# Origny Sainte-Benoîte: The Company at Table explained — Travel Essays

> Chapter companion for Travel Essays by Robert Louis Stevenson.

## What happens

The narrator describes a late dinner at Origny Sainte-Benoîte, where the company includes a boisterous French hunter, a quiet Dane-like man, and the landlady's husband—a passionate proletarian who dominates the conversation with his loud opinions on hunting, Paris, and logic. The talk turns to politics and liberty of opinion in France, revealing the sad Northman's martyrdom for his political beliefs, which the Scots initially mistake for religious persecution.

## Themes in this chapter

### Social Class and Inequality

The landlord's proud declaration 'I am a proletarian' and the contrast between the workman's life and the peasant's life highlight class consciousness and the dignity of labor.

### Human Connection and Community

The shared meal and the landlord's insistence that 'those who sit down with us are our friends' emphasize the bonds formed over food and conversation.

### National Identity and Patriotism

The comparison of French and Scottish attitudes toward politics and religion reveals deep cultural differences in national identity.

## Character check-ins

### Gaston Lafenestre

Remembered fondly as a dear friend and artist who died young, leaving a legacy of kindness and artistic influence.

### The English

Mentioned in the context of Gaston's pictures crossing the Channel and his time in London.

## Key lines

> That is how we are in France. Those who sit down with us are our friends.

In France, anyone who shares a meal with us is considered a friend.

_The host's welcoming statement sets a tone of conviviality and openness._

> I am a proletarian, you see.

I am a working-class man, you understand.

_The landlord proudly asserts his class identity, a recurring theme in the chapter._

> Politics are the religion of France; as Nanty Ewart would have said, 'A d⸺d bad religion'; while we, at home, keep most of our bitterness for little differences about a hymnbook, or a Hebrew word which perhaps neither of the parties can translate.

In France, politics is treated with the fervor of religion, whereas in Scotland, people argue over minor religious details.

_The narrator contrasts French and Scottish cultural priorities, highlighting the intensity of political belief in France._

## Links

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