#we're getting close to two of my favorite quotes in the whole book lads

[coquelicoq]

--Mercédès se maria donc, continua Caderousse; mais, quoique aux yeux de tous elle parût calme, elle ne manqua pas moins de s'évanouir en passant devant la Réserve, où dix-huit mois auparavant avaient été célébrées ses fiançailles avec celui qu'elle eût vu qu'elle aimait encore, si elle eût osé regarder au fond de son cœur. (p. 289)

observations:

i'm getting more used to long sentences and the word order necessary to link all these phrases and clauses together. when i got to "avaient été célébrées" i was so chill about the fact that there had been no subject for this verb so far. french is OVS when it wants to be and i understand and accept this.

i am not afraid to admit that i still don't exactly understand what "elle ne manqua pas moins de s'évanouir en passant devant la Réserve" means. manquer is a tricky verb already and then you're adding moins and i just don't know what to do with that. is she fainting? is she almost fainting? does she need only to pass before la Réserve to faint, or does she barely keep from fainting when passing before la Réserve?

classic second type of conditionnel passé in "celui qu'elle eût vu qu'elle aimait encore, si elle eût osé regarder au fond de son cœur." i had to read it twice to get it though.

i love that dumas needed a way for dantès to learn what happened to all his former acquaintances so he just…makes this one dude magically omniscient on this subject lol. the fuck you know about the heart of a woman you're not even friends with, asshole??

#what IS french's verb syntax classification even? SVO except when the O is a pronoun in which case it's SOV #except when it's a question or the subject is the antecedent of a dependent clause in which case it's OVS #language amirite #french #the count of monte cristo #my posts #we're getting close to two of my favorite quotes in the whole book lads #que le dieu vengeur me cède sa place pour punir les méchants! -something i like to say melodramatically during #imagined shower arguments