he was taught since he came to Manila. Seeing someone speaking their thoughts freely for Placido can trigger a nerve in him. The same could also be said for Klay but in an opposite manner. Klay may despise Placido for his arrogance and his quiet nature in the face of the enemy. Similarly, this also goes against her core belief to stand up for what is right.

Placido can be quiet to a lot of his peers but he is also a raging teapot ready to burst. He will sass the hell out of Klay and Klay will bite him back. There will be times he can be the same brand of misogynist as Fidel because of the time periods but I don’t think that should be the main impetus of their rivalry like Filay.

To me they already have a compelling reason to be the bickering lovers: their similar backgrounds and different approaches to dealing with them. Fidel and Klay have different backgrounds with Fidel hailing from a rich family and Klay hailing from a middle class family. Fidel, a rich Ilustrado doesn’t face any social discrimination as Klay does (I meant this in context of the Spanish era). An enemies to lovers type ship with Placido and Klay will have the added dimension of them coming from similar backgrounds. It is not that similar because of the time periods but I think it is close enough.

The tension in their dynamic will stem from their ideologies when dealing with the problem and the conclusion should have them ultimately relate to each other and support one another in their struggles. Speaking of development…

Klay and Placido’s Development

Enemies to lovers implies character development from one or both parties. Part of the appeal of the enemies to lovers ship of Filay is Fidel’s growing awareness of the injustices around him. There is a great tumblr meta made on Fidel’s character development here. Filay also pushed Klay’s development as well. She learns how to be vulnerable in front of others especially Fidel. And she also learns the value of patriotism through her experiences in Noli. By El Fili, she seemed to have already completed her character arc. She comes back to the world of MCI to prevent the tragedies that will befall on her friends.

Once she is in the world of El Fili, she will meet the new characters in the book. One of those characters will be Placido Penitente. The interactions of Klay and Placido would be for Klay, a reintroduction of her past self before the events of MCI. As established, at the start of MCI, Klay considers herself as an apolitical figure. If we follow the same path as the show and Klay comes back to the events of El Fili with newfound knowledge she learned from Noli, then meeting Placido will be meeting her past apolitical self again.

Most of the development will be on Placido. Placido seemed to be the more flawed one in the pairing. Even to the average viewer, his development is obvious. Like Klay, he will learn how to care for fellow Filipinos and gain a new sense of patriotism for his country. Klay can also teach him how to use his voice by example as what happened for the other characters around her in Noli. Their bickering and arguments can force Placido to reconsider his single-minded point of view. At the end, aside from gaining patriotism, he can comfort Klay in her struggles even if he doesn’t understand them fully.

I have to admit, Klay’s development in this pairing is tricky because of Filay. Aside from a technical standpoint of her witnessing the life of ordinary students like herself during the Spanish era, it is almost hard to find a point of growth she could gain from interacting with Placido. For the most part, Klay seemed to be done in her character arc after the events of Noli. When she comes back to El Fili, she does it with the intentions to prevent the tragedies that will befall her on her friends. As she comes to El Fili, I think she also brought with her the idealism and patriotism she had from Noli. She is no stranger to calling out the bigoted men of the past on their narrow-mindedness. Since Placido is a lawyer and said in the narration to be one of the most intelligent students, I think he can meaningfully challenge those views with her.

The Possibilities of Fanfiction

I have to reiterate we are in fanfiction territory and those 2 characters never actually meet in canon so their story can go multiple ways. Ideally, I would want Klay and Placido to develop feelings for each other that is why I wrote this meta in the first place. Despite this I can also see a version of the ship with Filay still being the endgame. For their dynamic to be effective, the show should’ve dedicated more episodes to El Fili. As I write this meta, I composed a series of events and a couple of what-if scenarios of a longer El Fili or even a separate season dedicated to the book.

One of those plot points would be the audience and Klay not knowing where Fidel is so the audience has no choice but to follow Klay as she witnesses the events of El Fili first hand. I’m also a sucker for long winded suspense so in my ideal version, she wouldn’t meet the relevant Noli characters at all. She would’ve met Placido Penitente by accident in Manila while searching for Basilio. I find it strange that even if she supported Ibarra’s efforts of free education for all, she doesn’t seem to care about the characters’ plans to build a Castillian Academy like Ibarra once done in El Fili. Basilio is one of the supporters of the academy so she might have to interact with the student activists (e.g. Isagani, Macaraig) to meet him. To be fair it can be a repetitive plot but with good writing and more time, it can work as a parallel to the events of Noli.

