- Pronouns
- any/all
So I’m not sure this has been talked about on the English speaking internet (this history that is more known to Europeans or just French speakers in general) But I found this interesting historical connection that I thought you all might enjoy.
Part 1: The Background Info
In late 1870 during the Franco-Prussian war Napoleon that 3rd was capture and the French army was defeated. To try and make this a long story short. This triggered a popular uprising causing the France Imperial government to collapsed. In that collapse opportunities for discounted Parisian workers arose. They created The Paris Commune. While the Commune had many political perspective with it was left wing radicals such as Feminists, Communist, Socialists and Anarchist played key roles. However the French army reassembled itself and after two months official governance, the Paris Commune was crushed. The French army exacted a bloody toll on the commune killing between 10,000 - 15,000 people. Many participants who were not killed had to flee the country for their safety.
The collapse of the commune was crushing blow to the international left, they had been about to take power so suddenly and it had been crushed almost as quickly.
These events in part, leads rise of “the propaganda of deed”. A philosophy which advocated for targeted political assassinations. These thinkers argued that rather than collective action, radicals should focus on individual drastic action to inspired the public to revolution.
While many high profile assassinations did occur (including US President William McKinley). Most prominent anarchist thought the these actions were ineffectual Peter Kropotkin wrote that these centuries old institutions would not be brought down with “a few sticks of dynamite”. But think Anarchist Mother Jones put it best when she said. “There is not point to assigning the president when he would just be replaced with one just as bad”
While propaganda of the deed focused on assignations there was another even smaller branch of political action that developed out of it “Illegalism".
Illegalism wanted to inspire people to revolutionary action by doing things like robbing banks and rich peoples houses.
Part 2: Be gay do crimes
One of first of the famous illegalist was Clemont Deval. In 1886 Deval robbed a parsing Manson before setting it on fire. He was caught 2 weeks later and killed a police man during his arrest. His trail was quite a public spectacle. Deval was dragged out of the court room as crowds of his supporters disrupted the trail. He was sent to the Devils island pencil colony. Even as he was imprision other players would rise.
Alexandre Marius Jacob was one of these players. Before becoming a master thief he had tried to be a sailor, then pirate (but found the life too cruel) before returning to Paris in 1899. He become involved in Anarchist causes founding a group call the Workers of the Night. Jacobs had the group follow three rules with three simple rules.
1) Don't kill people without reason
2) Rob from the rich only
3) Donate 10% of the spoil to anarchist causes.
This gang would pull off spectacular heists. Including one were they robbed an apartment by cutting a hole the ceiling and dropping in. Jacobs was also know for his humor and leaving making notes to the police. One left in church from 1901 read "Dieu des voleurs, recherche les voleurs de ceux qui en ont volé d’autres" ("God of thieves, look for the thieves of those who have stolen from others")
Sadly Jacobs life a crime was cut short. He was caught and sent to trail. A trail that launched him in further fame when 10,000 army personal were sent as security. The trail receive massive press attention a Maricae Leblanc is said to have attended. Jacobs was sentence to devils island March 22, 1905. (The first Arsène Lupin story was published on 15th of July 1905) On Devils Island, Jacobs attempted over a dozen escapes before his sentence was communed. He died in 1954. While he never disavowed his anarchist beliefs he did seem to acknowledge the short coming of Illegalism.
Propaganda of the deed and illegals are both generally regarded a political dead-ends. There goal was to inspire others but this didn’t really happen on a massive scale. And through out the 19th and 20th century organizing collective rather than a few actors taking individual heroic actions proved more effective.
While it rarely inspired the type of revolutionary action they wanted, Illegalism was great at capturing the publics imagination. This was partly do the charisma of the player involved.
So it might seem like an open and shut case but is it?
Well it seems like on the French speaking internet Maruis Jacobs is put forward with click bait title like “the REAL? ArSENE LUPIN?!!?!?!” I’ve seen people dispute that the timing doesn’t quite work out for him to be the inspiration for the character. I personal don't agree with these soakers since since
1) As I hoped I’ve demonstrated Jacob’s was apart of a bigger political and criminal movement. There were other famous illegals before him. And it seems unlikely to me that such spectacular crimes would have been unknown to Le Blanc.
2) Even in if Le Blanc somehow took no inspiration from Jacobs. I doubt the public who ravenously consumed news about Jacobs would have not made the connection.
I’m not suggestion that Jacobs or the illegalist were the sole inspiration for Lupin. But I think the evidence and timing is compelling enough for me to say his was at least a factor in the character creation. I think its interesting cause study in how pop culture absorbs the historical events around it and these stories can live on even if the history that inspired it is for gotten.
Part 3: So what my point with all this?
Well I think this history is pretty interesting. I also think this an example of radical political acts can be sanitized by pop culture. While Arsene Lupin and his literal dissidents still share certain traits with the Marius Jacobs, the reasons why they steal are apolitical unlike in real life.
And I think it's interesting that Omar Sy’s adaptation of Lupin reintroduces political themes back in to the story, but this is treated as a novel interpretation of the character rather than bring him back to his roots. (At less in America cause we don’t get taught this history. We go from the the American Civil War in 1865 straight to World War 2)
I don't think this history needs to be in Lupin III, it has its own independent influences and ideas. But I think it’s interesting none the less.
