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ColonelDespard β FT - Pacifist Combeferre
Published: 2010-09-06 02:49:22 +0000 UTC; Views: 3815; Favourites: 13; Downloads: 550
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Description
As threatened on my LJ, I've started a series of cartoons dealing with fanon tropes in the vein of the "Enjolras Meets Angst" thing I did a while back.Disclaimer: I am not attacking a single author. These are recurring themes, and I can detect traces of some of them in my own work. Some of them I detest, some amuse me, and some I have a soft spot for.
I'm open to new ideas for the series, btw.
This goes under the "detest" category. I loathe pacifist Combeferre in all his manifestations. This is the guy who declares "Sod this for a game of soliders - you can take your Revolution and shove it! FFS, Enjolras - I can't believe you didn't tell me people would die!"
He's usually coupled with that loathesome creature, Evil!Fanon Enjolras, who ranges from naive/pissy/petty-demagogic all the way through to full-blown psychopath.
There's even an afterlife fic where Combeferre does his "I'm outta here" routine.
I can see where some of the thinking behind this comes from - sections of his introduction taken out of context, and his request to Enjolras not to shoot the artillary officer. But it ignores the entire context of his intro, the fact that he looks at compassion and understanding at Enjolras during the Le Cabuc incident, the fact that he marches the barricade *with more armaments than Enjolras*, and this choice quote:
"Combeferre distributed the cartridges from the basket which he had brought in.
This gave each man fifteen rounds to fire.
Jean Valjean was still in the same place, motionless on his stone post. When Combeferre offered him his fifteen cartridges, he shook his head.
"Here's a rare eccentric," said Combeferre in a low voice to Enjolras. "He finds a way of not fighting in this barricade."
"Which does not prevent him from defending it," responded Enjolras.
"Heroism has its originals," resumed Combeferre."
So...erm...it's *Combeferre" who thinks it unusual a man would come to a barricade and not fight, and Enjolras who points out that Valjean is still pulling his weight.
Haven't seen him for a while, but watch out - he will return, snatch the body of the real Combeferre, and be turning on the Revolution and betraying his comrades and his oaths again - rather bizarre, for a man whose last recorded words are the following:
"Can any one understand," exclaimed Feuilly bitterly, "those men,--[and he cited names, well-known names, even celebrated names, some belonging to the old army]--who had promised to join us, and taken an oath to aid us, and who had pledged their honor to it, and who are our generals, and who abandon us!"
And Combeferre restricted himself to replying with a grave smile.
"There are people who observe the rules of honor as one observes the stars, from a great distance."
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Comments: 42
Many thanks - I'm so glad you enjoyed it
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Well, ok, now more seriously, Combeferre surely isn't the type to *seriously* leave his friends. I must say that I haven't read fics that picture him like that, I remember ones when Combeferre was "voice of reason" but always helping and not going against Les Amis and their revolution. But being the most reasonable and "positivist" one of them surely was source of frustration. It's where something like on your picture happens.
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Beautiful. 
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I can't stop laughing! This is just too awesome! Haha, I love his tie-dye frock coat!
I read a fic like this once. I think Cosette ended up falling in love with him in that one XD
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Oh, I just can't *bear* what this does to him as a character...however much fun it was to paint the frockcoat as an early effort in photoshop! I just feel like asking anyone who writes this interpretation whether they actually read and paid attention to the book!
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Why is he wearing a peace locket when he's in the middle of the revolution? -_-II
Just curious.
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Why indeed? 
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Hah...as much as I agree that Combeferre is not a pacifist, this is a pretty amazing picture.
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It was sort of fun giving darling Combeferre such a peevish expression, as it's so NOT him!
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And the outfit...oh, the outfit...
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...and yet, somehow in my heart of hearts, I still wish he would've done this. I mean, as opposed to dying. :-/ I wonder if that makes me a bad fangirl, lol......
But you're right, this man is out of control and must be stopped. No less for wearing a travesty of a frock coat. I mean, like, doesn't Prouvaire have a copyright on that? XDDD
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I am so going to market frockcoats like this one day! I have a few later Victorian - 1920s frock coats and tailcoats, and one from c.1830, but they're all in such drab colours (um...black). More tie-dye!
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That getup suits him very well. I bet he has made JP a little butthurt, though. I just LOVE LOVE LOVE that pose! HAHAHAH!!! And I've noticed how BRIGHT and BOLD the colors are on your new submissions. It gives them more of a POW! to them.
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Heh - yeah, that's me not learning more about the subtleties of colouration in photoshop (sorry it took me so long to get back to you!)
