|
Les amateurs d'éventails,
dans leur enthousiasme, regardent avec nostalgie les grandes heures
de leur objet favori. Ils s'imaginent qu'il était toujours
synonyme de grâce, de beauté, de distinction et de bonne
société.
Certes ! Mais c'était
aussi, par son luxe, son inutilité, la mièvrerie de son
décor (fréquente, avouons-le, après la moitié
du XVIIIème siècle !), le représentant idéal
d'une société aristocratique, ou, pire, de parvenus singeant
la noblesse, où l'oisiveté était la règle,
la futilité fréquente, et le mépris du travail
pas si rare
Nous allons voir ci-dessous
une réaction "petite bourgeoise" et "bien-pensante"
contre l'éventail, objet de tous les dangers !
|
|
Fans lovers, in
their enthusiasm, remind with nostalgia the great hours of their favorite
object. They think that it was always synonym of grace, beauty, distinction
and high society.
Of course! But it was
also, by its luxury, its uselessness, the insipidness of its decoration
(frequent, let us acknowledge it, after the second half of the XVIIIème
century!), the ideal representative of an aristocratic society (or,
worse, of "parvenus" imitating the nobility), where idleness
was the rule, frequent the futility, and not so rare the contempt of
work.
We shall see
below a typical reaction
of the "small middle-class" and "right-thinking persons"
against the fan, object of all the dangers!
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
| |
|
On
a summer day, Jeanne and Louise come to their french
lesson with fine fans. They use them for one hour,
as spanish ladies do. |
Their
schoolmastress do not reproach anything. but she begins
painting pictures. During the next lesson, she says
: Misses, it is too hot for working. Let us have a
look at this album. |
| |
|
|
|
First,
look at this pretty bird who is singing in the wind
at the edge of a tree. Meanwhile, the cat catches
the nest and eats the cubs. |
Here,
a farmer is fanning herself with her sun hat. She
does not perceive that a sparrowhawk covets her brooded
chicks, and finally robs several. |
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
| |
|
The miller enjoys
the wind risen by her mill's wings, and neglects the
grinding process. Flour is very bad, and customers
go back very miscontents. |
As
she uses as a fan a bunch of fields flowers, the shepherdess
forgets her herd, which scatters. Several lambs are
eaten by wolves. |
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Under
those trees where the breeze runs, those winnowers
do not see the coming storm. The tempest causes the
hay to whirl to every side. |
With
a red face, this "chef" gets some cool air
agitating her kitchen apron, no matter of the milk
which speads on the fire. Farewell, cream ! |
| |
|
|
|
Next
PAGE IN ENGLISH
page
suivante (en français)
|