On an additional note, I would’ve also expanded Placido’s role in the novel especially on his collaboration with Simoun.

Ultimately, the show is a work of fanfiction itself. We should be free to do whatever the hell we want with the source material but at the same time we should respect the message of Rizal’s original works. Again, I didn’t write this meta to downplay Filay but rather explore the possibilities of what could’ve been in the El Fili canon of Maria Clara at Ibarra. I’m glad Maria Clara at Ibarra encouraged young people to read the books and pay attention to the themes of Rizal’s novels. Feel free to think of ship name for Placido Penitente and Klay Infantes.

#maria clara at ibarra #maria clara infantes #placido penitente #El Filibusterismo #meta

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osiristhehermit · 3 months

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Aleister Crowley and the Cheese Lady of Paris

LA POULE AUX RATS

Time: a fine Sunday evening in June, just one and twenty years ago. Place: Paris, just off the Place des Tertres, overlooking the city. A large and lovely studio, panelled in oak. Strange: it was completely bare, and so far as one could see, it had no door. The skylights, mindful, were carefully screened with broidered stuff. A gallery, some ten feet from the floor, ran round one corner. Here was a buffet loaded with priceless wines and liquors of all sorts—except the “soft”—and excellent variety of all cold “snack” refreshments. One gained it by a staircase from the lower floor.

By the buffet, the old butler: oh, for a painter to portray his Weariness of Evil Wisdom!

Our host led us to the gallery; “we ate and drank and saw” not God also, but the lady responsible for the heavy tread upon the stairs. A woman of the Halles Centrales, in her early forties; coarse, brutal, ugly, robust, square-set, curiously radiant with some magnetic form of energy.

I cannot describe her clothes—for lack of material. She greeted us all round with a sort of surly good humour. The butler took a pot of very far-gone Roquefort cheese, and smeared her all over. She drank to us, and clumped away downstairs. She came out into the studio from under the gallery, braced herself and shook her mop of hair as if about to wrestle, waved to us and waited.

A minute later a small trap at the far end of the studio was smartly pulled up; in rushed a hundred starving rats. There was a moment's hesitation; but the smell of the cheese was too much, and they rushed her. She caught one in both hands, bit through its spine, and flung it aside.

Softly repeating to myself passages from The Revenge by the late Alfred Lord Tennyson, of which the scene most powerfully reminded me. “Rat after rat, for half an hour, flung back as fast as it came.” Their courage wilted; the hunted became the huntress; I thought of Artemis as I sang softly to myself, “When the hounds of spring are on winter's traces.”5) But she pursued; snapped the last spine, and flung it into the gallery with a yell of triumph.

It was not so easy a victory as I have perhaps described it, once she slipped in the slime and came down with a thud; and at the end blood spurted from innumerable bites.

The whole scene was too much for most of the men; they literally howled liked famished wolves, and shook the balustrade until it creaked and groaned. Presently one slipped over, let himself lightly to the floor and charged. Others followed. All had their heart's desire. I was reminded of Swinburn's Laus Veneris,

“I let mine eyes have all their will of thee I seal myself upon thee with my might.”

As for the women, the ferocious glitter of their eyes was almost terrifying. One of them, true, would have joined the happy warriors below; but the butler roughly pulled her back, saying in a shocked voice, “Madame est normale.” (I enjoyed that!) Others consoled themselves by capturing those males who were too timid to risk the jump.

I swallowed a last glass of champagne, and then ”je filai a l'Anglais.“

Summary: a pleasant time was had by all.

Note for political economists: the woman took 10,000 francs (at about 125 to the £); she took three weeks in hospital and three weeks' holiday between the shows. She was, or had been, the mistress of a Minister with “peuple” ideas, though he was an aristocrat of very old vintage; and he helped her to have her daughters brought up in one of the most exclusive convents in France.

