McTag, Euroskeptics must be glad. Try to find where D'Artagnan is dead!
And there's the son of Manchester, McTag. We have a D'Artagnan right here on A2K.
UhOh, Francis. You just reminded me of one of my favorite French writers, Guy De Maupassant.
Listeners, De Maupassant's, "The Necklace" shows us how our pretentions can turn us into beggars.
And for you, Letty the original publishing of "The necklace" <La Parure>
Another favorite of mine. If you have time and the inclination, listeners, please read this short story and pay particular attention to the final sentence:
http://mbhs.bergtraum.k12.ny.us/cybereng/shorts/pitdbalz.html
D'Artagnan est mort a Maastricht, evidemment:
Charles de Batz-Castelmore, Comte d'Artagnan
Charles de Batz-Castelmore, Comte d'Artagnan
Charles de Batz-Castelmore, Comte d'Artagnan (c. 1611-1673) served Louis XIV as captain of musketeers and died at the siege of Maastricht in the Dutch War. Memoirs attributed to him formed the basis for the d'Artagnan Romances of Alexandre Dumas.
His father was the head of Henry IV's personal guard and had been killed attempting to save the life of the king. D'Artagnan wanted to follow in his father's footsteps as well as his brother's footsteps who were all connected to the Musketeers at one time or another; therefore, he sought a commission in the Musketeers. Due to the fact that he had never served any military service he was at first denied; however, Madame de Treville, a close friend of his family, used her influence to secure him a place in the Royal Guard, which he commanded, later in life.
D'Artagnan had an illustrious career in espionage for Cardinal Mazarin, the king's personal advisor, in the years after the first Fronde when Louis XIV had been exiled from the country. Due to d'Artagnan's faithful service during this period, Louis entrusted him with many secret and delicate situations that required complete discretion.
D'Artagnan is famous for his connection with the arrest of Nicolas Fouquet. Fouquet was Louis XIV's finance commissioner and aspired to take the place of Mazarin as the King's advisor. Fouquet was also a lover of grand architecture and had a huge home built which he called Chateau of Vaux-le-Vicomte. The greatest architects and artisans from around the world collaborated on his home. When it was finished, Fouquet had the most extravagant party ever held, with Vatel as the master steward for the event. The party was so extravagant that every guest was given a horse. Even though the party was a huge success the king became jealous and felt upstaged by the grandeur of the home and event. He suspected that such magnificence could only be explained through Fouquet pilfering the royal treasury. He immediately had D'Artagnan arrest Fouquet and guard him for four years until Fouquet was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment and removed from D'Artagnan's care.
Other include a governorship of Lille, which was won in battle by France in 1667. D'Artagnan was an unpopular governor, and longed to return to battle. He found his chance when Louis XIV went to war with the United Provinces of the Netherlands and their allies in the Dutch War. After being recalled to service, d'Artagnan was subsequently killed in battle on June 25 1673 when a musket ball tore into his throat at Maastricht.
Skeletons uncovered in a front garden in Maastricht in May 2004 may be the remains of d'Artagnan's musketeers [1] (http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=25&story_id=7291).
In fiction
D'Artagnan's life was used as the basis for Gatien Courtilz de Sandras (1644-1712)'s novel Les mémoires de Mr d'Artagnan.
Alexandre Dumas in turn used de Sandras' novel as the main source for his three d'Artagnan Romances (The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After and The Vicomte de Bragelonne), which cover the d'Artagnan's career from his humble beginnings in Gascony to his death at Maastricht. Although Dumas knew that de Sandras' version was heavily fictionalized, in the preface to The Three Musketeers he affected to believe that the memoirs were real, in order to make his novel more believable.
While everyone knows, where Maastricht is situated ...
Thanks, Francis and McTag, one visual, the other in audio. That's what makes drama so appealing.
Here's looking at you! Where did that toast originate?
I must relate my moving experience to all the staff and listeners here on WA2K radio concerning the epitaph on a slab in Tryon cemetery, that was engraved at the behest of a French woman, but that must wait.
As you know, Letty, Europeans are well versed in geography!
Thanks McTag,
Thanks, Walter!
Oops! I am forever missing Walter's stuff, but you see, Francis, Walter and McTag collaborate. Poor Letty only has her anthologies.
Of course, you are right. Europeans have always been free thinkers. My Gawd WA2K folks. How did we get back to Rodin?
I thought that was an invitation, Francis, but alas, I know that sculpture. That's all right, however. I'll just pretend that I don't.
it is God without mankind
What an appropriate ending. A friend of mine who is deeply religious tried to sway me to return to the Catholic religion I had left at the tender age of 13. I told him that the only thing wrong with religion is people. Attempts to get explanations for what I considered departures from their teaching made many a nun use up much of the life of a ruler on my knuckles. The same blank wall was provided by priests. So I left them to continue my belief in God as one on one and eliminated the middle man.
I like that interpretation, Bob. It is true, but it's not just the Roman Catholic Church.
Listeners, I was remembering a short story called The Sniper. I must do that search on the web. I hate to admit it, but although I know the plot, I don't have my book with that short story in it.
From Northern Ireland:
http://mbhs.bergtraum.k12.ny.us/cybereng/shorts/sniper.html
Exciting and delighting, our radio daze has been,
The ides of March approacheth; we'll try Latin once again.
Call the real sculpture? Get a load of this.
My word, edgar. Spinach and olive oyl. I prefer apple cider, meself.
Any of our listeners remember Popeye Doyle? I do believe that was Gene Hackman's debut in the movies. Of all things, The French Connection.
speaking of stars from the bowl of holly:
Paul Newman is going to call it quits:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=529&ncid=529&e=2&u=/ap/20050311/ap_en_mo/film_newman_at80
One hell of an actor; one hell of a man.
He was pretty good in Road to Perdition.
