Appearance
Excerpt
Excerpt from Across the Plains, with Other Memories and Essays, by Robert Louis Stevenson
Siron’s inn, that excellent artists’ barrack, was managed upon easy
principles. At any hour of the night, when you returned from wandering
in the forest, you went to the billiard-room and helped yourself to
liquors, or descended to the cellar and returned laden with beer or wine.
The Sirons were all locked in slumber; there was none to check your
inroads; only at the week’s end a computation was made, the gross sum was
divided, and a varying share set down to every lodger’s name under the
rubric: estrats. Upon the more long-suffering the larger tax was
levied; and your bill lengthened in a direct proportion to the easiness
of your disposition. At any hour of the morning, again, you could get
your coffee or cold milk, and set forth into the forest. The doves had
perhaps wakened you, fluttering into your chamber; and on the threshold
of the inn you were met by the aroma of the forest. Close by were the
great aisles, the mossy boulders, the interminable field of forest
shadow. There you were free to dream and wander. And at noon, and again
at six o’clock, a good meal awaited you on Siron’s table. The whole of
your accommodation, set aside that varying item of the estrals, cost
you five francs a day; your bill was never offered you until you asked
it; and if you were out of luck’s way, you might depart for where you
pleased and leave it pending.
IV
Theoretically, the house was open to all corners; practically, it was a
kind of club. The guests protected themselves, and, in so doing, they
protected Siron. Formal manners being laid aside, essential courtesy was
the more rigidly exacted; the new arrival had to feel the pulse of the
society; and a breach of its undefined observances was promptly punished.
A man might be as plain, as dull, as slovenly, as free of speech as he
desired; but to a touch of presumption or a word of hectoring these free
Barbizonians were as sensitive as a tea-party of maiden ladies. I have
seen people driven forth from Barbizon; it would be difficult to say in
words what they had done, but they deserved their fate. They had shown
themselves unworthy to enjoy these corporate freedoms; they had pushed
themselves; they had “made their head”; they wanted tact to appreciate
the “fine shades” of Barbizonian etiquette. And once they were
condemned, the process of extrusion was ruthless in its cruelty; after
one evening with the formidable Bodmer, the Baily of our commonwealth,
the erring stranger was beheld no more; he rose exceeding early the next
day, and the first coach conveyed him from the scene of his discomfiture.
These sentences of banishment were never, in my knowledge, delivered
against an artist; such would, I believe, have been illegal; but the odd
and pleasant fact is this, that they were never needed. Painters,
sculptors, writers, singers, I have seen all of these in Barbizon; and
some were sulky, and some blatant and inane; but one and all entered at
once into the spirit of the association. This singular society is purely
French, a creature of French virtues, and possibly of French defects. It
cannot be imitated by the English. The roughness, the impatience, the
more obvious selfishness, and even the more ardent friendships of the
Anglo-Saxon, speedily dismember such a commonwealth. But this random
gathering of young French painters, with neither apparatus nor parade of
government, yet kept the life of the place upon a certain footing,
insensibly imposed their etiquette upon the docile, and by caustic speech
enforced their edicts against the unwelcome. To think of it is to wonder
the more at the strange failure of their race upon the larger theatre.
This inbred civility—to use the word in its completest meaning—this
natural and facile adjustment of contending liberties, seems all that is
required to make a governable nation and a just and prosperous country.
Explanation
Robert Louis Stevenson’s Across the Plains, with Other Memories and Essays (1892) is a collection of travel writings and reflections, blending autobiography, social observation, and philosophical musings. The excerpt you’ve provided describes Stevenson’s stay at Siron’s inn in Barbizon, a village near the Forest of Fontainebleau, France—a place famous in the 19th century as a haven for artists, particularly the Barbizon School of painters (e.g., Jean-François Millet, Théodore Rousseau). These artists rejected academic formalism, seeking instead to capture nature’s raw beauty and rural life. Stevenson’s account is both a vivid sketch of bohemian communal living and a meditation on French social dynamics, liberty, and governance.
Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt
1. The Structure and Tone: A Contrast Between Freedom and Order
The passage is divided into two sections:
- The first (paragraphs 1–3) paints a picture of effortless freedom—a near-utopian arrangement where guests at Siron’s inn enjoy unstructured access to food, drink, and nature, with minimal oversight.
- The second (paragraph IV) reveals the unspoken rules governing this apparent chaos, exposing a rigid, self-policing social order.
Stevenson’s tone shifts from whimsical admiration (the "aroma of the forest," the "interminable field of forest shadow") to ironic detachment as he dissects the paradox of a society that is both liberating and exclusionary.
2. Key Themes
A. Freedom vs. Constraint
- Surface Freedom: The inn operates on "easy principles"—guests take what they want (liquor, food) without immediate oversight. Bills are settled later, if at all ("you might depart... and leave it pending"). This mirrors the bohemian ideal of artistic liberty, where creativity flourishes without bureaucratic interference.
