Victory of Appearance, Death of Idealism
Swiss novelist and diplomat Albert Cohen wrote several widely-known novels, including Belle du Seigneur. In this book, the author narrates the love story of Solal, a successful and handsome Jewish diplomat working for the League of Nations in Geneva, and Ariane, a dreamy married Swiss aristocrat, in the 1930s. The success of the book can be explained by a few attributes: a fluid and powerful literary style, a subtle love story, and colorful characters. Cohen stages characters who constantly act out their lives as they envision them.
Belle du Seigneur begins with Solal riding to Ariane’s home. Wanting to confess his love without her choosing him for his appearances, he dresses up as an old and hideous man. Horrified, Ariane rejects him, and Solal promises to try again. Ariane, who is beautiful and dreamy but slightly silly is looking for a passionate love story. Reminiscent of romance heroines, the character seems to be inspired by Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary. Ariane carries preconceptions of what a love story should be, believing that the most important matter is keeping up appearances. Eventually, she madly falls in love with Solal and some moments are described with intensity and sensitivity: “Solemnly gyrating among the loveless couples, with eyes only for each other they danced, with eyes feasting on the other, solicitous, intense, engrossed. Blissful in his arms, happy to follow his lead, oblivious to her surroundings, she listened to the happiness coursing through her veins.“ At the same time, they both are deeply self-conscious and careful to present an ideal version of themselves to the other, to the point of having separate bathrooms at opposite ends of the house. Cohen uses humor and cynicism to criticize the artifacts each lover uses to maintain a perfect image.
Cohen’s tour de force is his ability to combine tragic moments and deadpan humour. For instance, his criticism of Geneva high society is particularly delightful. Most of the characters in Belle du Seigneur are depicted with wittiness and Cohen does not try to make them likable. Ariane’s mother-in-law, Madame Deume, is the perfect example. Her attempts to appear a part of high society are laughable: convinced that "Thermidor" is an English word, she mentions “Homard zermidor” as she is talking about a dinner party. Her verbal tics such as calling everyone “Dear Madame” are hilarious as well. Moreover, the narration of Ariane’s domestic drama with Solal is a treasure of tragi-comedy. During a moment of affection with him, she experiences borborygmi, which Solal pretends not to hear to avoid hurting Ariane’s feelings; at another moment, she starts sneezing during dinner and cannot stop. While those events are particularly painful for her as they ruin her image as the perfect lover, they are very diverting to the reader.
Antisemitism is a significant theme of the book, mentioned sporadically by Cohen. The parts of the book when it emerges are noteworthy. For example, when Solal misses a dinner party the Deume organized, Madame Deume denigrates him: “Besides he’s Jewish. Don’t you remember Jacobson, that chemist my poor dear sister was involved with? She paid for her little mistake.” Solal also hears comments when in a fancy hotel “It’s a mafia….Really, I’d rather have Hitler than Blum any day. At least the Chancellor is someone who stands for order and a firm hand, a real leader.” Solal's uncles, “les Valeureux,” are another incarnation of Judaism, a primordial part of Solal’s heritage, sometimes hard to put up with. Last but not least, in the middle of Solal and Ariane's love story, there is one extremely enigmatic chapter that stands out from the rest: Solal is attacked by a group of Nazis in Berlin. He finds refuge in a cellar where a woman named Rachel lives, hidden in the family vault, as she is Jewish too. She delivers a monologue exalting their common religion, while Solal is still in shock. She personifies Judaism as “sovereign Virgin, Jerusalem made flesh.” Rachel is the opposite of Ariane: ugly, talkative, and frank. Solal eventually feels closer to her as they share the same destiny. Although the encounter was brief, Solal keeps Rachel in his heart and thinks about her at his lowest. This puzzling scene, almost surreal, seems to be an episode independent from the rest of the novel. An anecdote which Solal chose to keep for himself.
Belle du Seigneur brings the reader through a whole range of emotions from laughter to tears. Mixing a torturous love story with the disarray of a Jewish dandy during the rise of antisemitism and fascism in Europe, it succeeds in taunting the high society of Geneva. Cohen brilliantly brings his reader to question the importance of appearances. Should people really fake it till they make it? Once one starts reading Belle du Seigneur, it is nearly impossible to stop.
