Eight Strokes of the Clock: Eight Adventures and a Woman

This is my first time reading Lupin. I tried the first novel, but I didn't finish it, as long as I remember, or if I did, it didn't impress me so much. But I give Lupin another chance. In fact, I plan to read several of his adventures this year.

Unfortunately, I don't find the stories as very exciting. Some of them are good, but I don't find them thrilling enough. As I turned the pages, most of the time I only wanted the story to finish quickly, instead of enjoying every word of it.

Nevertheless, Eight Strokes of the Clock is by no means bad. Out of ten short stories related in the book, I find at least two of them very interesting. They are the story about the Lady with the Hatchet and Footprints in the Snow. The rest are so-so, and the final story I find too unrealistic and very dull. But maybe it's just me.

The main plot is about Prince Renine, another alias of Arsene Lupin, having 8 adventures and solving 8 mysteries with his lady friend, Hortense. She is fond of mystery, and of Renine, of course, and the more she becomes involved in his adventures, the more she loves them. Renine, also, grows fondness towards this lady, and as the term of their arrangement is coming to an end, he tries once more to get her attention, and to close their adventure with a finale - and possible sequel.

Even though I deeply love detective stories, I like them only as long as they are reasonable. If they choose to be unrealistic, they have to be good in other ways. Therefore the stories featuring nonsense instructions or bodies being chopped to pieces just for the murderer's fun (except when he is crazy) or super-smart locked rooms cases with too much trouble on the murderer's part don't entertain me. Sorry.

I'm not saying that those kind of stories exist in the book. I'm just stating that I don't like them. Hopefully the detective stories I plan to read this year won't feature too much of such stories.

Cyrano de Bergerac: Maybe the Love is Not At All Unrequited

It's a pity I neither speak nor read French. Had I known the language better, had I the ability to read it in the language it's originally written, perhaps I could have enjoyed it better.

It doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it – I did. But the play is still a play, and it's hard to translate a play no matter what language you want to translate it into. I'm just hoping I don't miss much.

Cyrano de Bergerac is a soldier, duelist, and poet. He's brave and skilled in words as well as in sword. He somewhat reminds me of D'Artagnan, with the same level of obstinacy and playfulness. He enters the stage dramatically, starting only as a voice that demands one actor to descend. His adventure doesn't end there. He then engages in a duel with Valvert, and wins the game while composing a ballad. Hmm, charming. But the great amazing thing is him fighting five scores of men to save his friend, Lignière.

But that's not the main plot. Cyrano is in love with his cousin, Roxane, a charming and beautiful lady. But he has a problem. Cyrano thinks that he is ugly, with an enormous nose on his face. He sure has the skill with words, but he doesn't feel confident with his looks.

“Look well at me--then tell me, with what hope This vile protuberance can inspire my heart! I do not lull me with illusions--yet At times I'm weak: in evening hours dim I enter some fair pleasance, perfumed sweet; With my poor ugly devil of a nose I scent spring's essence--in the silver rays I see some knight--a lady on his arm, And think 'To saunter thus 'neath the moonshine, I were fain to have my lady, too, beside!' Thought soars to ecstasy. . .O sudden fall! --The shadow of my profile on the wall!”

Meanwhile, Roxane confesses to him that she's in love with a handsome soldier, Christian. Christian is exactly Cyrano's opposite – good-looking but not a good speaker.

Instead of begrudging Roxane's love or challenging Christian in a duel, Cyrano chooses to join forces with him. Cyrano expresses his love in words to Roxane while making her believe that it's actually Christian.

“Roxane shall never have a disillusion! Say, wilt thou that we woo her, double-handed? Wilt thou that we two woo her, both together? Feel'st thou, passing from my leather doublet, Through thy laced doublet, all my soul inspiring?...Will you complete me, and let me complete you? You march victorious,--I go in your shadow; Let me be wit for you, be you my beauty!”

Well, Cyrano might be wrong. Perhaps it's not always the outward look that matters. Perhaps he's not that ugly at all. Perhaps Love is sometimes blind. And perhaps, his love is not at all unrequited. But perhaps, Fate uses the phrase “too late” too much.

I like the play, though I prefer to read it in its original language. I like the hero too. Cyrano reminds me of the Three Musketeers plus D'Artagnan. There are duels, battle, valour, honour, fun, and a lot of nice things in the play. Although the play is not a comedy, it's not dark as well.

Historical Facts and Background:

• Cyrano de Bergerac was a real person, though the love story is entirely fictional
• The play is set in 17th Century France, and the battle involved is a part of Thirty Years' War between France and Spain.