Victor Hugo and the Catacombs
Aug. 27th, 2023 01:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rebeccmeisterPondering potential places to visit in Paris, I wondered about the Catacombs. Would that be on your list? I read a bit more about the rationale and construction on their website, but ultimately won’t go for an in-person visit at this time, as I mull over my feelings and philosophy towards the treatment of human remains. The words of the Native American woman who said, “The Earth is our ancestors. We are walking on the ashes of our ancestors.” echo loudly in my head.
The human remains in the Catacombs serve two purposes: they cleared out civil cemeteries in France so the spaces could be used for other purposes, and they helped to shore up old limestone quarries so parts of the city would be less likely to collapse. I can respect these purposes.
But then I go over to the Victor Hugo house, and observe the extensive efforts undertaken to scrape together memories and artifacts on the behalf of one person, a person whose prolific writing was clearly enabled by a life in a position of privilege. Of course, he did clearly try to make the best of his position when it came to helping others, but still.
Your bones and my bones are far more likely to end up in the catacombs than elsewhere. Like my father, I am okay with my remains being either cremated or buried directly in the earth to become stardust once again.
Victor Hugo’s woodworking endeavors were the most strange and interesting to me. There were some woodburned pieces that were incredible to see in person for an appreciation of their texture. Then there was that strange obsession with taking apart and reassembling ornately carved cabinetry, which I’m still kind of scratching my head over.
The human remains in the Catacombs serve two purposes: they cleared out civil cemeteries in France so the spaces could be used for other purposes, and they helped to shore up old limestone quarries so parts of the city would be less likely to collapse. I can respect these purposes.
But then I go over to the Victor Hugo house, and observe the extensive efforts undertaken to scrape together memories and artifacts on the behalf of one person, a person whose prolific writing was clearly enabled by a life in a position of privilege. Of course, he did clearly try to make the best of his position when it came to helping others, but still.
Your bones and my bones are far more likely to end up in the catacombs than elsewhere. Like my father, I am okay with my remains being either cremated or buried directly in the earth to become stardust once again.
Victor Hugo’s woodworking endeavors were the most strange and interesting to me. There were some woodburned pieces that were incredible to see in person for an appreciation of their texture. Then there was that strange obsession with taking apart and reassembling ornately carved cabinetry, which I’m still kind of scratching my head over.
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Date: 2023-08-27 02:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-27 02:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-27 02:27 pm (UTC)Income from his writing.
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Date: 2023-08-27 02:50 pm (UTC)https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Hugo
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Date: 2023-08-27 04:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-30 02:10 am (UTC)