WEBVTT - The Real Cyrano

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim

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<v Speaker 1>and Mild from Aaron Mankey listener discretion advised, Hey, this

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<v Speaker 1>is Danish Wortz. Just one quick announcement before we actually

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<v Speaker 1>get into today's episode. I am so excited, but this

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<v Speaker 1>summer in July, I am helping to lead a pilgrimage

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<v Speaker 1>to the south of France to talk about Julia Child

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<v Speaker 1>with an amazing program called common Ground. You might know

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<v Speaker 1>this is the one, two three. This would be the fourth,

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<v Speaker 1>oh my gosh, the fourth pilgrimage I've done with this program.

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<v Speaker 1>I do them because I love them. They're absolutely incredible.

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<v Speaker 1>For the better part of a week, you get together

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<v Speaker 1>with an amazing group of people, go on long walks,

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<v Speaker 1>talk about literature and history, write and just sort of

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<v Speaker 1>get in touch with yourself in a way that you

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<v Speaker 1>really don't in normal life. I think there are still

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<v Speaker 1>some spots left. You should absolutely look it up. The

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<v Speaker 1>program is Common Ground. We'll be talking about Jewel Child

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<v Speaker 1>in Provence, reading some of her letters, reading some short

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<v Speaker 1>stories that relate to themes of community and pleasure, and

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<v Speaker 1>food and again just eating delicious food, going on long

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<v Speaker 1>walks in the South of France. It's sort of my

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<v Speaker 1>dream trip. And what really makes these trips amazing is

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<v Speaker 1>the people who come on them. So if you're a

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<v Speaker 1>listener of this podcast, I imagine that you're, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>my type of person, and I would love to have

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<v Speaker 1>you there. So just wanted to throw that out before

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<v Speaker 1>the episode. Now let's get into it. Sirano de Bergerac's

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<v Speaker 1>friend was terrified. The friend had offended account and now

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<v Speaker 1>word was one hundred men were waiting to ambush him

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<v Speaker 1>on the count's orders. He and sirrah No walked through

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<v Speaker 1>the darkened streets of seventeenth century Paris towards their likely doom,

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<v Speaker 1>and Sirho said something astonishing quote, I will save your

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<v Speaker 1>life on one condition. You must wait behind me, do

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<v Speaker 1>not attempt to interfere. The friend was incredulous. The rumors

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<v Speaker 1>were one hundred men were going to attack him. Surely Sirraho,

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<v Speaker 1>a man renowned for his wit, had to be joking.

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<v Speaker 1>The few other friends accompanying them that night were incredulous too.

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<v Speaker 1>It was a small group of men waiting by the

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<v Speaker 1>sin supporters of Sirino. Although they were by no means

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<v Speaker 1>eager to join such an unfair fight, they were stunned

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<v Speaker 1>that Sirno apparently did not want any help at all.

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<v Speaker 1>There was also a bitter rival.

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<v Speaker 2>In the group who had come just to gloat over

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<v Speaker 2>Sierno's inevitable demise. Even he was gobsmacked by the devisive

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<v Speaker 2>musketeer's brash spirit, especially once the small group neared the

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<v Speaker 2>Portinous legate and saw the huge crowd of hired ruffians

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<v Speaker 2>lurking there with knives, clubs, and swords. But when Sirno

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<v Speaker 2>was questioned by his companions, he just thumbed his famed

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<v Speaker 2>nose stand back. I wished to fight them alone. Then

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<v Speaker 2>he drew his rape here and walked toward the mob.

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<v Speaker 2>Seeing the lone figure approach, the thugs laughed and jeered.

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<v Speaker 2>Was this guy drunk, stupid, or downright suicidal? As it

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<v Speaker 2>turned out, none of the above. Well, maybe he was

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<v Speaker 2>a bit drunk. Sirno and his buddies had spent most

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<v Speaker 2>of the afternoon at a tavern, But he wasn't kidding,

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<v Speaker 2>he wasn't delirious, and he didn't have a death wish.

