Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 577 This is literary terrorism!
Just two days after the latest installment of the "The Sinking of the Titan" serial ended, the editorial office of "Modern Life" was already overflowing with mail.

Not dozens, not hundreds, but thousands! Not just thin letters, but some so thick they had to be tied with ribbons.

They piled up on desks, windowsills, and corners, and even began to encroach on walkways.

Pierre, the young assistant in the editorial department, stood amidst a pile of letters, his face filled with despair.

"Another bag has arrived." Another assistant dragged in a sack. "The postman said this is just for the morning. There will be more this afternoon."

Pierre groaned, "What are we going to do? There are only three of us!"

"I don't know. But the editor-in-chief said that every letter must be opened, registered, and some must be selected for reply, no matter how brief."

"Why? We didn't receive this many letters from readers before."

"Mr. Sorel hadn't written 'The Sinking of the Titan' before!"

The assistant opened the sack, and letters poured out like a river: "Especially this issue. Stopped in that place... God, I wanted to tear the magazine up while I was reading it."

Pierre himself had read it, and he knew that feeling—right at the most crucial moment, the most tense moment, the most heart-stopping moment…

And then, that was it!
He casually picked up the top letter and opened it. The handwriting was delicate, and it even smelled of perfume—

To the editorial department of *Modern Life*:

As a loyal reader, I urge your publication to convey to Mr. Lionel Sorel that he cannot treat us this way!

Jacques and Ruth were in the carriage, they had just… oh, I dare not write it down… but at that very moment, at that most beautiful moment, the story stopped! Stopped!
This is cruel! This is inhumane! This is a trampling of the readers' feelings!

I beg, no, I plead—please don't let the Titan sink! Please let Jacques and Rose be together! Please give them a happy ending!

If the novel must end in tragedy, I will never subscribe to your publication again, and I will convince all my friends to do the same.

Your sincerity

A heartbroken reader

Pierre stuffed the letter back into the envelope, hesitated for a moment, and then threw it into a large basket labeled "Pleas" that was already overflowing.

He picked up another letter. The paper was rough and the handwriting was messy; it looked like it came from a working-class area on the outskirts of Paris.

[Editor:]
I'm a factory worker and don't usually read novels. But whenever my wife has a novel by Mr. Sorel, she'll borrow it and read it to me.

I must say, Jacques Juniper is a true man! He wasn't rich, but he had integrity, talent, and sincerity. Miss Ruth's choice of him was wise.

But you can't stop there! My wife and I had a fight because she wanted to know what happened next, and I didn't know either!

I beg you, let lovers be together in the end. Our lives as workers are already hard enough, at least give us some hope in novels.

Congratulations,

Jean Martin

This letter was also thrown into the "plea for help" category, which turned out to be the last straw that broke the camel's back. The protruding "letter" collapsed instantly and spilled all over the ground.

Pierre and another assistant had to scramble to tidy up, throwing the overwhelmed portion of the letters into another basket.

Pierre couldn't help but complain, "Why don't you send these letters to Monsieur Sorel?"

Another assistant shook his head: "There's too much. If all the letters from the newspaper's readers were packed up and given to him, his apartment probably wouldn't even have room to stand."

"Then let's buy a few more houses to store all these letters! Sigh, with so many letters, when will we ever get back to the beginning?"

Pierre sighed and opened another letter. This one was from the Sorbonne, a joint letter from the students, with a total of thirty-seven signatures.

To Mr. Lionel Sorel:
We are a group of university students, your juniors at the Sorbonne, and your loyal readers.

We believe that "The Sinking of the Titans" is not only a love story, but also a profound exploration of class, culture, and fate.

However, we strongly protest your method of interruption; it constitutes literary terrorism!
We request a full description of Jacques and Ruth's relationship in the next installment!
We demand that the Titan change course to avoid the iceberg!

We demand an outcome that is in accordance with humanitarian principles!

If you insist on this tragedy, we will organize a boycott!
Sincerely,

Sorbonne University Literary Society

Pierre put the letter in the "threats" category.

The letters kept coming in.

It was written by a noblewoman, elegantly worded but full of sorrow.

Some of the letters were written by young girls, the paper covered with dried tear stains.

One of the letters was written by a middle-aged man, who pretended to be calm and analytical, but his words revealed his urgency.

One couple wrote a joint letter saying that this was the first time in their marriage that they had argued over a fictional character.

There was even a letter from a convent, in which a nun pleaded, "Don't let pure love be destroyed by disaster." Pierre opened so many letters his hands were sore.

Editor-in-Chief Emil Bergera arrived at the office, saw Xinshan Xinhai, paused for a moment, then smiled: "It seems this issue was a great success."

