Following is a brief list of the French phrases used in this story. Only meanings relevant to the story are given.
Alors, well... (as in: well, isn’t that special)
Au contraire, on the contrary
Bien-aimé, beloved (m)
Bonne nuit, good night (bedtime)
Bonsoir, good evening
C’est mon plaisir, it’s my pleasure
Chérie, sweetheart, darling (f)
D’accord, agreed (imperative)
Dansez avec moi, dance with me (polite)
De rien, it’s nothing (idiom)
De rigueur, obligatory (idiom)
Docteur de Lioncourt, Doctor Lioncourt
En français, in French
Enchantée, enchanted (f, imperative)
Le Marquis et la Marquise de Lioncourt, the Marquis and the Marquise of Lioncourt
Lioncourt, short (brief span of time) lion
Ma chère mariée, my dear bride
Ma chère, my dear (f)
Ma petite, my child (f)
Madame, madam, missus
Mademoiselle, miss
Mais oui, but of course (idiom)
Merci, thank you
Merci beaucoup, thank you very much
Merde, excrement
Messieurs, gentlemen
Mon ami, my friend (m)
Mon cher, my dear (m)
Mon Dieu, my God
Mon mari, my husband
Mon père, my father
Mon petit, my child (m)
Monsieur, sir, mister
Monsieur et Madame de Pointe du Lac, Mr. and Mrs. Pointe du Lac
N’est-ce pas?, isn’t that so? (idiom)
Notre père, our father
Oui, madame, yes ma’am
Pardon, pardon
Pointe du Lac, point (tip) of the lake
S’il vous plaît, please (polite)
Soirée, party, a traditional Créole supper dance held in the home’s double parlor for close family and friends
Touché, touch, point conceded (fencing)
Très bien, very good (morally)
Très bon, very good (m, ability)
Zut, damn (more polite than merde)
Very little exists that describes the layout of the townhouse in the Rue Royale, how rooms relate to one another. The kitchen, for example, is described in IWTV as being detached. So even the layout of the Gallier House is of little assistance.
For grins and giggles, try comparing all the descriptions of the fountain in the courtyard. Hint. Four of the seven books [published as of the story's reposting in 1997] contain one or more descriptions of it.
What I came up with was pieced together from all of the odd references. With the exception of the courtyard, kitchen, and carriage house, everything shown here is on the second floor.
[2006: The Gallier House site now includes a detailed floor plan. The double parlor is situated on the first floor, however, not upstairs (or with balconies) as described in the texts.]
This is a pure fabrication on my part, something to work with as I wrote Resurrection. Its only basis in the text is one reference Lestat makes in MtD to “Louis’s rooms.” Plural.
Sheri Richardson is an award-winning writer and an as-yet-unpublished novelist. Writing is the essence of her nature. She is also a long-time computer professional. A California native, until recently she lived in the Silicon Valley with her daughter. She currently has three manuscripts in development and seeks new representation.
Her speculative fiction focuses more on the mundane, on the day-to-day lives of the characters, taking a few days and filling in the myriad tiny joys and sorrows that make up a life. Or as Leo Kottke has said: Take a simple melody and drive it into the ground.
A fledgling devotee to vampiric fiction, Sheri is fiercely loyal to cher Louis in all things, but finds Lestat’s passion and humor almost irresistible. Almost.
Resurrection builds upon the scenario laid out in my first spec (speculative parody), Another Interview, which has been fondly dubbed “Louis Gets a Life” by some readers.
This story was kindled from the observation that Armand’s immolation in MtD went unwitnessed by immortal eyes. And then, only a few pages into it, Lestat opened his big mouth. Sigh. He becomes quite the two-year-old when you try to cut his lines. (See TotBT, p300, pb, for Lestat’s uncanny assessment of two-year-olds.) So it stayed and the scope of the story swelled beyond the most obvious resurrection to encompass at least five.
Resurrection delves into six nights in the life of Louis de Pointe du Lac, stretched over a year. The Introduction, though not one of Louis’s nights, is offered up as but one possible insight into what our auburn-haired friend might have been thinking [MtD, p331-335, HC]. Or perhaps it’s simply what he wishes me to believe. I only hope I did him justice throughout.
Joseph Haydn’s Concerto in F major for Violin, Harpsichord, and Strings, also known as the Double Concerto for Violin and Harpsichord, was written in 1765 or earlier. Louis undoubtedly discovered it much later, as it survived in manuscript form only until 1937, when it was finally published. I happened across it on a White Label compact disc (HRC088), performed by the Liszt Ferenc Chamber Orchestra, Budapest, and directed by János Rolla. I have found no more moving rendition than Rolla’s. The largo is truly a duet of love between the two instruments.
Within the story are embedded two links of note.
My warmest thanks to Claudine and Toria for their invaluable assistance, and to those who wrote to me about Another Interview.
Resurrection and my two other Louis stories may be found in their entirety on Divisadero Street, Louis’s original homepage.
Posted, January 1996 -- Originally uploaded to the A.B.A-R newsgroup.
Reposted, October 1997 -- Updated e-mail address and added Divisadero Street link.
Converted to HTML, November 1998 -- Long overdue, non? I also got around to changing baritone to alto. Duh.
Updated the HTML, October 2006 -- Modernized the code, erradicated the frames, and also reverted bienaimé to the more common spelling, bien-aimé. Added a link to the new site for the Gallier House, which thankfully survived Katrina’s passing.
[Respect that was once given freely, having been demanded, is irretrievably lost.]
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and incidents in this work are fictitious or used fictiously. No identification with actual persons, places, buildings, products, or publications -- living, dead, or otherwise -- is intended nor should such be inferred.
The story and all its trimmings are protected by U.S. and international copyright law. Posting or republication is prohibited without my express, written permission in advance. If you would like the story for your site feel free to contact me, using the link below. I cannot give permission for reproduction of this story in any for-profit collection on any media; t’was written for love, not money. I will entertain writing to spec, however.
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