TLDR: A bunch of French Anarchists were like lol be gay do crimes and that why we (maybe) have Lupin
Part 1: The Background Info
In late 1870 during the Franco-Prussian war Napoleon that 3rd was capture and the French army was defeated. To try and make this a long story short. This triggered a popular uprising causing the France Imperial government to collapsed. In that collapse opportunities for discounted Parisian workers arose. They created The Paris Commune. While the Commune had many political perspective with it was left wing radicals such as Feminists, Communist, Socialists and Anarchist played key roles. However the French army reassembled itself and after two months official governance, the Paris Commune was crushed. The French army exacted a bloody toll on the commune killing between 10,000 - 15,000 people. Many participants who were not killed had to flee the country for their safety.
The collapse of the commune was crushing blow to the international left, they had been about to take power so suddenly and it had been crushed almost as quickly.
These events in part, leads rise of “the propaganda of deed”. A philosophy which advocated for targeted political assassinations. These thinkers argued that rather than collective action, radicals should focus on individual drastic action to inspired the public to revolution.
While many high profile assassinations did occur (including US President William McKinley). Most prominent anarchist thought the these actions were ineffectual Peter Kropotkin wrote that these centuries old institutions would not be brought down with “a few sticks of dynamite”. But think Anarchist Mother Jones put it best when she said. “There is not point to assigning the president when he would just be replaced with one just as bad”
While propaganda of the deed focused on assignations there was another even smaller branch of political action that developed out of it “Illegalism".
Illegalism wanted to inspire people to revolutionary action by doing things like robbing banks and rich peoples houses.
Part 2: Be gay do crimes
One of first of the famous illegalist was Clemont Deval. In 1886 Deval robbed a parsing Manson before setting it on fire. He was caught 2 weeks later and killed a police man during his arrest. His trail was quite a public spectacle. Deval was dragged out of the court room as crowds of his supporters disrupted the trail. He was sent to the Devils island pencil colony. Even as he was imprision other players would rise.
Alexandre Marius Jacob was one of these players. Before becoming a master thief he had tried to be a sailor, then pirate (but found the life too cruel) before returning to Paris in 1899. He become involved in Anarchist causes founding a group call the Workers of the Night. Jacobs had the group follow three rules with three simple rules.
1) Don't kill people without reason
2) Rob from the rich only
3) Donate 10% of the spoil to anarchist causes.
This gang would pull off spectacular heists. Including one were they robbed an apartment by cutting a hole the ceiling and dropping in. Jacobs was also know for his humor and leaving making notes to the police. One left in church from 1901 read "Dieu des voleurs, recherche les voleurs de ceux qui en ont volé d’autres" ("God of thieves, look for the thieves of those who have stolen from others")
Sadly Jacobs life a crime was cut short. He was caught and sent to trail. A trail that launched him in further fame when 10,000 army personal were sent as security. The trail receive massive press attention a Maricae Leblanc is said to have attended. Jacobs was sentence to devils island March 22, 1905. (The first Arsène Lupin story was published on 15th of July 1905) On Devils Island, Jacobs attempted over a dozen escapes before his sentence was communed. He died in 1954. While he never disavowed his anarchist beliefs he did seem to acknowledge the short coming of Illegalism.
Propaganda of the deed and illegals are both generally regarded a political dead-ends. There goal was to inspire others but this didn’t really happen on a massive scale. And through out the 19th and 20th century organizing collective rather than a few actors taking individual heroic actions proved more effective.
While it rarely inspired the type of revolutionary action they wanted, Illegalism was great at capturing the publics imagination. This was partly do the charisma of the player involved.
So it might seem like an open and shut case but is it?
Well it seems like on the French speaking internet Maruis Jacobs is put forward with click bait title like “the REAL? ArSENE LUPIN?!!?!?!” I’ve seen people dispute that the timing doesn’t quite work out for him to be the inspiration for the character. I personal don't agree with these soakers since since
1) As I hoped I’ve demonstrated Jacob’s was apart of a bigger political and criminal movement. There were other famous illegals before him. And it seems unlikely to me that such spectacular crimes would have been unknown to Le Blanc.
2) Even in if Le Blanc somehow took no inspiration from Jacobs. I doubt the public who ravenously consumed news about Jacobs would have not made the connection.
I’m not suggestion that Jacobs or the illegalist were the sole inspiration for Lupin. But I think the evidence and timing is compelling enough for me to say his was at least a factor in the character creation. I think its interesting cause study in how pop culture absorbs the historical events around it and these stories can live on even if the history that inspired it is for gotten.
Part 3: So what my point with all this?
Well I think this history is pretty interesting. I also think this an example of radical political acts can be sanitized by pop culture. While Arsene Lupin and his literal dissidents still share certain traits with the Marius Jacobs, the reasons why they steal are apolitical unlike in real life.
And I think it's interesting that Omar Sy’s adaptation of Lupin reintroduces political themes back in to the story, but this is treated as a novel interpretation of the character rather than bring him back to his roots. (At less in America cause we don’t get taught this history. We go from the the American Civil War in 1865 straight to World War 2)
I don't think this history needs to be in Lupin III, it has its own independent influences and ideas. But I think it’s interesting none the less.
TLDR: A bunch of French Anarchists were like lol be gay do crimes and that why we (maybe) have Lupin
I always had a feeling there was anarchist roots in Lupin but I always thought it was just my anarchist brain trying to latch onto any modicum of anarchist influence in media so this makes me so happy to read!! While none of it is super concrete, France and Anarchism have had a centuries long relationship with each other, so this comes as to no surprise!