The Short Reign Of Pippin IV (2001) - Plot & Excerpts
the short reign of pippin iv: a fabrication, 1957, john steinbeck...1028 ratings, 70 reviews, paperback, 131 pages, penguin classics, dedicated:to my sister estherw/an introduction by robert morsberger and katharine morsberger, their notes, works consulted list...the morsbergers are a part of that set defined by steinbeck, quoted in their introduction: "...can and do remain in complete ignorance of any reality--a highly desirable state, i am beginning to believe." and that's all i'm going to say about the matter of the introduction, royalty, the elect, the elite...who know exactly what the facts is...although they do present some facts along with the attendant fashionable ideology (read it...and weep)...about steinbeck, this story, other stories and so forth, so on.story begins:number one avenue de parigny in paris is a large, square house of dark and venerable appearance. the mansion is on the corner where de marigny crosses avenue gabriel, a short block from the champes elysses and across the street from the elysee palace, which is the home of the president of france. number one abuts on a glass-roofed courtyard, on the other side of which is a tall and narrow building, once the tables and coachman's quarters. on the ground level are still the stables, very elegant with carved marble mangers and water troughs, but upstairs there are three pleasant floors, a small but pleasant house in the center of paris. on the second floor large glass doors open on the unglassed portion of the courtyard which connects the two buildings.okee-dokee then, as the good doctor said (the president's analyst, 1966)....onward & upward.time place scene settings*paris, france, see paragraph above*from february through the end of the year*the coach house of number one avenue de marigny...pippin residence*the 'now' is february, 19--*pippin discovered the comet of 1951*february 14th, the meteor shower*convent not far from porte de vincennes*nursery in juan les pins (the pain of plants...schizo of legumes, mendel-dude, other hilarity..."inherited schizophrenia in legumes"...."tendencies and symptoms of hysteria in red clover." ha ha ha ha! i can easily imagine some troop of liberal tards sitting cross-legged on the edge of the park, whining about the loss of old growth forest...lawnmower music in the background)*reims...where king is crowned*les ambassadeurscharacters*pippin iv, pippin arnulf heristal, 54-yr-old*marie, his wife*clotilde, 20-yr-old, their liberated daughter, wrote a novel adieu ma vie...was a communist for a time, wore a man's shirt/started a trend*tod johnson, america(n)*the egg king, his father...h.w. "hank" johnson of petaluma, california*uncle charles martel (pippin's)...dealer in art & antiques in the rue de seine, is in his late 60s*suzanne lescault, former nude dancer until her arches fell, now*sister hyacinthe *a noble french family, leases to pippin, landlords to pippin*the cook for pippin's family...rose*the wine merchant & grocer (heathen capitalists)*walter haschi, an japanese amateur astronomer who co-discovered the comet*pere mechant...the little pastor of the pediment*st hannah, patron saint of feet (i think one of the devoted hangs out here at goodreads seeking the faithful)*the gardes republicans*willie chitling, the movie producer*an elderly lady tourist*sister superior*suzanne lescault/sister hyacinthe's father, suicide*same, her sickly mother*same, her dwarflike schoolboy brother, death by misadventure w/a motorcycle*lord cotton*m. rumorque, leader of the proto-communist party, two degrees right of center*president sonnet*christian-atheists*socialists*christian-communists w/the non-tax-payer's league...we call them freddy the freeloaders...some of whom get upwards of $5-grand a month for groceries...on your dime...not to mention their rent, heat, and electric paid...cell phones? you bet....verily, hallelujah)*others:*the conservative radicals, the radical conservatives, the royalists, the right centrists, the left centrists, the christian atheists, the christian communists [these two steinbeck uses repeatedly], the proto-communists, the neo-communists [and today, we have the neo-marixts, holding the white house and v's office], the socialists and the communists...broken up into:*the stalinists, trotskyists, khruschchevniks, bulganinians...and today, this includes the establishment media, most gov't bureaucrats, nga's...and more*madame rumorque*poland-china sow, named anxious*m. triflet, the radical conservative*m. le comte*duc des troisfronts*m. le duc*m. deuxcloches, actual leader of the communist bloc*m. douxpied*m. gustave harmonie*bend sinister...caesarians...this is what? some symbol?*comte de paris*comte de jour*elderly childeric de saone*pippin the short, son of charles martel, died 786 a.d. was pippin iii*m. flosse, right centrists*senator veauvache, the socialist, "honnete jean" w/the little accent mark, that roof-halo, over the "o" i think it was*domino-players...at bercy, the cafe*four priests...carry the crown**old general victor gonzol...pistols*half a hundred budding courtiers*a delegation*hereditary royal order of dwarfs*advertising agencies (! now we have the establishment media...competition!)*marie has a cat...never named*68 ecstatic adolescents...suicide*3 elderly academicians*georges de marine, the comte de marine, 17 & listless*senator banger, d, new mexico*conrad hilton...louelle parsons*miss france...as joan of arc*six altar boys*the great peers...some sort of france thing...we got the founders...they got the peers or something*a crazed critic*musketeer of the rear guards, raoul de potoir*bugsy...tod johnson's name for clotilde*alexis kroupoff/pravada*gogi...high-wire man, handsome and nervous...an artist*knudsen--iron puddler*ben fairless...open hearth*charlie wilson...