Cover of The Ways of Men
    Philosophical

    The Ways of Men

    by LovelyMay
    The Ways of Men by Eliot Gregory is a novel that examines the complexities of human nature and relationships as a young man grapples with societal expectations, personal ambition, and moral dilemmas in his pursuit of self-discovery.

    In Chap­ter 27 of “The Ways of Men,” we trav­el to the quaint vil­lage of Marly-le-Roy, nes­tled with­in the ver­dant tri­an­gle of Saint Cloud, Ver­sailles, and Saint Ger­main. This loca­tion, once favored by French roy­al­ty and notably by the “Sun King” Louis XIV, holds the mem­o­ry of grandeur despite the era­sure of its roy­al vil­las and trea­sures through time. Among its endur­ing fea­tures are the mar­ble hors­es by Cous­tou, now in the Champs Ely­sees, sym­bol­iz­ing the rem­nants of its splen­did past.

    The nar­ra­tive shifts to focus on the res­i­dence of Vic­to­rien Sar­dou, a tow­er­ing fig­ure in mod­ern dra­ma, shar­ing this esteemed her­itage with Alexan­dre Dumas FILS. Sardou’s abode, adorned with arti­facts and relics of a bygone era, lies with­in the vil­lage’s out­skirts, acces­si­ble through a majes­tic gate­way. Upon enter­ing, one is greet­ed by an avenue flanked by sphin­x­es, a gift from the late Khe­dive, lead­ing to Sardou’s res­i­dence – a tes­ta­ment to his artis­tic tastes and his­tor­i­cal rev­er­ence.

    With­in Sar­dou’s home, every room breathes the essence of the 18th cen­tu­ry, with Gob­elin tapes­tries and Louis XIV’s relics, reflect­ing a deep engage­ment with French his­to­ry and art. Sar­dou, a col­lec­tor at heart, rev­els in the joy of acquir­ing, pre­serv­ing, and show­cas­ing his trea­sures, each with a sto­ry that bridges the past to the present. His acqui­si­tion sto­ries, espe­cial­ly the Beau­vais tapes­try set and a sin­gu­lar piece found in a peas­an­t’s sta­ble, reveal not just a col­lec­tor’s pride but a his­to­ri­an’s zeal.

    The nar­ra­tive explores Sardou’s lin­eage, trac­ing back to Sar­din­ian fish­er­men, hint­ing at the blend of his­to­ry and per­son­al lega­cy that defines the play­wright. The scenic descrip­tions of Marly-le-Roy and the panoram­ic views from Sardou’s estate paint a pic­ture of tran­quil beau­ty inter­twined with his­tor­i­cal grandeur.

    Tran­si­tion­ing to the out­doors, Sar­dou shares his vision for his estate’s gar­dens, inspired by his­tor­i­cal maps and prints. His pas­sion extends to the restora­tion of 18th-cen­tu­ry gar­den designs, stat­ues, and foun­tains, indi­cat­ing his ded­i­ca­tion to pre­serv­ing her­itage beyond his the­atri­cal endeav­ors.

    Sar­dou’s assort­ment of arti­facts, includ­ing pieces from Ver­sailles and Saint Cloud, show­cas­es his deep engage­ment with French his­to­ry. The col­umn from the Tui­leries, with its roy­al emblems, stands as a sym­bol of resilience and his­toric mem­o­ry, cher­ished and show­cased by Sar­dou with pride.

    The chap­ter con­cludes with insights into Sar­dou’s work­space, a library arranged method­i­cal­ly by his­tor­i­cal peri­ods, facil­i­tat­ing his research and writ­ing. This per­son­al space reflects Sar­dou’s schol­ar­ly approach to his work, embody­ing his pas­sion for his­to­ry and its influ­ence on his plays, notably men­tioned is “Robe­spierre,” which enjoyed suc­cess­ful stag­ing in Lon­don, despite Sar­dou’s per­son­al absence due to trav­el appre­hen­sions.

    This explo­ration not only hon­ors Sar­dou’s con­tri­bu­tions to dra­ma and his­tor­i­cal preser­va­tion but also casts a light on the per­son­al con­vic­tions and pas­sions that dri­ve his artis­tic and col­lectible endeav­ors, show­cas­ing a life devot­ed to the cel­e­bra­tion and preser­va­tion of French his­to­ry and art.

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