Lionel's responses to reporters outside 64 Rue Laffitte, especially his "conscientious suggestion" to L'Univers reporter about the Church being able to "restart collecting tithes," was like pouring a bucket of cold water into a sizzling oil pan.
It instantly ignited the already tense public opinion battlefront.
La République immediately reprinted Lionel's full statement, accompanied by a striking headline—
Let Not the "Tithe" Return to France
The report highly praised Lionel's response as "logically clear and straight to the point," using the hypothesis of the "tithe" to "ruthlessly expose the hypocritical nature of the Church, which attempts to maintain educational privileges without assuming corresponding public responsibilities."
The article reiterated that only a state-led free, compulsory, secular public education system could achieve true educational equality and cultivate countless cornerstones for the future of France.
Le Figaro, on the other hand, reported the event with a relatively objective tone, with the headline—
Stable, Comprehensive, Enduring – Lionel Sorel Targets the Core of Educational Reform
The article primarily quoted Lionel's insights on educational reform but largely ignored the sarcasm of the "tithe," and specifically emphasized that Lionel had not completely denied the role of early church schools.
L'Univers's reaction was the most intense.
On the front page the next day, it launched a fierce personal attack on Lionel with the title: The Poisonous Tongue of the Ungrateful – Lionel Sorel!
[We once, with good intentions, regarded this young writer as the fruit of the good seeds sown by church schools, praising the lingering glimmer of compassion in his works.
However, we were wrong! Under the temptation of worldly fame and the allure of republican atheistic ideas, Lionel Sorel has completely exposed the depravity of his soul!
His malicious and blasphemous "tithe" metaphor is a great insult to countless nuns and priests who devoutly serve the cause of education! It is a complete betrayal of the Holy Church's millennia of contributions to France's moral foundation!]
And Bishop Gibert of the Paris archdiocese was even more furious:
"This arrogant and insolent young man must be taught a lesson!
Does he think he can arbitrarily trample on the dignity of the Holy Church with a little literary talent?
A Letter from an Unknown Woman is the best example! Isn't the 'evil tendency' of this novel very obvious?
Writing such a work is precisely the inevitable evil fruit of his departure from the Church's moral education and his indulgence in worldly desires!
Let all of Paris know that Lionel Sorel's works reek of moral decay!"
Gibert's order was swiftly carried out.
In the following days, both L'Univers and La Croix, the pro-Church newspapers in Paris, featured harsh critiques of A Letter from an Unknown Woman.
The reports described it as "a poisonous weed that seduces souls into depravity," "a blasphemy of pure love," and "a manifesto condoning immoral lust."
Some reports even equated A Letter from an Unknown Woman with The Decadent City, claiming that "'the conscience of the Sorbonne' and 'an honest Parisian' are essentially the same kind of person!"
However, none of this could stop Lionel from earning more praise within literary circles!
Upon entering "Flaubert's Sunday," Lionel was met with applause from everyone.
These most progressive writers in France were, without exception, advocates for universal free education—in fact, this policy was also closely related to their interests.
The higher the literacy rate and reading ability of the French people, the higher the sales of literary works, especially novels.
Forty years ago, the best-selling novel in France was Eugène Sue's The Mysteries of Paris, which told the story of a nobleman who disguised himself as a hero at night to punish evil and promote good, and by chance rescued his daughter who had become a prostitute.
The sales of this popular novel's standalone edition were about 20,000 to 30,000 copies.
By now, Zola's L'Assommoir, a rather serious naturalist work, sold 55,000 copies in its first edition.
Apart from the factor of declining book prices, the biggest reason was the increasing popularization of education, which greatly expanded the reader base in France.
However, there was subsequent disagreement regarding whether to show solidarity with Édouard-Benoît de Villeneuve.
Flaubert appeared worried:
"A petition? This… I'm afraid it's a trap. I don't care what that Villeneuve wrote, but he is a complete fraud, with numerous crimes.