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<v Speaker 2>Sirno strode on unhurried. When the first hoodlum came at

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<v Speaker 2>him with his massive sword. Syrno deftly fliced his neck,

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<v Speaker 2>felling him in one blow. Every other wholigan sprung into action,

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<v Speaker 2>but Sirno maneuvered so his assailant could only attack one

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<v Speaker 2>at a time. Then, with incredible skill, he dispatched them

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<v Speaker 2>one after another until two were dead, seven were wounded,

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<v Speaker 2>and the rest had fled. When Sirno's friend came to

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<v Speaker 2>check on him and ask if he should put the

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<v Speaker 2>wounded out of their misery, Sierraho replied, no, leave them,

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<v Speaker 2>they will tell the story. Or actually, maybe it was

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<v Speaker 2>eight men wounded instead of seven, and maybe Sireno's final

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<v Speaker 2>line was really back to the tavern, or even that

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<v Speaker 2>will teach people to mess with poets. In reality, most

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<v Speaker 2>accounts of that famous fight are fictitious or highly exaggerated,

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<v Speaker 2>as are many other tales about the larger than life character,

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<v Speaker 2>including one of the most famous plays of the nineteenth century.

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<v Speaker 2>But at the core of everything, there really was a

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<v Speaker 2>real French swordsman named Sereno de Bergerac, who was quite

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<v Speaker 2>the swashbuckling soldier poet, and in many cases the truth

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<v Speaker 2>about him is even more beguiling than the fiction. I'm

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<v Speaker 2>Danish schwartz and this is noble blood. To get a

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<v Speaker 2>sense of the man behind such a legendary character, we

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<v Speaker 2>have to unravel multiple myths, many of which Serho actually

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<v Speaker 2>started and or embellished himself. Our first legend to unpack

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<v Speaker 2>is the name. Our famous Frenchman was born in sixteen

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<v Speaker 2>nineteen with the full name Sevignyon de Sereno de Bergerac.

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<v Speaker 2>In keeping with family tradition, he would have been commonly

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<v Speaker 2>known as seven yen d Sereno. However, seemingly, at some

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<v Speaker 2>point in his adolescence he chose to start going by

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<v Speaker 2>Sereno de Bergerac. This shift caused a fair amount of

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<v Speaker 2>confusion in his time, as well as for some later

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<v Speaker 2>biographers and writers. The shortening was purportedly very intentional. Unlike

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<v Speaker 2>his father able to Seraino, ending on de Bergerac made

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<v Speaker 2>Sereno sound more high born. It made it seem as

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<v Speaker 2>if Serno was a noble from Bergerac, an idyllic town

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<v Speaker 2>in a wine growing region of southwest France. But according

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<v Speaker 2>to modern historians, sierrah No did not actually come from

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<v Speaker 2>an aristocratic lineage, nor was he due to inherit sizable lands.

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<v Speaker 2>Sereno's grandfather, a fishmonger son himself, had worked hard to

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<v Speaker 2>nab an administrative role in the world royal French court,

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<v Speaker 2>and was given a relatively modest estate near Bergerac. This

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<v Speaker 2>certainly lifted his family from more humble, seafood scented origins,

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<v Speaker 2>but it didn't naturally place them among the powerful nobility.

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<v Speaker 2>But clearly Sierno had aspirations of fully joining the fancy

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<v Speaker 2>patrician ranks. According to one seventeenth century writer, there were

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<v Speaker 2>five basic paths to becoming a noble at that time.

