Sir Percy Hits Back · Chapter
VI explained
This chapter describes the de Frontenac family estate, a large farmhouse in Dauphiné, and the family's history and character.
What happens
This chapter describes the de Frontenac family estate, a large farmhouse in Dauphiné, and the family's history and character. Charles de Frontenac, a loyalist to the martyred King, lives a simple, rustic life with his wife Anne de Grandville and their invalid daughter Rose, whom he adores. Fleurette is also present, bringing joy and brightness to the household.
Themes in this chapter
Family and Paternal Love
Charles de Frontenac's deep devotion to his invalid daughter Rose and his love for his wife and Fleurette are central to the chapter.
Class and Social Division
The de Frontenacs, though aristocrats, live a simple farming life, detached from the revolutionary turmoil, highlighting the divide between the old nobility and the new regime.
Revolutionary Tyranny and Injustice
The chapter condemns the revolution as a 'bloody revolution' and 'purposeless regicide,' with the family threatened by confiscation and attainder.
Characters to notice
- Charles de Frontenac
The present holder of the ancient name, a farmer and loyalist, devoted to his wife and daughter.
- Anne de Grandville
Wife of Charles de Frontenac, formerly a Parisian lady, now content in her rural life.
- Rose de Frontenac
The crippled daughter of Charles and Anne, delicate and beloved, the apple of her father's eye.
- Fleurette
A lively presence in the household, described as gay as a linnet, bringing smiles and cheer to Rose.
Key passages
“They belonged to that sturdy stock which had given France one of her most valiant sons in Louis de Frontenac, the man who had made Eastern Canada a jewel worthy of the crown of France.”
The de Frontenac family is descended from a line that produced Louis de Frontenac, a heroic figure who turned Eastern Canada into a valuable colony for France.
Historical reference to the family's proud lineage and colonial legacy.
“All that Charles de Frontenac hoped to do was to put by a sufficient competence to keep his wife and invalid daughter in comfort once he was under the ground.”
Charles de Frontenac's only ambition was to save enough money to ensure his wife and disabled daughter would be cared for after his death.
Highlights his paternal concern and the precariousness of their situation.
“To him his pale-faced, fragile daughter seemed like a being from another world; he hardly dared touch her cheek with his thick, clumsy fingers, nor dared he approach her save after copious ablutions and sprays of scent.”
Charles saw his delicate daughter as almost ethereal, and he was so awed by her fragility that he would only approach her after thoroughly cleaning himself and using perfume.
Illustrates the contrast between his rough, earthy nature and his daughter's delicate condition.