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Combferre gets to be the Donald Duck of my Three Caballeros parody, doesn't he?
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Yeah so I already squeed about this on AbaissΓ© but I just took another look at it and have been giggling hysterically for the past five minutes or so. (I am looking forward to the Enjolras/Eponine one.)
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Cheers, Hazellwood! I'm so pleased it gave you a grin (I spent most of the time doing I was colouring it being ridiculously amused at the thought of Combeferre in a tie-dye frock coat...now I need to do a Jehan so I can really go to town).
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OMG, I was laughing so harrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd. I could practically hear him sayng it, too. Oh, my friend, you are a genious.
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LOL I was gonna say... "Is that a South Park reference I hear???" It's great.
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Couldn't resist! Presumably he has the Cartman whine going on as well!
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I can see it now..... XD
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[is still howling too hard to be capable of coherent comment]
Either you or I should follow this up with Ramboferre.
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Oh, absolutely! The Bad-ass Geek with his arsenal of weapons
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My cousin loves that couple. I think she and I had a debate about it a while back, and I asked you for advice.
I still think she's insane.
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Hah! Well, as I'll mention in the description, it struck me as a great idea the first time I saw the musical (having previously only read kiddie's versions of the Brick that short-changed the barricades).
Then I read the brick and went "ah".
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That is actually the perfect description for it.
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But Combeferre was a pacifist in nature. Not extreme enough to say "Base toi!" to the whole barricade, but certainly enough of one to prefer to "wait for the break of day," to quote the Brick. While it's true that he wouldn't have abandoned the barricade for anything, it can't be denied that he didn't prefer fighting to gradual changes (see Book Four, 'The Friends of the ABC', Chapter One, 'A Group That Almost Became Historic')
The comparison is given between Enjolras and Combeferre at the beginning, the main idea being that Enjolras represents (as his character is a symbol) the fury and fervour of the Revolution, specifically that of Robespierre and Saint-Just, and Combeferre represents the calmer side, the side seeking gradual progress.
That being said, it's important not to forget that Combeferre "corrects and completes" the often very harsh Enjolras.
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Combeferre prefers peace - most of the Amis would agree to one degree or another (for Enjolras, it is the ultimate objective) - but what happens is people writing the type of fanfic that inspired this cartoon emphasise the "wait for the break of day" at the expense of this part of his introduction: "The headlong precipitation of a people into the truth, a '93, terrified him; nevertheless, stagnation was still more repulsive to him, in it he detected putrefaction and death." He *prefers* a peaceful evolution, but worse still is to do nothing...which is why he adopts physical force by going to the barricade.
Combeferre is therefore *not* a pacifist - he prefers peace, but by 1832 has come into line with the idea of the taking up armed resistance. He brings more firepower than Enjolras to the barricades, and he thinks it odd that a man would come there not to fight.
The idea of Combeferre leaving the barricades - abandoning (and, in some stories, even betraying Enjolras to the authorites) is a grotesque misreading of his character. It is significant that the two most gentle characters - Combeferre and Prouvaire - are holding hands and gazing on Enjorlas with admiration and compassion following the Le Cabuc shooting...an incident of brutal force.
Enjolras is influenced by Combeferre quite categorically, but by June 1832, Civilisation (Combeferre) is marching in step with Revolution (Enjolras).
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Even if it's overplayed, you can't deny that he would rather wait for it to come naturally.... Hugo (in his characteristic way) hammers it in that he would prefer the dawn, etc. However, there is also the part of him that believes that it is necessary, even at the cost of human life/bloodshed, all that jazz.
It would seem to follow that he would at least be disconcerted at having to use revolution as a last resort.
This is where the average Joe fanfic writer goes sour: they take the disconcertion and make it the prevalent theme, overshadowing the fact that Combeferre is (literally) loyal to the death.
However, his unease can't be ignored, not if it's in his nature.
As for Le Cabuc.... I would have defined that moment more as a "the die is cast", note Enjolras's 'sharing of fate' speech.
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I don't think I tried to deny his preference for slower means - indeed, in my original post I mention that the seeds of this distorted Combeferre are planted in out of context sections of his introduction being married to the artillery officer interlude. But it's a far cry from that to proclaiming him a pacifist. A pacifist objects to the use of physical force/violence full stop. Most sane people - certainly most of the Amis - would not turn to violence as a preferred means of solving problems. Enjolras himself is violent in response to a situation that is violent. It's a matter of where they fit on the spectrum...there's Bahorel, for example who rather enjoys a brawl for its own sake, and Prouvaire who is even gentler than Combeferre.
