Of course, not everyone was happy about the bestseller status of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, especially Le Figaro and Jules Clarétie.
After suppressing his disgust and anger, and carefully studying Lionel's article and novel, he finally penned a literary critique equally worthy of being called a "masterpiece," which he handed to editor-in-chief Armand de La Motte.
La Motte had also been in a bind recently; Le Figaro had not been immune to losses in verbal battles, but it had never been so thoroughly beaten, both morally and aesthetically.
Especially after Le République exposed his refusal to publish Lionel's rebuttal, it drew unanimous criticism from public opinion.
Even Émile Zola, who had a good relationship with Le Figaro, published an article in Le Matin, stating that Le Figaro's rejection was "unacceptable" and "the beginning of journalistic dictatorship."
Le Figaro's retail sales were consequently two or three thousand copies lower than usual.
Although this was negligible compared to the total sales of 60,000 copies and could be attributed to "normal fluctuations," Editor-in-Chief La Motte still sniffed out a crisis.
He urgently needed an article that could turn the tide and restore people's confidence in Le Figaro.
So when Jules Clarétie placed his new work on his desk, Editor-in-Chief La Motte eagerly began to read it.
A few minutes later, he peered out from behind the manuscript with puzzled eyes:
"Clarétie, are you sure you want to write it this way?"
Jules Clarétie leaned forward slightly, resting his hands on the desk, forming a rather imposing posture:
"Monsieur La Motte, if we cannot stand firm on our position at this moment, we will truly lose our readers!"
Editor-in-Chief La Motte fell into deep thought, and after a long silence, he slowly said,
"You are right, Le Figaro cannot lose its ground."
A day later, Clarétie's latest lengthy article was published in Le Figaro's literary supplement.
From the title, the scent of gunpowder was exceptionally strong:
"Double Betrayal: On The Curious Case of Benjamin Button's Dangerous Usurpation of France's Sacred Order and Historical Truth"
This time, Clarétie avoided emotional terms like "freak show," which were easily seized upon, and attempted to launch an attack from a more "Le Figaro"-esque perspective:
[Monsieur Sorel's setting of 'growing backward' is not an innocent literary imagination, but a naked blasphemy and usurpation—a blasphemy and usurpation of the sacred order of nature and life set by God!
Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the unchangeable laws of the Creator, the cornerstone maintaining universal harmony and human ethics.
Monsieur Sorel has an infant 'born old' and then 'grows backward,' which is tantamount to declaring: God's blueprint can be arbitrarily altered, and the laws of life can be wantonly twisted!
This setting leads readers to a nihilistic view of the essence of life, shaking their reverence for the sacred order, and its harm far exceeds its superficial 'grotesqueness'!
This is a shaking of the foundations of religious faith, a corrosion of social morality and ethics!
A truly great literary work should guide people towards goodness, reverence for the divine, and adherence to natural laws, rather than, like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, challenging the Creator's authority with sensational fantasies!]
"Bastard!"
Maupassant slapped Le Figaro onto the table, pacing furiously in his teacher's apartment living room.
He had originally come today to hand his teacher a newly written play—the five-act play The Writer, the Cheat, the Lady, and the Police, inspired by the true experiences of his good friend Lionel.
But as soon as he entered, Flaubert handed him a copy of Le Figaro and told him to read Jules Clarétie's article carefully.
Maupassant had barely read the beginning before erupting in anger:
"He's trying to elevate literary criticism to a religious level, hoping to use the Church against Lionel!"
Flaubert looked at his young, impulsive disciple and shook his head helplessly:
"The Church probably wouldn't go so far as to 'kill' The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; after all, no negative portrayal of them has appeared in the novel yet.
Le Figaro is trying to rekindle the enthusiasm of its loyal readers and prevent them from being lost due to the rejection incident."
Maupassant then indignantly picked up Le Figaro and continued reading:
[Furthermore, Monsieur Sorel's placement of his absurd protagonist in the sacred and tragic historical moment of the Great Revolution is an even more serious distortion and disrespect for historical truth!
The fall of the Bastille, the collapse of the Old Regime, the rebirth of France—this is a grand epic forged with the blood and ideals of countless ancestors!
We ask, when readers are immersed in the adventures of an infant 'growing backward,' how much thought can they spare to experience how the great French spirit—"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"—was born with such difficulty?
Monsieur Sorel, with his cheap fantasy, dissolves the solemnity and gravity of history, reducing a monumental change that determined the fate of a nation to a fantasy story satisfying a craving for novelty!
This is an insult to historical martyrs and a misleading of readers' historical understanding!]
Maupassant deeply felt the sinister nature of Jules Clarétie—he accused Lionel of using major historical events as a gimmick, attempting to stir up dissatisfaction among France's conservatives.
And that wasn't all; Clarétie added a final jab based on the latest serialized plot:
[Finally, the so-called "friendship" between Benjamin and Delphine penned by Monsieur Sorel is also disturbing.
The overly intimate relationship between a 'ten-year-old' boy who looks like a sixty-something old man and a true ten-year-old girl, depicted romantically, could easily spark readers' imaginations that might cross ethical boundaries.
Monsieur Sorel clearly lacks the necessary prudence in this regard, and the 'pure' friendship he portrays, in the eyes of some readers, is probably no less tempting than The Decadent City.]
Upon reading this, Maupassant jumped directly from his chair and tore Le Figaro to shreds:
"Slander! Slander! Utter slander! Lionel describes the pure and innocent emotions between children!
How can it be compared to The Decadent City? Lionel isn't a philandering charmer like 'an honest Parisian'!
When Huysmans and I invited him to 'Caesar's Summer Palace,' he didn't even go..."
Flaubert quickly cleared his throat, interrupting Maupassant's outburst:
"Guy, Lionel is your friend, and a young man with a promising future...
This is a good opportunity to speak out for your friend Lionel, and also for yourself."
Maupassant instantly understood his teacher's meaning; whether it was Le Figaro, Le Petit Parisien, or Le République, their influence was top-tier.
This was practically a ready-made opportunity for fame!
He quickly nodded:
"I'll go find Huysmans and Paul right away."
With that, he rushed out of his teacher's house, even forgetting to ask about his play.
————
Jules Clarétie sat in his office, also holding a copy of Le Figaro.
He reread his article several times and finally revealed a confident smile—Lionel's despicable polemical tricks, after his own contemplation, had all been incorporated into it.
Elevating issues, distorting concepts, moral attacks... as a first-rate Parisian commentator, his learning ability was quite strong.
Just as he was feeling pleased, Editor-in-Chief La Motte's assistant arrived:
"Monsieur La Motte requests your presence in his office."
Clarétie's spirits lifted.
He stood up, tidied his clothes and hair, and followed the assistant through Le Figaro's historic corridor to the door of Armand de La Motte's editor-in-chief office.
After the assistant knocked, a heavy voice from within said:
"Come in."
Clarétie pushed open the door and entered.
The atmosphere in the large editor-in-chief's office was heavy.
Facing Editor-in-Chief La Motte, sat a figure in a dark blue military uniform, with long golden tassels at the epaulets, his back to Clarétie.
(End of chapter)
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