MAGICK WITHOUT TEARS, Letter LXXVIII: Sore Spots

#aleister crowley #thelema #occult #magick #witches

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impala672020t · 3 years

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Hell Followed - Chapter 3: Fear is power

Warning: swearing and violence

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For the first time in Crowley life he was completely utterly terrified; he couldn’t move, he knew if he didn’t move he would die, but yet he couldn’t move. He couldn’t smoke out, he was paralyzed with fear as he looked into the red and black eyes of Dean Winchester. “Now I’m gonna kill you but before I do, I’m gonna carve and filay every pound of flesh on your body. I will let the blood flow from your body and watch the life drain from your eyes, and I’ll enjoy every fucking second of it. What’s left of your friend or what left of the Dean you know can’t be reached now, that he let us take over. I mean you thought Cain was bad, no the Mark amplifies what you feel inside about yourselves and with Dean, that’s why I’m so strong. That’s why I’m unstoppable, now I mean think about it; a Righteous Man full of love in ways he can’t express because he can’t find words but feels everyone’s pain and suffering. Every single second of it and he blames himself for everything, no matter if it’s his fault. I mean the man truly won’t let himself love anyone the way he loved Lisa, after what you and Castiel did to her; all those emotions, everything that he was fuelled the mark because of how good of a man he was. Nuclear doesn’t even describe how fucking powerful I am now, if I wanted to; I could destroy the whole damn universe. Now you can beg for your life but you know I’m not gonna spare it, but maybe in the next few hours if you beg enough for the end; I might grow bored and grant your wish. So, basically what I’m saying is; I’m the king now and you’re my bitch!” Knight of hell Dean said as he went to work carving and slicing, enjoying Crowley screams and tears

NXT CHT

#Dean Winchester #Sam Winchester #Supernatural #Jared Padalecki #Jensen Ackles #Demon Dean Winchester #Boy King Sam Winchester

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ryvettecreations · 3 years

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Most of the time when I go to the beach, it’s to go for a run or I’ll find a bench & read a book and gather my thoughts. On this particular night, I went on a walk & envied all of the beach condos with futuristic furniture, 17ft glass windows with no curtains, a basketball hoop at every other home where I’m compelled to filay an imaginary finger roll, or spot the hidden gem of an 88’ Lamborghini Countach covered in a garage (I see you, sir)

In those very moments, I start manifesting. Before I can even turn around, the sunset is already peeking over my shoulder, caressing the back of my neck, anxiously waiting for my attention. As if she don’t already know that I rise in love with her every time she disappears into the ocean, leaving her reflections against the waves & ripples of the salty blue sea. At this point, I have a to find a seat, for gasping at such a beautiful sight leaves me so breathless, yet so full of life. I take a moment & countdown the moments til I can no longer see the sun kissing the water. I hear the rush of the tide brush against the rocks I find myself sitting on. The most amazing part is the sound of the calm that follows when it’s all said & done. And just like that, she’s gone. I’m not sure if it’s my thoughts or my reality, but I don’t know if I’ll see her again tomorrow. But there’s no room to be sad & salty when she leaves because then, the only thing lighting up the sky is the vivacious moon.

With my eyes fixated on the large craters & the gravitational pull, my mind starts to wander. Maybe if I squint hard enough, I can spot the American Flag, or so they say. Maybe if I open my eyes wider, it will come closer, for the comfort, love & protection I found in the sunset begins to brew like morning coffee with the moon. Mesmerized by this everlasting glow, it all starts to make sense. Suddenly, I understand why the wolf would howl to the moon. He was in love with her too.

#poetry #creative writing #sunset #moonlight #short reads #feelings

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hellagoodhair · 5 years

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Omfg I was watching a video and is chick fil-a pronounced "chick filay"???? Ajsjdhsjsj I thought it was fila like "villa" ahshdhsj

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pilferingapples · 6 years

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Theo Gautier on Himself, 6/?

(a translation by me of a mini-autobio from Theo Gautier, all from this text.Translation notes and original French under the cut,suggestions and corrections SUPER WELCOME!)

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 , Part 5

Previously: Gautier started to make friends, and his Emo Teen poetry was used for kindling.

From these college years I have no pleasant memories and I would not want to relive them.

While I was studying my Rhetoric, there came to me a passion, that of swimming, and I spent at that little school(1) all the time that classes left me. Sometimes even, to speak the language of the schoolboys, I'd skip class and spend all day in the river(2). My ambition was to become a “ caleçon rouge”.(3) This is the only one of my ambitions that has been realized.

