Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
28
TONHOENSELAARS
happyandfruitful,wasunable“toputanendtothenightmare”(“nemitpasfinau
cauchemar”):
Thebloodyandfuriousencountersonthebattlefieldhaddeeplytraumatisedthosewhohad
livedthroughthem.Contemporarysourcessayverylittleaboutthis,whichisfurtherreasonto
appreciatethefactthattheauthorandtheartisthavemadethistheleitmotivoftheiraccount.
27
Cessanglantesetfurieusesrencontrescausaientdeprofondstraumatismeschezeuxquiles
avaientvécues.Lessourcesdetempssonticifortdiscrètes:raisondepluspourappreciérquele
scénaristeetledessinateurenaientfaitlefildirecteurdeleurrécit.
28
AndattheendofthenovelitselfweseehowJacquesstilloccasionallyhasbad
dreamswiththeiroriginon25October1415:“Andyet,somenights,hewouldrevisit
hellinhisdreams...Noooo...”[“Pourtantcertainesnuits,illuiarrivaitencoredevis-
iterl’enfer...Nonnn...”].
Ononelevel,thegraphicnovelversionofTheBattleofAzincourtrewritesmedie-
valhistoryalongthelinessuggestedbyJohnKeeganwho,inTheFaceofBattle,chal-
lengedtheofficialhistoryofAzincourtandreconstructedtheexperienceoftheanony-
mousindividual.
29Withwartraumaatitscore,thegraphicnovelintroducesane-
glectedthemefromthemargins,anddriveshomethefactthattheBattleofAzincourt
neverhadahappyending.
Thisisnottosaythatthepresent-dayfieldofAzinourtitselfisasiteoftraumarather
thanasiteofmemory.Azincourtisasitethat,inAleidaAssmann’sterms,expressesan
antiquarianorhistoricalinterestthatisofcreativeorpedagogicalrelevancetoday,and
notatraumaticsite,likeAuschwitz,whichderivesitsinterestfromwhatAssmannterms
“awoundthatwillnotheal”(orliterally:“awoundthatwillnotturnintoascar”).
30
Yet,tothepresentday,thenotionof“Azincourt”remainsatraumaticexperiencefor
theFrenchandathreattoEuropeanunity.Iamreferringheretotheexistenceofaso-
called“Complexed’Azincourt,”afluctuatingsenseofFrenchinferioritywithregardto
theEnglish.ItmaybefuelledbyanotablerunofEnglishtouristsontheskiresortof
Chamonix,orbythecurrentinvasionofBritonsinsearchofcheapsecondhomesin
France.The“Azincourtcomplex”isadeeply-rootedFrenchsenseofsuspicionofthe
Englishasthetraditional,thehistoricalenemy.Anditoccursonalllevelsofsociety,in
diplomacy,inpopularculture,aswellasacademe.EveninJacquesDarras’poetry,thereis
thislingeringsenseofcautionorsuspicion,certainlywhenDarrasinvitesustoconsider
that“ItwillcertainlynotbebeforeEasterthatMarlboroughwillgiveupwagingwar.”
Ofcourse,the“Azincourtcomplex”alsocametobeactivatedbythediplomatic
rowthatprecededIraqiFreedom.Surely,duringtheweeksleadinguptotheIraqwar,
itwastheWhiteHousecafeteriasthatchangedthenameof“Frenchfries”to“Freedom
fries,”anditiswasthroughtheguttersofNewYorkthatgallonsofFrenchBordeaux
flowed.Still,despitethisconspicuousUSpresenceinthetransatlanticrowoverIraq,
27OlivierLouis(artwork)andRodolphe(story),TheBattleofAgincourt.Azincourt:CentreHistorique
Médiéval,2001,preface(PhilippeContamine).
28
OlivierLouis(dessin)andRodolphe(scénario),LaBatailled’Azincourt,Azincourt:Centre
HistoriqueMédiéval,2001,preface(PhilippeContamine).
29J.Keegan,TheFaceofBattle(1976),rpt.NewYork:DorsetPress,1986.
30A.Assmann,Errinerungsräume:FormenundWandlungendeskulturellenGedächtnisses(1999),rpt.
Munich:VerlagC.H.Beck,2003,337–338.
