Vive la France
In the interest of full disclosure, your humble scribe, through his paternal grandmother, claims one-quarter French heritage, displaced some 300+ years through Quebec, then Vermont, and then Quebec again. It's not something that often comes up in conversation, but given France's World Cup Final berth, I am choosing to jump on my genealogical bandwagon and hum La Marseillaise this weekend.
Today also marks the 550th anniversary of Joan of Arc's posthumous acquittal for heresy. I am reminded of Bernard Shaw's St. Joan, and perhaps my favourite exchange therein, among the clergymen discussing the charges against Joan:
CHAPLAIN TO THE CARDINAL OF WESTMINSTER: ... The Maid has actually declared that the blessed saints Margaret and Catherine, and the holy Archangel Michael, spoke to her in French. That is a vital point.
THE INQUISITOR: You think, doubtless, that they should have spoken in Latin?
BISHOP CAUCHON: No: he thinks they should have spoken in English.
CHAPLAIN: Naturally, my lord.
It's all so perfectly logical, isn't it?
I confess that I don't actually speak French beyond poutine and bibliotheque and voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir. Nor do I actually enjoy watching soccer (never could see what the fuss was about one-nil games won on penalty kicks). But I do have numerous Italian friends and neighbours whom I would enjoy seeing heartbroken in defeat on Sunday. Besides (and I know I'm being selfish - so sue me) an Italian win would mean traffic chaos. That's enough of a reason for me to root for the French.
The Germans didn't make the final, but they did give us the word schadenfreude.
Today also marks the 550th anniversary of Joan of Arc's posthumous acquittal for heresy. I am reminded of Bernard Shaw's St. Joan, and perhaps my favourite exchange therein, among the clergymen discussing the charges against Joan:
CHAPLAIN TO THE CARDINAL OF WESTMINSTER: ... The Maid has actually declared that the blessed saints Margaret and Catherine, and the holy Archangel Michael, spoke to her in French. That is a vital point.
THE INQUISITOR: You think, doubtless, that they should have spoken in Latin?
BISHOP CAUCHON: No: he thinks they should have spoken in English.
CHAPLAIN: Naturally, my lord.
It's all so perfectly logical, isn't it?
I confess that I don't actually speak French beyond poutine and bibliotheque and voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir. Nor do I actually enjoy watching soccer (never could see what the fuss was about one-nil games won on penalty kicks). But I do have numerous Italian friends and neighbours whom I would enjoy seeing heartbroken in defeat on Sunday. Besides (and I know I'm being selfish - so sue me) an Italian win would mean traffic chaos. That's enough of a reason for me to root for the French.
The Germans didn't make the final, but they did give us the word schadenfreude.
posted by Benjamin Thornton at 10:21 p.m.
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