ALL, however, are united in the fact that by the time they come to the barricades, they are willing to use force. Combeferre is no exception - Hugo spells it out in his intro. He hates violence, but he hates "stagnation" more. He would prefer to wait for the dawn in the sense that he wants a more permanent illumination. Combeferre does not follow Enjolras simply out of loyalty - there is no textual support for that reading. He follows him because he regards stagnation with even more horror than he does the dynamics of a "'93" (I'm assuming you've read Hugo's last work? '93 for Hugo is France in the crucible - an extreme period, but one which is necessary).
I strenuously object to the idea that Combeferre is on the barricades merely out of loyalty to his colleagues, any more than loyalty has any of them there. Loyal they are, yes, but what unites them is both ideology and methodoly. Combeferre is there - and armed to the teeth - because he has accepted the measures that must be undertaken to force the issue. When Enjolras cries that he has passed sentence on himself, it is Combeferre who responds on behalf of them all that they will share his fate. To see this as an expression of friendship is to misread Hugo's ideas on the Revolution as an historical mechanism (a divine intervention in history). Further, Combefere looks at Enjolras, having committed a violent act, not merely with compassion (as might be expected of a friend), but with *admiration*. Combeferre not only fails to raise an objection to Enjolras' methodology in that moment (and his speech incorporating the immediate violent response to their circumstances and "love, thine is the future"), he approves of it.
I don't know if you've read the fanfics that this cartoon rolls its eyes at, but they are detestable destortions of canon. I usually try regard fanon interpretations with a wide latitude as we can all read the material in different ways, but Combeferre leaving the barricades because he's decided Enjolras is homicidal (or some variation thereof) is just obscenely at odds with canon. It says more about the authors' objections to Hugo's ideas on the Revolution and radical Republicanism of the period and their attempts to shoe-horn Combeferre into a role voicing their unease with the methodology of the barricades than it does about the actual character that Hugo created.
A Combeferre who has doubts, who must wrestle with his conscience, who has to make a conscious decision to take up arms is one I can understand. As long as, in the end, that Combeferre is marching to the barricades prepared to fight.
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I believe we are in essence expressing the same ideas, even if I did use the term "pacifist" to describe a person with tendencies towards it.
I've been out of the loop of fanfictions for a while due to limited internet access over the summer. But even if he is a bit (or very, what have you) at odds with canon, isn't the point of fanfiction to explore variations of a given character using what Hugo has handed to us? Everyone interprets the same thing differently, see Catholic/Protestant etc. And you must admit, most of the Barricade Boys are not really supposed to be human, but symbols (ex: Enjolras/Grantaire) Yeah, you have a few based on in part or in whole off of historical figures like Petrus Borel, but in large they are symbolic of ideas and sentiments of the time. How else do you explain Enjolras' nature?
Yes, I've read '93. I maintain that it is the single worst ending in the Hugo Canon, short of "Hernani".
I like to focus more on the internal aspects of Les Amis, especially the Combeferres, because there is so much to work with that is admittedly rather poorly defined. (Again, symbols, not people)
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I don't mind fanfic that explores various interpretations of what Hugo gives us - indeed, I agree that it's one of the virtues of fanfic - and I can even take a subversive/revisionst reading of text if it's extremely well written. But the problem with this Combeferre is that he has become a fanonical trope, and none of the fics, with one exception I can think of (and in that case I mean technically well written - all the ABC characterisations are off), are well written. They not only butcher Combeferre's character, in order to make him walk off the barricades or abandon the ABC, they have to distort the characters of his colleagues, notably Enjolras (who becomes everything from merely a petty demagogue to a psychopath). Combeferre comes across as either naive or hypocritical. So rife was this version of Combeferre at one point that it was parodied on ffnet.
I think Combeferre is all the more powerful as a character because he does go to the barricades - this is not simply a coaltion of passionate Republican idealogues like Enjolras or young men who like to fight like Bahorel. It includes the kind and civilised, like Combeferre.
And I agree that fanfic does have the potential explore the ideas behind the character sketch that Hugo gives us - as long as it is not completely at odds with Hugo's work. What Hugo shows us about characters is sometimes at odds with what he tells us - take Enjolras and the Saint Just comparison. The direct correlation doesn't work in the text. In the artillary officer incident, Enjolras specifically identifies the officer as part of the fratnite, and his death is painful for the young leader. Saint Just would never have done that - for Saint Just, in taking up arms against the Republic the officer would have placed himself beyond the its protection and citizenship. There's enough latitude for some different interpretations that are still textually based.
