File:Paris herself again in 1878-9 (1879) (14595206058).jpg

Identifier: parisherselfagai02salaiala (find matches)
Title: Paris herself again in 1878-9
Year: 1879 (1870s)
Authors: Sala, George Augustus, 1828-1895
Subjects:
Publisher: London : Remington and Co.
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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the English stage.It is a problem which only the event can prove. There is anotherreason, too, why I am unable to analyse the Assommoir conscien-tiously as a play. I sat out seven of the I know not how manytableaux of which the drama is composed : the squalid garret scene,with the abandonment of Gervaise by Lantier, the lavoir or laundryscene, with the abominable fight between Gervaise and Virginie—an unconscious parody of the Homeric battle-royal of Molly Sea-grim and her foes in the churchyard, in Tom Jones ; the Boulevardde la Chapelle scene, with the eloquent apostrophe in favour oftemperance delivered to a knot of drunken workmen by the virtuous * At the Princesss, where, with considerable modifications, it has made itsappearance under the title of Drink. vol. n. x 30G PARIS HERSELF AGAIN. blacksmith, Gueule dOr ; the restaurant garden-scene, with thedouble-wedding feast of Gervaise and Coupeau and Virgime andPoisson ; the street scene, with the fall of Coupeau from the house-
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THE FALL OF COUPEAU FROM THE HOUSE-ROOF. roof; the grand dinner scene on Gervaises saints-day, with thehumours of < Mes Bottes and Madame Boche, and the Mephisto- AT THE ASSOMMOIR. 307 philic reappearance of Lantier; and the scene of the BrasserieFree and Easy—I mean of the Assommoir itself, minus the free-and-easy females with the tawny hair, who took nips of raw spiritswith the customers. But having seen these seven tableaux, I began to feel weary.I felt a great exposition of sleep coming on. I felt faint, asthough I wanted oysters, or chops, or something. The sordidcharacters on the stage had been eating and drinking and smokingand gabbling for three mortal hours and a half. Everybody hadchanged his or her shabby garments three or four times over. Itwas a masquerade of rags—a carnaval de haillons ; a combinationof the Descente de la Courtille and Petticoat Lane. I daresaythat it was all very realistic ; but so is Seven Dials on a Saturdaynight. Seven times had the curtain de

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