If we rashly come out against the Church's exorcism of him—no matter how absurd that ritual is—it could easily be misinterpreted as sheltering a fraud!
This would provide excellent ammunition for those church newspapers, they would say, 'Look! These atheistic writers, they are indeed in league with the devil!'"
Having experienced the trial surrounding Madame Bovary, Flaubert was deeply wary of the treacherous nature of public opinion and the irrationality of the public.
Zola's view was completely different:
"On the contrary, Gustave! It is precisely at times like this that we should stand up! That so-called 'Great Exorcism Ritual' is itself a medieval farce!
It attempts to use superstitious excuses like 'demonic possession' to explain creative acts, which is an insult to human reason and to the identity of a writer!
If we remain silent, it is tantamount to acknowledging the Church's power to explain literary creation and judicial decisions with superstition! This is more dangerous than a swindler's crimes!"
Maupassant did not side with his teacher this time.
He had a strong aversion to the Church since childhood, even deliberately making mistakes to get expelled from church school, so his attitude was even more resolute:
"I completely agree with Émile! To hell with public opinion risks!
Anything that makes those charlatans uncomfortable, I support!
Sign! We must sign! And we must call on more people to sign! Let the Church know that not everyone buys into their 'devil' tricks!"
At this point, everyone noticed that one person was unusually silent, it was Lionel, who had also received a letter from the "French Writers' Association."
So they stopped arguing and turned their gaze to him.
Everyone wanted to hear what he thought.
————
At the same time, in a gloomy basement of Notre Dame Cathedral, Édouard-Benoît de Villeneuve, separately brought out, wore a prisoner's uniform and looked haggard.
Father Jean-Joseph Fourcade, the papal envoy, stood before him, his expression solemn, his tone carrying undeniable authority:
"Villeneuve, you should know that this exorcism ritual is to save your soul, which has been defiled by the devil… It is also to save Paris's increasingly corrupt morals.
To achieve the best… hmm… 'therapeutic effect,' and to let the faithful witness the power of divine light with their own eyes, you need to—'cooperate.'"
Édouard-Benoît lifted his eyelids and laughed sarcastically:
"Cooperate? Father, do you mean to roll around on stage like a circus monkey, howl, and utter 'demonic whispers' that no one can understand?"
Father Fourcade's face darkened:
"Watch your words! This is a sacred ritual! You need to show the torment of being possessed by the devil, struggling and wailing under the pressure of holy water, holy relics, and prayers!
When the holy light finally expels the demon, you must show relief and gratitude!
The more authentic and intense your 'performance' is, the more it will prove the success of the ritual, and the more it will… reflect the Church's benevolence, which might… help your future situation."
Bishop Gibert stepped forward, his voice low:
"Villeneuve, we are willing to give you a chance to truly redeem yourself, as long as you use your special talent for acting…
During the ritual, the moment you 'regain consciousness,' you need to confess to everyone! Confess the reason for your downfall—
It was precisely because you unfortunately left church school that you were corrupted by worldly evil, sliding step by step into the abyss of fraud and writing obscene literature!
You must warn everyone that only by returning to the embrace of the Church and receiving orthodox moral education can tragedies like yours be avoided!"
Édouard-Benoît said nothing, staring into Bishop Gibert's eyes.
Bishop Gibert leaned slightly forward, his voice even lower:
"If you can do this, and appear sufficiently sincere and… convincing, I can arrange for you to serve your sentence in an ordinary prison.
Think about it, Villeneuve, would you rather go to 'Toulon' to bask in the sun, or go to 'Salpêtrière' to be chained up with real madmen?"
Villeneuve's body trembled almost imperceptibly.
He looked up, a nearly twisted smile on his face:
"As you both wish, I will certainly 'act out' this play well…"
It wasn't until the footsteps of the two high-ranking clerics faded away that Édouard-Benoît shivered all over, as if he had just made a deal with the devil.
(End of chapter)
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