Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 113 Second Selling Point

“As expected…” Lionel chuckled, casually tossing the rejection letter from Le Figaro onto the table as if it were just a piece of scrap paper that had drifted down from a street corner.

The above wording remains tactful and polite, showing no sign of anger whatsoever: "[This does not meet the publication standards of this newspaper and its consistent stance on literary criticism]"

He wasn't surprised at all; in fact, he found it somewhat comical.

My submission, which encapsulates the essence of a century of debates, from the newspaper era to online forums, combines eloquence, sophistry, substitution of concepts, thematic elevation, emotional resonance, and even the seizure of the moral high ground, making it a complete "dimensional reduction attack" on this era.

In 1879, the Parisian literary scene was accustomed to debates that either ended in humble apologies or vulgar shouting; this article was indeed far ahead of its time.

Le Figaro's rejection of the article was not only due to their weakness and arrogance, but also their inability to handle Lionel's almost comprehensive and overwhelming viewpoint.

After all, Le Figaro couldn't just stand by and watch one of its most popular writers be humiliated in broad daylight.

Lionel picked up his article and focused his gaze on the title—a title prepared for Le Figaro, if they were willing to publish it.

Since they refused, that would be too polite and too "academic".

Lionel's pen hovered above the manuscript paper for a moment, and then, with a hint of cold satisfaction, he crossed out the original title.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The next morning, Parisians noticed that the newsboys were unusually enthusiastic, and instead of the cheaper newspapers like Le Petit Parisien or Le Petit Daily, they were selling the slightly more expensive Le République.

"Breaking news! Breaking news! Lionel, the 'conscience of the Sorbonne,' has officially declared war on Le Figaro!"

"Breaking news! Breaking news! Lionel denounces Claretti as the real freak!"

"Breaking news! Breaking news! La Repubblica accuses Le Figaro of being a cancer on the media!"

This piqued the curiosity of many, who stopped and spent two sous to buy a copy of "La Repubblica".

This newspaper belonged to the Hugo family, whose founders included Victor Hugo's two sons, Charles Hugo and François-Victor Hugo.

Unlike Le Figaro, which leans towards conservatism and upper-class tastes, Il Repubblica is a mouthpiece for radical republicans, often fiercely criticizing royalists and aristocratic culture, and frequently satirizing the high-society social life and theatrical tastes championed by Le Figaro.

Therefore, it is common for the two sides to have differing opinions, but it is rare to see them so vehemently opposed.

Immediately, the hurried people slowed their pace as they saw the large headline on the front page:

"The 'Monster' of the Body Leads to the 'Monster' of the Spirit—To Mr. Claretti, Chief Writer of Le Figaro"

Subsequently, Lionel's "refutation essay" elevated their understanding of language to another dimension—it turns out that literary debates can take such unique angles!
In particular, the numerous memorable quotes have refreshed people's understanding—

"Literature awakens the apathetic, humbles the arrogant, and brings a smile to the gentle."

“Each of us is an illegitimate child of a distorted history, bearing the birthmarks of the old regime and the scars of the revolution, yet we must pretend to be reborn in the dawn of the Third Republic.”

"Freaks don't create ugliness, they just expose it."

"A freak is nothing more than a line of poetry that fate has written wrong; and love, with its clumsy rhymes, straightens it out."

...It's usually quite rare for an article to have even one or two sentences that become memorable, but Lionel's article is practically mass-produced.

The preview of the sequel to *The Curious Case of Benjamin Bouton*—"All Parisians will see that he will be abandoned and then loved again in the novel"—involve a thought in the minds of all readers who haven't yet read the novel:
Am I not a Parisian?! Where is Benjamin's "The Curious Cases of Bouton"?
In the offices of *Le Petit Parisien*, Paul Pigut, clutching a copy of *La Repubblica*, laughed wildly: "Ha ha ha! 'A freak of the flesh to a freak of the spirit'! Lionel is a devil! I love him!"

He immediately summoned his assistant and gave the instructions: "Contact 'La Repubblica' immediately and make sure they agree to let us reprint this article tomorrow! Put it together with the latest serialization in 'Benjamin Buton'!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The latest issue of Le Petit Parisien has been published, and today's serialization of "The Curious Cases of Benjamin Bouton" has received unprecedented attention.

Both ordinary citizens and the middle class took notice of the feud between Lionel and Le Figaro, which further fueled their interest in the novel.

How should a baby "born old" face his life? How long can he live?
Driven by curiosity, people eagerly opened the "literary supplement" of Le Petit Parisien and read the latest serial with great thirst:

While other abandoned infants in the nursery were following the iron laws of nature, stretching out and gurgling like tender branches sprouting in spring, Benjamin was undergoing a silent and terrifying transformation.

The elderly nun Marcellus, who cared for him, whose hands were exceptionally roughened by prayer and toil, suddenly stopped on his withered chest as she wiped his body. Her cloudy eyes trembled slightly with shock—

Beneath the baby's loose, tattered skin, there seemed to be... an extremely faint trace of elasticity belonging to a young life?
The roots of my gray hair, which were originally close to my scalp and sparse like withered grass in autumn, have quietly sprouted a ring of soft, almost transparent light golden down!

He tightened his grip on her fingers, slightly but firmly.

Is this an illusion?
……

This is not an illusion.

Year after year, under Sister Marcellus’s watchful yet loving gaze, Benjamin “advanced” in a slow, steadfast, and even disobedient manner.

When he was marked as "five years old" according to the year he was admitted to the hospital, he looked like a seventy-year-old man who had been completely crushed by life, his face full of wrinkles and frost.

However, his eyes—those eyes that were once as murky as a swamp—began to sparkle with a childlike, innocent curiosity that seemed out of place with his aged face.

He could lean against the cold wall and take unsteady but "walking" steps. The sounds coming from his throat were no longer the hoarse sounds of someone on the verge of death, but rather indistinct yet genuine babbling.

……

By the time he turned ten, he was still hunched over and thin, but the deepest lines on his face had been miraculously smoothed out by time, and most of his stubborn age spots had faded away.

His sparse white hair grew thicker, mixed with more and more gray and light brown, making him look like a destitute sixty-year-old man.

He began to utter simple words clearly and displayed an understanding that even Sister Marcellus was secretly amazed by.

He could listen quietly to the lengthy Psalms, though his gaze often drifted past the stained-glass windows of the prayer room to the sky beyond the high walls, fragmented by the church's walls and spires.

"I see!" Readers who have reached this point suddenly realize that the novel's second "selling point" is now clearly revealed:

Benjamin Boudon was not only "born old," but also "aged in reverse."

This novel concept completely captivated all readers!
(Requesting a monthly pass)
(End of this chapter)