Pierre was almost in tears: "Success? Editor-in-chief, this is the harbinger of a riot! Some letters say they're going to protest at the editorial office!"

"Let them come. It'll boost our popularity."

He picked up several letters and quickly glanced through them—

“Look how well this is written—'Mr. Lionel, with his pen, ignited a fire in my soul. But now he leaves that fire hanging in mid-air, neither allowing me warmth nor letting it go out. This is torture!'”

"And this one—'I'm sixty-eight years old this year, and I've read countless novels. But none have reminded me of the passion of my youth like *The Sinking of the Titan*. Please, don't let that ship sink. At least, don't let Jacques and Rose be separated.'"

Émile Bergera lamented: "Men, women, young people, old people, workers, nobles... everyone is demanding a happy ending!"

This is Lionel Sorel! Ever since "Letter from an Unknown Woman" four years ago, he has possessed this captivating magic!

Pierre was puzzled: "But the Titan was destined to sink! It's written in the title."

"But the readers don't want to accept it. That's the best part. Lionel created such a beautiful love story that the readers refuse to accept the inevitability of the story."

They were fighting fate through letters! That's the power of literature! A novel could inspire a duchess and a worker's wife to pray for the same couple!

Émile Bégerla put down the letter and patted Pierre on the shoulder: “Print out a standard reply. Just write—'Thank you for your letter. Your comments have been passed on to Mr. Lionel Sorel. The final outcome will be decided by the author. Please continue to follow Modern Life.'—That’s it.”

"Readers will not be satisfied."

"They don't need to be satisfied; they just need to keep buying the next issue, and they will definitely buy it. Because no matter how angry they are, they need to know what happened in the carriage, they need to know if the Titan is really going to sink!"

----------

Le Figaro, of course, also took notice of this novel, publishing a review in its literary supplement entitled "The Unsinkable Titan!"

The article was quite long, taking up half a page. The author was the renowned literary critic Albert Thibaudet, known for his calm, rational, and slightly satirical style.

But today's article is different—

...Up to this point, the novel follows the standard structure of a romantic tragedy, but Sorel's approach goes beyond the norm.

Jacques is not a hero in the traditional sense—he is poor but talented, lives on the fringes of the mainstream world, and has no plans for the future.
Ruth is not a female protagonist in the traditional sense—she is weak, conflicted, and yearns for freedom yet is powerless to resist oppression.

But it is precisely this imperfection that makes their love seem real and believable!
……

Jacques, free-spirited and unconventional, is the embodiment of the "French spirit," which foreshadows that the French humanistic spirit will surely triumph over British hegemony and American materialism!

……

In traditional literary thought, the reader is a passive recipient. The writer creates a world, and the reader enters that world, even if it inevitably ends in tragedy.

But readers of *The Sinking of the Titans* are rebelling. They refuse to accept the fate set by the author and are attempting to change the course of the fictional story through collective petition.

In reality, they cannot prevent disasters, transcend class barriers, or overcome fate; but in novels, they hope to see these impossibilities become possible.

Perhaps this reflects a revival of romantic sentiment! In an increasingly materialistic age, people yearn for the triumph of pure emotion, for love to conquer all!
……

While tragedy has its aesthetic value and can purify the soul, I also understand the reader's feelings—

When I read the interruption of the carriage scene, I wanted to throw the magazine out the window.

...]

--------

"Leon, you're so cruel. Why did you leave the story there? You promised me that I would be the first to see all your works."

"Beside a large patch of low shrubs at the edge of the Bois de Boulogne," Madame Rothschild said to Lionel with a hint of melancholy.

She had just stepped out of her luxurious carriage, but did not immediately look at the piece of land in front of her that would cost her millions of francs.

Standing next to Lionel were Gustave Eiffel and Charles Garnier, but the two were clearly uninterested in the ambiguous relationship between the artist and his patron.

Lionel remained composed and calmly replied, "Because 'The Sinking of the Titan' wasn't originally going to be released this soon, but my trip to England changed my mind."

So I didn't finish writing this story ahead of schedule. However, the story will end in the next installment.

Mrs. Rothschild wanted to say something, but remembering that she had said she would never interfere with Lionel's creative work, she could only swallow her words.

After exchanging pleasantries with Eiffel and Garnier, she finally looked at the bushes in front of her—

"Is this the place? The future 'Pirates of the Caribbean Theme Park'."

Lionel shook his head: "Yes, but it's more than just 'Pirates of the Caribbean'..."

(First update, please vote with monthly tickets.)
(End of this chapter)