Simenon's xenophobia on display throughout. Foreigners are troublemakers, smell different--how did they get to France. Interesting depiction of Anna, the Jewish femme fatale. Sometimes she's greasy and disgusting. And then, quickly, she becomes beautiful and exotic. I read that some consider Simenon--with his amazing output--to be almost "automatic" writing and thus reveals the uncensored mind. Interesting idea.
"Ambassadors are essentially spies with titles." Napoleon President of Italy . . . Peace treaty with England (Amiens) in March 1802, with Turkey in June 1802 . . . flawed peace treaty with England because there was no opening up of France for trade with England, infuriating the English who thought peace would mean trade. . . tourism, though--Brits come to Paris and admire Napoleon . . . British liberals enamored . . . Napoleon "consul for life" . . . lots of unsettled territories, Switzerland being the largest . . . Industrialization much greater in England than France . . . France in 1802 is about the same as England in 1780 as a manufacturing center . . . Napoleon is basically Anglophobic, complaining of any art work that celebrates English victories being shown in Louvre . . . peace unraveling . . . by 1803 . . . War May 18, 1803! . . . Louisiana Territory sold, advantageous to both parties. France gets money; USA gets land. France avoids possible war with ...
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