I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 205 Invites Marguerite Gautier to Star in "La Dame aux Camélias"

3. The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle.

4. Then he said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.”

5. Moses commanded us in the Law to stone such women. What do you say we should do with her?

7. But they kept asking him, so Jesus straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

9. When they heard this, they all went out one by one, from the oldest to the youngest, until only Jesus was left, and the woman remained standing in the middle.

12. Jesus then said to the crowd, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

—The Gospel of John

Regarding the status of the Bible in European culture, to exaggerate a bit, much of European literature is a feast of fan fiction about the Bible.

Praise and refutation, deconstruction and reconstruction, destruction and rebirth.
The Bible seems to be a constant presence in the history of European literature.

If one wants to truly understand European literature, then understanding European religion is something that is hard to avoid.

Therefore, strictly speaking, although Mikhail had no religious beliefs, he would sometimes ponder certain classics. As for the Bible, to be honest, after hundreds of years of effort by the medieval people, it is indeed quite interesting from a literary perspective.

Simply put, it features God as the protagonist, and the top cultural elites of the Middle Ages spent hundreds of years praising God, absorbing various philosophies and conducting rigorous logical deductions until it rose to the level of theory.

It's quite enjoyable to imagine things from God's perspective, although some of the theories are so obscure that they make Mikhail's hair stand on end. But Mikhail will definitely read more books when he has time, striving to truly improve his knowledge.

And Mikhail's next work is, in a sense, related to the above passage.

In short, what Mikhail did after arriving in Paris was to make connections with the authorities.

While Mikhail's two novels were quite popular in Paris, to truly establish himself there and achieve more, he still needed to have connections in Paris.

Fortunately, Mikhail's visits have been quite successful. In addition to top figures like Dumas and Hugo, he has also met many other people. Furthermore, it should be said that besides these things he actively sought out, Mikhail actually has connections in Paris.

In short, there was an elderly man in France, Count Starkberg, who was the former Russian ambassador to France. The general had said to Mikhail before he left:
“If you run into serious trouble in France and can’t resolve it, go to Count Starkberg. My father had a good relationship with him. Mikhail, as long as you don’t knock the head off the King of France or any other member of the royal family, he should be able to protect you and send you back to Russia.”

You must understand, Russia's influence in Europe is growing rapidly!

Mikhail, upon hearing this, was speechless.

How could I, Mikhail, also benefit from Russia's policies?

To be honest, Russia was indeed quite powerful at this point in time, but unfortunately it wouldn't be long before it was in dire straits.
But no matter what, having this connection means that if Mikhail really encounters any unexpected events, he will still have a way to go.

It can only be said that the general is still exerting his strength.
Furthermore, if Mikhail is not mistaken, this old man was precisely the patron of Marie Duplessie, the Lady of the Camellias, and also the model for the duke in Alexandre Dumas fils's "La Dame aux Camélias".

However, in the novel, the Duke is portrayed as someone who takes pity on Marguerite Gautier because she resembles his daughter, and then selflessly supports her. In reality, however, Count Starkberg was just a wealthy and lecherous old man.

It can only be said that "La Dame aux Camélias" is indeed not an autobiography of Alexandre Dumas fils. The male protagonist in the novel sacrificed a lot for love, but in reality, Dumas fils was under too much financial pressure and wrote a letter to Marie Duplescy to sever their relationship.

On the other hand, considering the general's relationship with the Lady of the Camellias, Mikhail has undoubtedly connected with her in a peculiar way once again.

However, as the general said, this kind of relationship shouldn't be used unless it's a big problem. Favors are a consumable resource no matter where you are.

Now that things have come to this point, it's not hard to guess what Mikhail will produce next, or rather, he doesn't really have many choices.

In France at this point in time, how many works are appropriate?

Either it's too progressive and might be impossible to perform, or even if it is, it probably won't cause much of a stir. The French aesthetic tastes of this period were what they were: a typical Romantic dramatic style, emotionally charged characters, and legendary plots.
Although the failure of Hugo’s new play has essentially signaled the end of this genre, its influence is undoubtedly profound. So, is there a play that is stuck between romanticism and realism?
Yes, that was the later classic play: "La Dame aux Camélias".

Of course, this was not its final form. It was only after Verdi adapted it into an opera that "La Traviata" became even more popular. As Alexandre Dumas fils said, "Fifty years from now, perhaps no one will remember my novel 'La Traviata,' but Verdi made it immortal."

Mikhail was going to present the script directly. Compared to the novel, the play was more compact and had less personal touch. Instead, it became a wonderful and poignant love story, and many things could be explained.

However, the difficulty of successfully staging a play in Paris is extraordinary. First, there is the censorship system; second, there are the venues and performers; and finally, there are the enthusiastic yet unruly Parisian audiences. If they like a play, they will cheer wildly, but if they hate it, they will whistle, boo, and even throw rotten vegetables and eggs at the stage.

In addition, Parisian playwrights often resort to underhanded tactics, trying every means to sabotage their competitors' performances. This requires a playwright to not only be talented, but also to have brothers!
Just like when "Eugénie" premiered in 1830, Hugo rallied a large number of writers and young artists to support him in order to counter the sabotage of the Classicists. Back then, Balzac was one of the writers who supported Hugo, but he was really unlucky. When the people who supported Hugo lined up to enter through the side door, someone threw garbage from a trash can at them.

