According to turn-of-the-century Alsatian-Jewish critic Moses Debré, the
most unflattering portrait of a 'Jewess' in all of 19th C French literature is of a woman whose father is Belgian-Catholic. The woman is, it seems, something of a cheapskate. It gets better. Her first name? Sephora. I don't know what this means, but it did just revive the guilt I felt at spending $18 (before tax) on concealer at that chain.
Is there a connection between "Phoebe" and "Sephora"? (I really have no idea here.) Or is there some other connection I'm missing? And what's the book w/ this character?
ReplyDeleteI doubt there's a connection between my name and that name - I was thinking more in terms of Sephora the make-up chain, and of how rarely one hears of Belgian Catholic men and Jewish women interacting.
ReplyDeleteThe book: Alphonse Daudet, Les Rois en Exil. It, along with Ivanhoe, is on The List.
Ah- thanks. If it's a make-up chain I'm bound not to know much about it. (Is Yves Rocher a makeup chain, too? My wife buys our shower products from them so I guess I've heard of them and I vaguely recall them making makeup, too, but maybe I'm wrong.) I'm unlikely to read the book, I guess. I have to admit to having found Ivanhoe tedious and not being able to get through it, but hope your experience will be better.
ReplyDelete