At that time, I had no idea that I was made for writing, my taste was more for painting, and before I finished my philosophy I went to Rioult (4), who had his studio on rue Saint-Antoine, near the Protestant temple, near Charlemagne; which allowed me to go to class after the session. Rioult was a man of strange and spiritual ugliness, whom a paralysis forced, like Jouvenet, to paint with his left hand, and who was none the less adroit.(5) At my first study he thought I was “posh”, a somewhat premature accusation(6). The scene so well told in The Clemenceau Affair was also played for me on the table, and the first model of woman did not seem beautiful, and disappointed me singularly, so much art adds to the most perfect nature. She was, however, a very pretty girl, whom I later appreciated, by comparison, the elegant and pure lines; but from this impression, I have always preferred the statue to the woman and the marble to the flesh.(7)

My studies of painting made me perceive a defect I did not know, that I was nearsighted. When I was in the first row, it was fine, but when the draw of the seats relegated my easel to the back of the room, I could only put together confused masses.(8)

De ces années de collège il ne me reste aucun souvenir agréable et je ne voudrais pas les revivre.

Pendant que je faisais ma rhétorique, il me vint une passion, celle de la nage, et je passais à l’école Petit tout le temps que me laissaient les classes. Parfois même, pour parler le langage des collégiens, je filais, et passais toute la journée dans la rivière. Mon ambition était de devenir un caleçon rouge. C’est la seule de mes ambitions qui ait été réalisée.

En ce temps-là, je n’avais aucune idée de me faire littérateur, mon goût me portait plutôt vers la peinture, et avant d’avoir fini ma philosophie j’étais entré chez Rioult, qui avait son atelier rue Saint-Antoine, près du temple protestant, à proximité de Charlemagne; ce qui me permettait d’aller à la classe après la séance. Rioult était un homme d’une laideur bizarre et spirituelle, qu’une paralysie forçait, comme Jouvenet, à peindre de la main gauche, et qui n’en était pas moins adroit. À ma première étude il me trouva plein de » chic « , accusation au moins prématurée. La scène si bien racontée dans L’Affaire Clémenceau se joua aussi pour moi sur la table de pose, et le premier modèle de femme ne me parut pas beau, et me désappointa singulièrement, tant l’art ajoute à la nature la plus parfaite. C’était cependant une très-jolie fille, dont j’appréciai plus tard, par comparaison, les lignes élégantes et pures; mais d’après cette impression, j’ai toujours préféré la statue à la femme et le marbre à la chair. Mes études de peinture me firent apercevoir d’un défaut que j’ignorais, c’est que j’avais la vue basse. Quand j’étais au premier rang, cela allait bien, mais quand le tirage des places reléguait mon chevalet au fond de la salle, je n’ébauchais plus que des masses confuses.

oh gad SO MUCH SLANG this time:

(1) I don’t think the swimming school was actually called The Little School? This seems to be more like “the little corner store” or “the big bakery” --just a minor bit of descriptive. But I could be wrong!

(2) ...Yeah I have no idea. The original term is “caleçon rouge “ --” caleçon bain“ is swimming trunks, and I guess “ caleçon rouge “ might be a particular color only given to advanced students? Something like a black belt? Gautier definitely did become a very accomplished swimmer, at any rate.

(3) “ pour parler le langage des collégiens, je filais “ : "filer en douce” and “filer a la anglaise” are both slang for “do a runner” or “sneak out”, and this seems to be a similar slang use of the word.

(4) Almost certainly Louis Eduoard Rioult. There’s not a lot easily available about him, especially not in English, but that links to a lot of his work.

(5) “ à peindre de la main gauche, et qui n’en était pas moins a droit.” ...dammit it’s a pun >_< It’s a Dad Joke Pun. Besides the obvious direct translation there,gauche = left , a droit= to the right, , so even though he’s LEFT handed , he’s RIGHT. Ba-dum-tsh :P

(6) À ma première étude il me trouva plein de » chic « , accusation au moins prématurée.-- very roughly translated with the best slang refs I could find, Rioult thought Gautier was a Damn Preppie XD

(7)...I can’t even make a joke about Gautier’s lifelong Statue Makeout Goals, because he’s already made them all.

(8) I have no idea why Gautier couldn’t just get glasses to fix this, as a few of his friends did--the Gautier family definitely had the money to afford something so medically useful. I’ve read elsewhere that he had an astigmatism to go along with the nearsightedness, which I suppose might have made it too hard to get the lenses right? But in any case, it was a noted minor issue for him all his life.

#Theophile Gautier #Gautier on Himself #Romanticism #my translation (attempts)

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