Balzac happened to be hit by something like a cabbage root, which amused Madame Hugo, who laughed heartily.

In short, to survive in this world, you need power and connections; otherwise, you can easily end up as a nobody.
Mikhail's previous visit was naturally aimed at building his influence and connections. Although the censorship was a difficult hurdle to overcome, Mikhail chose to continue pushing things forward. After returning from George Sand's salon, Mikhail spent several days working on theatrical matters. Meanwhile, Turgenev, having learned of some of Mikhail's ideas, continued to utilize his social skills, leading to today's events.

Turgenev approached from afar with a somewhat excited young man. After they met Mikhail, Turgenev took the initiative to speak: "Mikhail, let me introduce you. This is Theoffel. He will take us to see Miss Marie Duplessie today."

It's worth mentioning that it's not easy to meet the Lady of the Camellias, who already had a great reputation in Paris; going there rashly would likely only result in being turned away.

In this situation, it's better to have someone you know introduce you.

As Mikhail was pondering this matter, the young man named Theoffel greeted him warmly and said directly, "Respected Mr. Mikhail, it is an honor to meet you. I have been hearing your name these past few days, and it is great to finally meet you today!"

As the young man warmly shook hands with Mikhail, his gaze was undoubtedly filled with surprise and admiration.

Making a name for yourself in a city like Paris is incredibly difficult, but what about this young man?
Although he has only been in Paris for a month, if anyone hasn't heard any rumors about him by now, they are really out of touch!
Whether it was his association with Mr. Dumas, his erudition, or his poetry...
The latest news is even more explosive: what does it mean that someone who has only been involved in music for less than a year can casually pull out sheet music that can astound Mr. Chopin?!

Although the score appeared to be the work of his friend, inquiries revealed that Russia had indeed not produced any musical geniuses in recent years.

Come to think of it, how could someone in a place like Russia write a piece that would astound Mr. Chopin?
So does that mean...?
In short, despite it being just speculation, many people are still paying attention to this young Russian man and his mysterious musical score.

So the question is, why would someone with such an increasingly prominent reputation seek out Miss Mary Duplessie?
No, do we even need to think about this kind of question?
This Mr. Mikhail is indeed extraordinary; he was like this from the very beginning.
Thinking of this, Theophil's gaze towards Mikhail undoubtedly became ambiguous.
Mikhail: “?”

What can I say?
Since some things were really hard to explain, Mikhail didn't waste any more words. After exchanging a few pleasantries with the young man, they headed towards a theater together.

As for this Lady of the Camellias, one of her greatest hobbies was watching plays. She spent every evening in the theater or ballroom, and she was always present for the premiere. Whenever a new play was performed, you could always find her in the theater.

Mikhail's reasons for wanting to meet the Lady of the Camellias were not complicated. On the one hand, he wanted to improve the script, and on the other hand, he was indeed going to ask her if she was interested in becoming the lead actress in the play.

This was done with practical considerations in mind, but it also aimed to provide a new possibility for this young woman who is not very old.

The practical consideration is that this young woman is indeed very famous in Paris, and many people in high society and the Parisian art scene have dealings with her. If she were to become the lead actress, it would certainly be a huge advertisement and a major selling point.

From another perspective, this Lady of the Camellias is now inseparable from a life of abundance, but to some extent, she is also growing weary of it.

So, if given another chance, would she be willing to start her life anew as an actress?
If this play becomes a huge hit, then as the lead actress, she can still live a decent life as long as she's willing to act in a few more plays. In fact, if fate allows, it's not impossible for her and Alexandre Dumas fils to get back together.

So, would she be willing?

Mikhail, who was well aware that the show would be a huge hit, chose to offer her a possibility.

When Mikhail and his party arrived at the theater, having already been informed beforehand, they naturally spotted the rather striking Lady of the Camellias quite quickly somewhere.

With jet-black hair, rosy cheeks, and two large, dark eyes on a small face, above which were two long, curved eyebrows, she seemed to be talking to her male companion at this moment.

Seeing this scene, Mikhail had no other thoughts. Instead, he felt a strange sense of encountering the wonder of fate. However, he decided to wait until the play in the theater was over before he could go up and talk to the other person.

After glancing at the other person a few times, Mikhail quickly found his seat and sat down, ready to continue experiencing the theater atmosphere of this era.

After the rather mediocre play on stage finally came to an end, Mikhail and his group quickly went to the rest area, where the young man Theophile took the initiative to do the thing Mikhail had asked him to do.

Not long after, the girl named Marie Duplessie looked over with some surprise, but after thinking for a while, she finally nodded.

After receiving permission, Mikhail quickly stepped forward, first giving a brief self-introduction and greeting, and then, before the young woman could instinctively smile and make a few jokes, Mikhail simply asked directly:

“Miss Mary Duplessie, actually I wanted to ask if you would be interested in becoming an actress? I happen to have a script here that is somewhat related to you.”

"You want me to be an actress?"

Upon hearing Mikhail's words, Miss Marie Duplessie paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said in a cryptic tone, "No one has ever mentioned anything like this to me before."

"Perhaps we can decide all of this after you have read the script."

Mikhail smiled and said, "It's not very convenient here. Could you please give me an address?"

Seeing that Mikhail seemed genuinely serious, Marie Duplessie fell silent for a long time, but ultimately, she appeared to nod slightly.

"it is good."

(End of this chapter)