Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 120 What does Lionel know about "My Uncle Jules"?
As soon as she got home, Alice handed Lionel a letter: "Lionel, this letter is from England."

Lionel took the envelope and glanced at it, discovering that the letter was from London, from the Nineteenth Century magazine, and signed "Harold Thompson".

This made him take it seriously.

Although The Nineteenth Century was founded in 1877 and can be considered a "young" magazine, its founder, Sir James Knowles, had close relationships with poets such as Alfred and Lord Tennyson.

Therefore, the inaugural issue featured articles by these important figures, and it quickly became popular in its early days, with monthly circulation exceeding 20000 copies by early 1878.

It's worth noting that this publication cost a whopping 2 shillings and 6 pence, equivalent to two days' wages for a skilled British worker, so its sales figures were nothing short of miraculous.

The Sorbonne also had "The Nineteenth Century" in its periodicals room, which Lionel had borrowed several times, and he knew that its goal was to establish a "completely neutral platform for the exchange of ideas."

However, it seems to publish very few literary works, focusing mainly on literature, science, and social discussions.

With a sense of doubt, Lionel tore open the envelope, pulled out the letter, and began to read it carefully.

Harold Thompson wrote to him in very standard French, which was a basic skill of European intellectuals in this era and not surprising.

The letter was quite simple: firstly, he requested permission from the Nineteenth Century to reprint his novel "My Uncle Jules," and offered to pay him 5 pence (about 10 sous) per line as royalties.

The price is quite reasonable, considering it's a reprinted work. Although Lionel is a big name in France, nobody in Britain knows who he is.

Secondly, we hope that Lionel will write an article for the "Modern Symposium" section of the August issue of "Nineteenth Century" on the theme of "Poverty-stricken Individuals and Family Responsibilities".

The "Modern Symposium" is the cornerstone of Nineteenth Century magazine. It provides a collection of articles and responses from different authors on topics such as science, literature, or religion, which the magazine gathers together and publishes in a debate-like format.

This "special forum" format allows readers to quickly glimpse the most cutting-edge intellectual trends of our time.

Harold suggests that Lionel could start by exploring the question of "how far should the financial support obligations within the family extend" or "the moral conflict between personal success or failure and family relationships," and discuss these questions with authors from France, Britain, Germany, and Russia.

Harold saw "My Uncle Jules" as a typical novel exploring modern family relationships, and thus extended an invitation to Lionel.

Lionel frowned. He was happy to agree to the first one, as it would help him expand his readership in the UK.

But the second requirement posed a challenge for him—in the context of the late 19th century, especially after the full industrialization of society, traditional family relationships faced enormous challenges in both Britain and France.

The family ethics formed in traditional agricultural society are facing subversion or even disintegration.

Just like in England 200 years ago, even the most heartless parents wouldn't face the choice of either stuffing their 6-year-old child into a chimney to remove ash or into a coal mine to dig coal.

Similarly, in traditional French society, the family is the economic unit, the main property is land, and most members live and work together, so the concept of "kinship obligations" is very strong.

Regardless of the economic situation of relatives, family members have a long-term and stable responsibility to support each other.
By the time Jules was "exiled" to America, the Darmans family's economic source was no longer land, but wages, and the interdependence among members decreased—which is why he seemed particularly "unforgivable".

While money was certainly a major factor in the Joseph family's "blindness" towards Le, there were also significant social reasons behind it.

How to reconstruct family ethics within the context of industrialization and capitalism is a question that many writers and philosophers of this era have been thinking about and exploring.

Although Lionel possessed insights 150 years ahead of his time, he might not be able to explain these issues clearly in a single article.

He put down the letter, strolled to the window, and looked down at the street scene of Paris. Carriages rumbled, pedestrians hurried by, and the pulse of this "capital of Europe" beat faster and faster, driven by the engine of industry and capital.

What he saw at that moment was not a romantic street scene, but countless Uncle Jules, countless Philippes and his wife, countless Josephs...

And of course, there was his unfortunate neighbor, Mr. Greenheit—if this had happened 100 years ago, he probably wouldn't have needed to blow his own head off.

He even thought of himself: a country boy from the Alps, studying alone in Paris, and becoming famous overnight; his connection with the Sorel family in the Alps was actually very fragile.

In theory, he didn't even need to send 150 francs home every month, since being scammed was none of his business, and he had fulfilled his duty to warn others.

What drove him to take on this obligation, which would destroy his life, almost instinctively?

Even though Lionel was a reader of "My Uncle Jules" in his time and its author in this era, he had never thought about this piece so deeply before.

He discovered that he didn't actually understand "My Uncle Jules"...

Only now did he feel the real heartbeat of those fictional characters beneath those seemingly cold or warm words.

In a daze, my junior high school Chinese teacher's assertion that "the money-first mentality in capitalist society corrupts family ties" seemed to echo in my ears.

Lionel quickly banished this simplistic and crude assertion from his mind—Jules' tragedy cannot be attributed solely to the moral decay of society or individuals.

The Philips' indifference and fear stemmed from an instinctive self-preservation; 19th-century society was changing too fast and too drastically, and no one could predict what tomorrow would bring.

Joseph's compassion and helplessness represent the confusion of a new generation after the collapse of old ethics.

Therefore, we cannot simply blame families for being indifferent, nor can we make empty moral demands.

Lionel wanted to explore what kind of new bond is possible and reasonable after the old bond breaks, and on what basis should such a bond be based?
Is it pure emotion?

—It has never seemed very reliable.

Is it a limited economic mutual aid contract?

— Yet it exposes individuals to risks they cannot bear.

Is it still necessary for social forces to intervene and share the burden that families cannot bear?
—In this era where there are no pensions or medical insurance?
With that in mind, he took out his pen and paper and began to write a reply to Harold Thompson. First, he agreed to the request to reprint the novel; then he also expressed his approval of participating in the "Modern Symposium" topic, but the manuscript could not be submitted to the Nineteenth Century magazine until the end of June.

The reason is simple: this article is quite difficult, and I also need to prepare for the year-end exams.

After writing the letter, Lionel handed it to Alice to copy and mail, and then went out after dinner.

Today he has a big event – ​​visiting Europe's largest art exhibition, the death ground of Impressionist painters, the annual "Paris Salon".

(Third update complete, fourth update tomorrow)

　There were too many unexpected events while writing today, and I was interrupted multiple times, so I'm really sorry for the lateness.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)