*life guard, lieutenant emile de samothrace*russian operatives*troop of french boy scouts*silent services of four nations*speleologists*concessionaires at les halles*a family in montmartre*an elderly nobleman*billy rose*two or three representatives of faction or interest*partisans/ambassadors/religionists/anti-religionists*3 burly youths*capitaine pasmouches, captain of the guard*madame pasmouches*academician poitin of the royal academy*two pages*the eternal fishermen*sergeant vautin*m. sonnet...m. magotupdate...reading along, 30 jul 13, tuesdayheh! or ho! nicely understated...see quotes below, this that the other. some moments are laugh-out-loud funny...some moments are not...but a hoot, all these movements, right? the christian-atheists...a list of others. here? today? we have the lesser of two evils. they got it all nailed down, hey? the hen's are crowing. heh!"a sullen-looking little fur, savagely biting its own tail, hung limply from her shoulder."update, finished, 4:47 p.m. e.s.t. 1 aug 13, thursday afternoona short happy read. more later.later...having just completed a read of The Man Who Watched Trains Go By by Georges Simenon, i hear the twilight zone soundtrack playing in the background...imagine some little elve on one of titan's moons, telescope zeroed in...waiting and watching. these coincidences that happen...are they so...or just my imagination? but in the two stories some of the same themes...motifs...are present.don't know if i can articulate more than what i've said about that, up above...still considering the idea...perceptions, how we perceive, what we perceive...what we do with those perceptions, ill-defined or not. a quote from the story...thought i heard/read variations of itelsewhere, that is...but i also hope that i would have the judgement to join the opposition a few moments before it is generally apparent that it will succeed.i was for the bill before i was against it, so on and so forth...a great illiterate third baseman...everything in life is seven to five against...the hens are crowingthere are some interesting things steinbeck writes herein: "now these companies, with their huge staffs and--how do you say it?--their "know-how," are able to manage public relations, organization, correspondence, news releases, and appointments. if such a company can merchandise a president and a political party, why not a king?"let us say the president must make a speech. nothing is left to accident. he is rehearsed by an authority in speech, in pronunciation, and in emotion; coached by a man who has proved beyond doubt his--what they call 'draw.'"from 1957...and there is nothing new under the white hispanic sun...if anything, the process has become more refined, efficient...mind-boggling. unless you don't pay attention.
My musings on The Short Reign of Pippin IV by John Steinbeck. This was a different type of Steinbeck for me, having read both Of Mice and Men and Cannery Row in the last year or two, I got a feel for the general atmosphere of those novels. This political satire has an entirely different feel to it. One thing I will make note of here is that I am not a politics girl, at all. Politics by turns bore me and enrage me. A Political satire is perfect in that regard for me. However, I can not speak of particular points in this story as I don't know the structure of which Steinbeck was making jest. I do know that making reference to "Christian Atheists" made me snort so hard that Chris turned around - from making me a delicious dinner - and ask me what was so amusing. The satire in this story is rich and overdone in a beautifully complex way, also, I probably missed some key points by not being much of a French history buff and all. Alas, I love Steinbeck, he is so charming and witty and warm within his writing. The ex-"chorus girl"-seductress-with-flat-feet-who-is-now-a-nun Sister Hyacinthe character was wonderful. As was King Pippin himself. So much golden fun-poking happens in here. And all of it with the veneered rawness of Steinbeck's other prose. No, Sister, I am not brave. Perhaps, I am stupid, but I am not brave. I do not want to be a sacrifice. I want my little house, my wife, and my telescope - nothing more. If they had not forced me to be king I would not have been forced to be kingly. It was a series of psychological accidents.Ha! I love Steinbeck!
What do You think about The Short Reign Of Pippin IV (2001)?
Not your standard Steinbeck. More in the vein of Travels with Charley, at least in the comic tone mixed with mature still-angry-but-accepting-of-foibles socal/political stuff. That sounds boring when I put it in godawful litcrit terms. I'll start again.This was a fun read, the sort of satire that I'm surprised no one has filmed or staged because it could actually be achieved, unlike East of Eden or Grapes of Wrath or the other Steinbepics that get squished into 2-3 hour adaptations. And it made good martinis.(Yesterday I read Beckett's Company; today Steinbeck's Pippin. Unconscious of the connection when I chose them, this must be my quiet rebellion against the irritating showtune talk beneath which I was submerged in the chorus dressing room for the past month.)
—Greg
I don't get to read too much unread Steinbeck these days, but when I do, I'm never disappointed. Anything but classic Steinbeck, this brilliant little satire on the reintroduction of the French monarchy brought on by the discontent of every social, economic and political group rings true and is filled with witty insights, as when the new king says,"I believe that all men are honest where they are disinterested. I believe that most people are vulnerable where they are interested. I believe that some men are honest in spite of interest. It seems to me reprehensible to search out areas of weakness and to exploit them. . . . Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts, perhaps fear of a loss of power." Some laugh out loud funny observations on modern and not so modern politics and politicians.
—Bob
I enjoyed this book. Steinbeck's style and voice comes through clearly, which I like. He's satirical and funny; he pokes fun at France and the U.S. In my opinion, his characters weren't as well developed in this book as they are in so many of his other great novels. That's usually my favorite part of a Steinbeck book -- unbelievably complex and human characters. Overall, it was a fun, quick read about France reinstating the monarchy to appease everyone, and ultimately to make everyone happy with a second overthrowing of the monarchy.
—Kate
