A place for friends to meet... with reflections on politics, history, art, music, books, morals, manners, and matters of faith.
A blog by Elena Maria Vidal.
"She was not a guilty woman, neither was she a saint; she was an upright, charming woman, a little frivolous, somewhat impulsive, but always pure; she was a queen, at times ardent in her fancies for her favourites and thoughtless in her policy, but proud and full of energy; a thorough woman in her winsome ways and tenderness of heart, until she became a martyr."
"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."
"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."
~Edmund Burke, October 1790
A Note on Reviews
Unless otherwise noted, any books I review on this blog I have either purchased or borrowed from the library, and I do not receive any compensation (monetary or in-kind) for the reviews.
A reader sent me this link to pictures of one of the many prison camps used by the Communists to torment thousands of people. It reminds me of the biography I read about the Lithuanian nun Nijole Sadunaite called A Radiance in the Gulag. Sr. Nijole was interned in a concentration camp for being a "dissident." Amid the horror she nourished a vibrant faith. We really have no concept what many have suffered during our own life times.
Share
6 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Elena Filatova, the young Ukrainian woman whose website hosts the chilling gulag photos, has a fascinating collection of other subjects on her website, http://elenafilatova.com/
Her photos of the city of Chernobyl, abandoned in 1986, after the nuclear catastrophe there, are surreal and spiritually insightful. Apparently, she rides there alone [sic] periodically on her motorcycle, takes photos and video, and leaves none (too much ) the worse for wear.
Her photos and journal notes are a deep -- and deeply disturbing -- mediation on human hubris and the fleeting nature of earthly happiness.
Marie-Antoinette "en gaulle" by Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun
#1 in Kindle Biographies of Royalty!
Marie-Antoinette, Daughter of the Caesars: Her Life, Her Times, Her Legacy
An Audible Bestseller
Marie-Antoinette, Daughter of the Caesars: Her Life, Her Times, Her Legacy
An Amazon Bestseller
Trianon: A Novel of Royal France
My Queen, My Love: A Novel of Henrietta Maria
Available from Amazon
The Saga of Marie-Antoinette's daughter, Marie-Thérèse of France
A Novel of the Restoration
In Kirkus Top 20 for 2014! And #1 in Kindle Historical Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction
"In every Eden, there dwells a serpent . . . ."
#1 in Kindle History of France!
The Night's Dark Shade: A Novel of the Cathars
Listen to Tea at Trianon Radio
All about Marie-Antoinette!
Join me on Facebook!
Elena Maria Vidal Author Page
Join me on X!
@emvidal
Visit My Tumblr!
East of the Sun, West of the Moon
St. Teresa of Avila, pray for us!
"...Bud forth as the rose planted by the brooks of waters. Give ye a sweet odor as frankincense. Send forth flowers, as the lily...and bring forth leaves in grace, and praise with canticles, and bless the Lord in his works." —Ecclesiasticus 39:17-19
The fact that a link is provided here in no way constitutes an endorsement of everything on the other end of the link.
Comments Policy
Comments are moderated. If a comment is not published, it may be due to a technical error. At any rate, do not take offense; it is nothing personal. Slanderous comments will not be published. Anonymity may be tolerated, but politeness is required.
I would like to respond to every comment but my schedule renders it impossible to do so. Please know that I appreciate those who take the time to share their thoughts.
6 comments:
Elena Filatova, the young Ukrainian woman whose website hosts the chilling gulag photos, has a fascinating collection of other subjects on her website, http://elenafilatova.com/
Her photos of the city of Chernobyl, abandoned in 1986, after the nuclear catastrophe there, are surreal and spiritually insightful. Apparently, she rides there alone [sic] periodically on her motorcycle, takes photos and video, and leaves none (too much ) the worse for wear.
Her photos and journal notes are a deep -- and deeply disturbing -- mediation on human hubris and the fleeting nature of earthly happiness.
Those are really amazing photos. It shows the high price in human life that has been paid in the former Soviet Union.
thank you Elena for this post. I will link it.
God help us to never put issues or politics before human rights.
If this horrifies us so...think how Our Lady and Christ must weep at this....
I thought you would find it interesting, Paula!
So true, alaughland!
Yes, Margaret, heaven must have wept at the site of such suffering....
Post a Comment