Princess Napraxine Read Along

[lunabee34]

Link to Volume 2 and Reading Schedule

Chapters 14-16 pages 1-62



The plot thickens!

Othmar gives Yseulte an incredibly expensive box, which brings her a great deal of joy; naturally, her Aunt Cri-Cri stomps that joy right out. When she discovers her husband gave Yseulte a jewel and Othmar gave her the box, she makes all sorts of terrible insinuations about Yseulte's character, takes the box away from her, and sends a letter chastising Othmar for giving her a gift. Yseulte puts her uncle's necklace inside, too, when she gives it to her aunt.

Cri-Cri, who is only 28, discourses on aging and the way it diminishes her power.

Othmar anxiously awaits Nadine's answer to his offer to run away with him for most of this section; he's got a clear picture of her faults and the problems a relationship with her would pose, but he's in love with her even though he believes taking her from Platon would be a sin.

Nadine sincerely considers leaving with Othmar; while life bores her, he *almost* excites her and *almost* disturbs her. She's not worried about the morality of leaving Platon. Marriage isn't sacred to her, and she doesn't believe he possesses an interior life or the capacity to truly be hurt by anything. Her only consideration is whether leaving with Othmar would make her more or less bored. Ultimately she decides against leaving because she would lose power, she doesn't believe love is permanent, and she thinks she'd be bored and regretful relatively quickly. However, she intends to keep Othmar's affection.

We'll see. LOL

Comments

[landofnowhere]

Cultural references here:

"Who would have heard of Héloïse, of Beatrice, of Leonora d’Este?" An interesting combination. I get the point about Dante making Beatrice famous, but Héloïse deserves credit for her own writings! And I hadn't heard of Leonora d'Este, or of Torquato Tasso, the poet who loved her, who seems to have lost popularity in the 20th century.

(And going back to the conversation between Nadine and Lady Brancepeth who started it: Cleopatra would have been known as the last ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty even without the asp or Antony!)

"She listened, much as she might have listened to the sonorous swell of the Marche au Supplice of Berlioz," -- an appropriate simile, since that movement of the Symphonie Fantastique was intended by the composer to be about the suffering of unrequited love.

[lunabee34]

Indeed. Heloise has her own fame as does Cleopatra.

I also am not familiar with that poet.

I can't wait until you see what happens in the next installment OMG!!!!