At the same time Lionel received Gabriel's letter, Le Figaro was laid out beside him.
The front-page headline was:
"Divine Intervention or Power Expansion?
Cardinal Montelli Speaks at the Paris Parliament, Calling for Greater Power for the Church!"
The report itself maintained Le Figaro's usual objective style; however, between the lines, it also revealed its bias, namely, concern about the Church expanding its power.
It even only briefly mentioned that the publisher of "The Decadent City" was "The Tumultuous Times," without delving into deeper sensationalism.
This slightly relieved Lionel.
When he first wrote "The Decadent City," he had considered the risks.
Only after factoring in various elements such as the large-scale decline of Church influence after the Franco-Prussian War, the establishment of the French Republic, and the sweep of liberal thought across Europe, did he decide to take the risk.
He had not expected that, due to the popularity of "The Decadent City," it would become an excuse for the Holy See to expand its power, escalating the issue to such an extent, which caught him somewhat off guard.
Although Bishop Gibert and Cardinal Montelli did not focus on the erotic descriptions in the novel to support their arguments, Lionel knew that this was the part that could truly stir the sensitive nerves of the parliament members.
"The Decadent City"'s attacks on the Church itself were no more egregious than those in "The Decameron" or subsequent works—even if they were, most French people wouldn't care.
But erotic descriptions were different; they touched upon people's most fundamental moral concepts.
Take painting as an example: Édouard Manet's "Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe," when first exhibited in 1863, was deemed sacrilegious because it depicted two well-dressed gentlemen and a completely nude woman sitting on the grass.
Why did French people, accustomed to "nude" subjects, strongly criticize this painting?
Because in the past, such subjects were mostly tied to biblical stories, Greek mythology, folk tales, historical allusions... carrying a sense of sacredness or sin, with the human body being philosophized and theologized.
Another type consisted of purely private collections, or advertisements for prostitutes in brothels (later replaced by cameras), not fit for polite society.
"Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe" was different; it was highly lifelike, depicting the daily lives of Parisians at the time.
The human bodies in the painting no longer carried philosophical or religious meaning, especially with the two gentlemen impeccably dressed, which represented a contrast and an offense.
Thus, while both were nude paintings, they showcased the clear distinction between the academic and Impressionist schools of the time.
That year, Manet submitted this painting to the Académie des Beaux-Arts, hoping it would be selected for the annual "Paris Salon," but it was mercilessly rejected.
An enraged Manet, along with other rejected artists, pooled funds to host a "Salon des Refusés" next to the official Salon, which even received approval from Napoleon III and later became a permanent fixture.
This also marked the beginning of the subversion and reshaping of the paradigm of European academic painting and people's moral framework for painting content.
The effect of "The Decadent City" was similar.
European history is not lacking in erotic novels, but most of them operated within the limited confines of the bedroom, with content usually revolving around various affairs;
"The Decadent City" was different; it not only integrated eroticism into daily life, fully demonstrating how imaginative humans could be in this regard, but also combined murder and power struggles, making every man who read it utterly irresistible.
But this also challenged the moral bottom line of the era.
So, as many people loved it, just as many hated it—even if it was a superficial hatred.
Lionel was extremely hesitant at this moment.
Gabriel's letter urging for the manuscript was, in Chinese terms, an "open scheme."
Originally, the remaining 3,000 francs in manuscript fees were to be paid only after the entire remaining portion of "The Decadent City" was completed.
Now, he only needed to finish the second part to receive it, seemingly gaining an advantage.
The risks involved were also self-evident—Gabriel did not currently know his identity, but if he still rashly contacted him, how could he be sure it wasn't a trap?
Lionel looked at the second part of "The Decadent City," which was already more than half-finished in his drawer, and found himself in a dilemma.
A voice screamed in his head:
"Disappear!
Immediately!
Give up those 3,000 francs, abandon all association with 'The Decadent City,' take the small savings in the drawer, apply for a long leave from the academy, buy a train ticket to Marseille or Bordeaux, hide for two months, and wait for the storm to pass."
Another voice, however, roared:
"Take a gamble!
Gabriel is still negotiating; as long as you're careful enough, you might still get the money!
3,000 francs can support a decent life for a year. The 'Easter holiday' is coming soon; French public institutions will be paralyzed for two weeks; there's still time!"
——————
After the report from Le Figaro was released, instead of plunging "The Decadent City" into an abyss of eternal damnation, it was like splashing a ladle of cold water into a boiling oil pot, instantly triggering an unprecedented, almost frantic, explosive reaction.
Paris's underground book market plunged into madness overnight.
The original copies of "The Decadent City," which already showed signs of hype, and its "soulmate"—that thin "supplementary booklet" filled with "xxxx (XX lines omitted here)"—soared in value like a hot air balloon, at a breathtaking speed.
In private reading rooms, the hourly rental for an original copy skyrocketed from 1 sou to 3 sous, requiring advance booking and a substantial deposit; with the "supplementary booklet," it started directly at 5 sous.
The stock in the hands of street vendors changed price every 6 hours; it was already selling for 2 francs when he set up his stall in the morning; by the time he packed up late at night, it had risen to 5 francs—a truly insane price, enough to buy a complete hardcover set of Monsieur Dumas' "D'Artagnan Romances."
On the black market, some even began to hawk "author-signed editions" of "The Decadent City" by "An Honest Parisian," limited to 100 copies, at 10 francs each.
Just as Gabriel felt the noose tightening around his neck, the order volume for "The Decadent City" from various channels reached an incredible number.
In just one day, he received nearly 30,000 francs in prepayments.
Gabriel watched all this, dumbfounded.
Even after 30 years in newspapers and publishing, he had never seen a "banned book" go so wild.
His inner desire to get the second part of "The Decadent City" as soon as possible grew even stronger.
He decided to write another letter to "An Honest Parisian" and enclose a 300-franc advance payment.
He believed no penniless intellectual could resist the temptation of money.
And France's orthodox literary circles also added fuel to the fire of "The Decadent City"'s hot sales.
When Maupassant brought out this novel at Flaubert's salon a few weeks ago, everyone didn't take it too seriously; Turgenev's comment was: "A little talent, but not much!"
Now, however, they had to take its impact on secular culture and politics seriously—
Gustave Flaubert explicitly stated in a letter to the editor of "Revue des Deux Mondes":
[...I am not surprised by the anger of Bishop Gibert and that important figure from Rome.
...Are not those dirty dealings concerning money, power, faith, and carnal pleasures the living drama played out daily within the gilded gates of Versailles?
What they fear is not so-called 'obscenity,' but this uncompromising truth.
As for the Church's call for expanded censorship?
Hmph, must the farce of 1857 be re-enacted in 1879, and even more intensely?
True evil is never in a book, but in the hands that try to cover everyone's eyes.]
Émile Zola, in his column for "Le Voltaire," intervened with a more combative and theoretical stance:
[The Church's attempt to ban it precisely proves that it has touched a raw nerve!
What they fear is not 'obscenity,' but the truth!
It is the social reality depicted in this work that is enough to shake their carefully woven moral myths!
To strike it down with the club of 'obscenity,' to obscure it with the charge of 'blasphemy,' this is an insult to reason, a reactionary move against social progress!]
Flaubert's and Zola's remarks sparked serious discussions about artistic freedom, social criticism, and Church power, attracting more readers purely out of literary curiosity.
Many who had initially scoffed at the banned book now felt a strong curiosity:
"What kind of book could Flaubert and Zola praise so highly?"
The sales of "The Decadent City" surged like a bursting flood, unstoppable...
(End of Chapter)
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