- Hidden Rules: Yet this freedom is conditional. The "varying share" of estrats (a French term for "extras" or unofficial charges) punishes the "long-suffering" (i.e., those too polite to complain). The system rewards assertiveness, not passivity.
B. The Illusion of Openness
- The inn is "theoretically... open to all corners" but functions as a "kind of club"—a microcosm of French society, where inclusion is earned through unspoken social codes.
- The "undefined observances" of Barbizonian etiquette are enforced not by laws but by peer pressure and ostracism. A breach (e.g., "presumption," "hectoring") leads to banishment, executed by figures like Bodmer, the de facto enforcer.
C. National Character: French vs. Anglo-Saxon
Stevenson contrasts the French "inbred civility"—a natural, instinctive balance of liberties—with the Anglo-Saxon tendency toward "roughness, impatience, [and] selfishness."
- The French system works because it relies on tacit mutual respect ("fine shades" of etiquette). The English, Stevenson implies, lack the subtlety to sustain such a delicate social contract.
- This reflects 19th-century stereotypes: the French as refined but rigid, the English as individualistic but disruptive.
D. Artistic Community as a Model (and Failure) of Governance
Stevenson marvels at how this "random gathering" of artists maintains order without formal government. Yet he notes its limitation: such a system cannot scale to a nation.
- The irony: The same French who excel in small-scale civility struggle with large-scale governance (a nod to France’s political instability in the 19th century, marked by revolutions and coups).
- The passage suggests that true freedom requires both liberty and restraint—a balance the French achieve in Barbizon but fail to replicate nationally.
3. Literary Devices
A. Juxtaposition
- Freedom vs. Control: The idyllic description of wandering in the forest ("free to dream and wander") contrasts with the harsh expulsion of those who violate norms ("ruthless in its cruelty").
- Theory vs. Practice: The inn is "theoretically" open to all, but "practically" exclusive.
B. Irony
- Situational Irony: A place that prides itself on freedom has strict, unwritten laws. The "free Barbizonians" are as sensitive to slights as "a tea-party of maiden ladies."
- Dramatic Irony: The reader (and perhaps Stevenson) expects a bohemian paradise, but the reality is a highly regulated social experiment.
C. Symbolism
- The Forest: Represents creative and personal freedom, a space where artists escape societal constraints. Yet even here, human rules intrude.
- The Bill (estrats): Symbolizes the hidden costs of freedom—those who are too passive pay more, literally and socially.
D. Character Sketches
- Bodmer: The "Baily" (a play on "bailiff," suggesting a medieval enforcer) embodies the unofficial but absolute authority of the group. His presence alone is enough to drive offenders away.
- The Artists: Despite their diverse personalities ("sulky," "blatant and inane"), they all instinctively adhere to the community’s spirit—a testament to the power of shared culture.
E. Rhetorical Questions & Understatement
- "It would be difficult to say in words what they had done": Stevenson highlights the intangible nature of social crimes—no explicit rule was broken, yet the offense was grave.
- "To think of it is to wonder...": A subtle critique of France’s political failures, framed as puzzled admiration.
4. Significance and Broader Context
A. Barbizon as a Bohemian Ideal
Barbizon was a real-life artistic commune, where painters like Millet and Corot lived simply, close to nature. Stevenson’s account captures the romanticized bohemianism of the 19th century—the idea that art and freedom thrive outside conventional society. Yet his observation that this freedom is illusionary (governed by strict social codes) complicates the myth.
B. Stevenson’s Personal Connection
Stevenson himself was an outsider—a Scottish writer in France, often ill, seeking creative inspiration. His fascination with Barbizon reflects his own search for belonging and his ambivalence about social structures. The passage reveals his sharp eye for human behavior and his skepticism of utopian ideals.
C. Political and Social Commentary
The excerpt is not just about an inn—it’s a microcosm of governance. Stevenson suggests that:
- Small, homogenous groups (like Barbizon’s artists) can self-regulate through shared values.
- Larger societies (like France) struggle because they lack the intimate cohesion of a micro-community.
- Freedom is not the absence of rules, but the internalization of them—a theme that resonates with modern debates on libertarianism vs. communal responsibility.
D. Literary Influence
Stevenson’s style here—blending travelogue, social satire, and philosophical reflection—influenced later writers like Henry James and George Orwell, who also explored the tensions between individualism and collective norms.
Conclusion: The Paradox of Barbizon
Stevenson’s excerpt is a masterclass in ironic observation. On the surface, Siron’s inn is a paradise of artistic freedom—cheap, flexible, immersed in nature. Yet beneath lies a rigid social hierarchy, where inclusion is earned through unspoken compliance. The passage celebrates the French talent for civility while mourning its failure to scale—a poignant reflection on the fragility of human cooperation.
Ultimately, Stevenson asks: Can true freedom exist without constraints? Barbizon’s answer is no—but the constraints are so subtle, so cultural, that they feel like freedom. The artists don’t chafe against the rules because they belong to the system that made them. For outsiders (or the English, in Stevenson’s view), this balance is impossible to replicate—making Barbizon both a model and a mirage.