Ludovic Halévy - Parisian Points of View

Ludovic Halévy is one of those interesting literary figures who tried almost everything, succeeded well at the tasks he sets himself, but never really attained greatness in any single area. He is not remembered for his plays, nor his essays, nor his poems, but his stature while living was strong (enough to be appointed to the Académie française), and his oeuvre, as a whole, commands respect. Considering that, the short story collection Parisian Points of View is, then, an interesting facet of his skill – but it is only a facet. Not a masterpiece, certainly, but the stories offer a clear and representative view of his work as a whole.

Ludovic Halévy’s Parisian Points of View is a romantic examination of Paris, viewed primarily from the perspective of the wealthy and well-born. These stories are very much about love and the sadness of attendant loss, about wealth and status (though never a critique as much as a celebration), and, at times, about the middle class and poorer groups. Overwhelmingly this is a collection concerned with romance, Paris, and the sighs of love, but a few of the stories are markedly different, excitingly so – from the story from the point of view of a dress, to the prisoner justifying his actions in front of the President of the Council of War in ‘The Insurgent’. Halévy is at his best when straying away from singings songs about Paris, but this unfortunately happens too rarely in the collection.

Many of these Parisian tales come across as rather affected, with great gushing of emotions accompanying every drawn out conversation. At times the stories read as though too elaborately staged, the characters as chess pieces moved by the author, rather than people breathing through the texture of the story. They are concepts, not individuals, and it is difficult to form an attachment to any of them. What is there that is new to be said about a sighing young wife, a nervous girl, a handsome bachelor, a studious scholar, a wise old priest? In good hands, much, but this is not so with Halévy. Too much relies on what we, as readers, already know about these archetypes, and not enough is done to differentiate these characters from any other we have seen.

There is a great deal of conversation in this collection, far too much in fact, and the rhythm of the text is weighed down accordingly. Pages and pages go by with very little reference to who is speaking, or what is actually happening, which does not always matter when the characters are strong, but when they are not it becomes tiresome. By and large the characters speak to one another of happenings, which is to say events and things and people, which is to say gossip. So be it; Parisian society in the nineteenth century is undoubtably interesting, but one suspects that these characters would not be invited back to a dinner party after such a poor showing. Comparing authors is not always fair, because an author must be judged on his or her own merits, and not necessarily the merits of another writer, but Proust, in his In Search of Lost Time, has written what is (thus far) the definite evocation of Parisian society during the time period. Granted, Proust was writing after Halévy, but really, considering that it is possible to choose either now - why would you ever choose Halévy?

"...Why and how were you there? Where had you dined, Gontran?"
"At the club."
"And what did you intend to do after dinner? Come to Mme. de Vernieux's?"
"No; Robert d'Aigremont and I had meant to go to the Bouffes-Parisiens."
"You did not go? Why?"

Here is a typical exchange, one that goes no further than gossip and, as gossip, is rather slim - and keep in mind that this is fictional gossip, ie social events that don't even exist. There's nothing to it, really, and the conversation as it plays out stays in a similar key. But then, a little later, a character expounds their view on dancing, and then a different, and more welcome note enters:

"M. Jules Ferry has recently rearranged the curriculum of the University. He has made certain studies obligatory—modern languages, for instance. I don't blame him for that; the study of modern languages has great advantages. But dancing, sir; nothing has been done for dancing, and it is dancing which ought, after all, to have been made obligatory. There ought to be a dancing-master in every high-school, and a normal-school for dancing with examinations and competitions in dancing. Dancing ought to be studied the same as Latin or Greek. Dancing, too, is a language, and a language that every well-bred man ought to be able to speak...

There is something to this. It has more weight, more depth of thought. There is a greater sense of feeling for the period, of commenting on and about the day to day life of Paris. It rings authentic, and rises above the mere this and that of gossip. It is not great literature, but passages such as these may be read with enjoyment, if not pleasure.

I should, perhaps, be fairer on Halévy than my review has been thus far. Matthews, in his introduction, makes a point of mentioning Halévy's artificiality:

Artificial the atmosphere of the tale might be, but it was with an artifice at once delicate and delicious

(He is referring here to another of Halévy's work, in this case The Abbe Constantin.)

Later, Matthews comments that Halévy writes for the young woman, and avowedly not for the discerning eye for literature. This is reasonable, for it gives us the opportunity to read and assess his work accordingly. But later still, Matthews talks of Halévy's talent for irony, and here his judgement must be questioned. Is it ironic to show a girl falling in love, then discovering love is not all it can be? Perhaps, but not in Parisian Points of View. Is it ironic to show a horse that is initially without hope but ends in triumph? Perhaps, but not in Parisian Points of View. The irony here is so gentle it may as well not exist, and in fact it probably doesn't.

All that said, however, once the expectations created by Matthews' introduction are pushed aside (leaving, of course, the idea that these stories are meant as diversions for romantically inclined young women), the stories themselves become entertaining to read. They are easily digestible, carry with them a certain mystery and majesty, and there are enough quivering hearts and longing glances to keep anyone happy.

This aside, there is a stand out story or two. ‘The Story of a Ball-Dress’ is exactly what it sounds like - a story told from the point of view of a dress. This allows Halévy to properly employ - yes - his faculty for irony, and it also allows him to comment on Parisian society without needing the crutch of a discerning character. The dress, as impartial as a piece of clothing can be, is an excellent tool for Halévy's needs.

The world was made in six days, I in three. And yet I too am in the world—a little complicated world of silk, satin, blond, loops, and fringes. Did God rest while he was making the world? I do not know; but I do know that the scissors that cut me out and the needle that sewed me rested neither day nor night from Monday evening, January 24, 1870, to Thursday morning, January 27th. The slashes of the scissors and the pricks of the needle caused me great pain at first, but I soon paid no attention to them at all. I began to observe what was going on, to understand that I was becoming a dress, and to discover that the dress would be a marvel.

With this we are drawn into the story, taken along. This is confident narration, and the story is well served by its concept. Truthfully, there is not enough of this in the collection, but that it is there at all is a grand thing.

Parisian Points of View is mostly forgettable, but, while it lasts, it is enjoyable enough. The good is very good, which is nice, but the romances are bland and uninteresting, and they weigh the text down too heavily. Parisian Points of View is a fine collection for those of us who sigh over Paris and whisper 'je t'aime' to the wind. Do 'those of us' exist? Perhaps not, but if they do, Parisian Points of View is hardly a bad way to spend an afternoon.

Author	Ludovic Halévy
Title	Parisian Points of View
Translator	Edith V.B. Matthews
Nationality	French
Publisher	Project Gutenberg
Pages	143
Availability: ---Amazon (US)

See Also

List of French authors under review

Links

Links kindly provided by The Dalkey Archive Press' anthology, Best European Fiction 2010

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