Combeferre, however, is consistently depicted on this point. I don't think it was necessarily easy for him to take up arms - I imagine a long and thoughtful process went into it - but having done so, he is fully committed. He's with Enjolras even on the morning of the funeral, he brings more armaments than his colleagues, and even when Gavroche is shot it's Combeferre who grabs the ammunition and distribute it. He explicitly approves (looks on his leader with "admiration") when Enjolras executes a man. He thinks it unusual that Valjean shows up at a barricade and doesn't fight.
So I make no apologies for rolling my eyes at any fic that glibly follows the "Screw you and your homicidal barricade, Enjolras - I'm outta here!" model for Combeferre. As I said, I suspect it has more to do with the reader being uncomfortable with Hugo's ideas (and, incidently, the ABC's, including Combeferre) on the dynamics of Republicanism during this period.
It's often also coupled with an historical ignorance of the period and just what context the 1832 rising occured in. A Combeferre who had been through 1830 (and given he was a member of the ABC prior to the formation of the society) and the bubbling unread before and after would be incredibly naive not to know what to expect in terms of violence at a barricade. Combeferre went there with his eyes wide open, having made a conscious decision to do so, and he engages in armed revolt.
What did you dislike about the end of "'93"? We had an interesting discussion about it over on Abaisse...while admiring the power of the final scene, I've got to say I think Gauvain made a very poor decision indeed (hard to go into it without giving away spoilers, but there are multiple reasons why he shouldn't have acted as he did, much as I like him as a character).
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Or to the reader being new. Not everyone has read the Brick in it's entirety.
What I disliked about the end of "'93" was... well, what went down. (I don't want to spoil it for the kidders). Basically, that Gauvain was a Stupid Stupid Boy with A Lot Of Ideals and... well DUR it was a powerful scene. It just... it's a Hugo Moment. In very many ways. (I saw the discussion and liked the Merging of Souls Idea... I might have posted on it, it would have been started right after I read the book, I'm not sure if I was a member on Abaisse then or not)
What reasons do you have for Gauvain not to do what he did? Self-preservation and propagation of La Republique aside?
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I sometimes think that's the cause of half the badfic out there - not having read the Brick in its entirety, some writers rely on the characterisations of others. So you get one shaky interpretation and then others imitating (and losing something in the imitation) and then...ugh. Badfic.
Merging of Souls was Frederique and I being playful and a bit silly
Essentially (and this is spoilers ahoy! For anyone who hasn't read it)...Gauvain acknowledges the fact that it was Lantenac's fault the kiddies were endangered in the first place, and it followed on from Lantec (supposedly) allowing their mother to be killed. Yes, clemency would have been nice...one regrets the binary position of the Republic and death/no death, when a middle course of containment would have been preferable (although then you've got an imprisoned marquis as a rallying point = not good). But the Republic needed Gauvain, and not only did he free an arch-foe of the State who has expressed no remorse for either his methodology or his ideology (and who positively affirms his belief in the later), he deprived the Republic of a valuable resource: himself (and, although he couldn't have forseen it, Cimourdain as well).
So as a result of his actions, the most effective commander against Lantenac is dead. Lantenac himself is free to rally what support he can and try fight the Republic. More death is on the way. Cimourdain is also out of the picture. The Convention is likely to adopt even harsher measures against the outlaws. Not to mention how demoralised his own men would be.
I find many of EstelleleChat's ideas on the dynamics of Cimourdain and Gauvain and what they represent in the Revolutionary dynamic of 1793 fascinating, and am inclined to think she's spot on. The novel itself I find fascinating, albeit not from a novelistic perspective (the digressions have taken over the book, so to speak), but it really supplements our understanding of sections of Les Miserables to grasp how Hugo saw '93.
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Tell me about it. There's a REASON 60% of the fics out there are Eponine/Enjolras (vomit). My roommate's a HUGE Muscial!Mizzy and she hasn't read the book. (I spent about 45 minutes explaining that Gavroche WASN'T Grantaire's son...) I'm trying to get her to, though... doesn't help that people are turned off by the sheer size of the Brick. (Hell, there's a REASON) it's called the Brick.
Just out of curiousity, have you read either "Scaramouche" (Sabatini, sp?) or "The Scarlet Pimpernel" (Orczy)? They both deal with '93 in their own ways. ("Scaramouche" more so than "Pimpernel"... which is a highly romanticized thing... good, though.)
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