Céline's language is not slang. And yet, Céline's ambition is to restore the emotion of spoken language in written language. It doesn't seem like much, but no one had thought of that. No one had thought of restoring the emotion of the spoken language in writing.
Impossible to read this Journey in its entirety.
It starts at Place Clichy. then there is the departure for the war of 14-18, then Africa after Africa, the arrival in New York and finally the suburbs. This is the part that Fabrice Luchini wants to talk to us about.
“This incredible language of surrealism that almost reaches poetry.”
Molly, the light in “The Journey to the End of Night”
Before diving into the suburbs we focus on the end of the American period and particularly on the character of Molly. This woman to whom the book is dedicated was called Elizabeth Craig. She worked in a brothel and she fell totally in love with Céline. “This is their failed story and this is the start. Because Céline does not want to find happiness, does not want to live with this exceptional woman.”
Excerpt from Journey to the end of the night by Louis-Ferdinand Céline
“We agreed to meet up for another night. I went back to Molly and told her everything. To hide the pain I was causing her, she was trying really hard, but it wasn't hard to see although she had it. I kissed her more often now, but it was deep sadness in hers, more real than in the rest of us. say for more than there are. Americans, it's the opposite, we don't dare to understand, to admit it, it's a little humiliating, but all the same, it's sorrow, it's not pride, it's. not jealousy either, nor scenes, it's nothing but real pain of the heart and that we must tell ourselves that we miss all that inside and that for the pleasure of having sorrow, we are dry. We are ashamed of not being rich in heart and in everything, and also for having nevertheless judged humanity lower than it really is deep down.”
Jehan Rictus
Gabriel Randon alias Jehan Rictus frequented the Butte literary circle from the end of 1885. We can think that it was there that he heard slang poetry for the first time. The collection The Poor Man's Soliloquies bears witness to the language of the people of Paris at the time
Extract from Revenant (The poor man's soliloquies)
“If only the Lamb without spot would come;
If what would come of it, the Bastard of the Angel?
The one who later got hooked
At thirty-three bergs, in the height of youth
(Even though he’s not dependent!),
Story of redeeming one's brothers
Who would have sold it and resold it;
Because everyone got gold from it
From pis Judas to Grandmachin”
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