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<v Speaker 2>Most required direct access to a prince or to King

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<v Speaker 2>Louis the thirteenth, and the procurement of some kind of

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<v Speaker 2>royal favor. However, one path was simpler, a quote career

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<v Speaker 2>of arms. After finishing college in Paris, Sierno leaned into

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<v Speaker 2>his shortened name and bold new identity and got accepted

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<v Speaker 2>into a company of mostly high class gascon musketeers who

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<v Speaker 2>assumed he was a similar gascon or someone from the

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<v Speaker 2>gascony province of France. Sure, being a member of this

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<v Speaker 2>king's guard brought inherent danger, but as we'll soon get to,

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<v Speaker 2>that was actually a big draw for Sera. Now, our

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<v Speaker 2>second prominent piece of lore, to pardon me sniff out,

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<v Speaker 2>is the nose. Serra No having a monstrously large snout

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<v Speaker 2>is probably the most remembered detail about him. In Edmund

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<v Speaker 2>Rostin's famous play Sereno de Bergerac, which debuted in eighteen

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<v Speaker 2>ninety seven, Serrao's ludicrously large nose was an overwhelming source

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<v Speaker 2>of self doubt. He was convinced that it made him

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<v Speaker 2>so ugly that no woman would love him. Here, the

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<v Speaker 2>playwright was not an utter Pinocchio. He did not wholly

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<v Speaker 2>fabrice kate the notable olfactory feature, although he did greatly

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<v Speaker 2>exaggerate its proportions. Apparently in reality, Sierraho reportedly did have

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<v Speaker 2>a distinct nose of above average size, but there is

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<v Speaker 2>a whiff of doubt about his level of sensitivity about it.

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<v Speaker 2>Some historians claim Serho's nose was indeed a source of

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<v Speaker 2>shame and likely contributed to his confrontational nature. It's easy

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<v Speaker 2>to see why when both friends and foes often made

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<v Speaker 2>hyperbolic jokes about it, such as one of his contemporaries

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<v Speaker 2>jests that Sierraho's nos quote forms in the middle a

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<v Speaker 2>mountain which looks as if it ought to be after

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<v Speaker 2>the Himalayas the highest mountain in the world, not the

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<v Speaker 2>best jab creatively, but still probably had to sting. But

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<v Speaker 2>other writers actually assert that Syno was quite proud of

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<v Speaker 2>his preeminent snout. A portrait engraved roughly a year before

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<v Speaker 2>his death shows a nose that was substantial but not staggering.

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<v Speaker 2>It also depicts Serrano in a three quarter profile, an

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<v Speaker 2>odd angle for him to have chosen for his picture.

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<v Speaker 2>If he was that self conscious about his nose to

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<v Speaker 2>examine the whole matter nose to tail, it's conceivable that

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<v Speaker 2>multiple accounts on the matter were true. Sirrono quite possibly

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<v Speaker 2>was touchy about his appearance early in his life, especially

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<v Speaker 2>as an insecure teenager and young adult, but perhaps he

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<v Speaker 2>came around to accept his unique face and even drew

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<v Speaker 2>some of his signature panache from it. A third key

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<v Speaker 2>part of Sirino's fabled persona was that he was an

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<v Speaker 2>epic no it all in countless dramatized versions of Sereno's

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<v Speaker 2>life held a witty, sharp tongued wordsmith, and this mostly

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<v Speaker 2>does seem to align with historical descriptions of the real

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<v Speaker 2>life Sirrano. As a young cadet, he frequented wine shops,

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<v Speaker 2>where he fell in with a crowd of creative, ambitious

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<v Speaker 2>freethinkers who called themselves libertines. Inspired by these intellectuals, sirra

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<v Speaker 2>No delved into poetry and philosophy. He rebelled against the government,

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<v Speaker 2>societal norms, and against his favorite target of all, the

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<v Speaker 2>Catholic Church. He wrote ample satires about priests and cardinals,

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<v Speaker 2>while also getting into numerous spicy feuds with other artists.

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<v Speaker 2>Sirno always backed up his words with action, though, which

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<v Speaker 2>brings us to our final legendary element to unpack his

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<v Speaker 2>reputation as an unbeatable swordsman, and on this point, basically

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<v Speaker 2>every biography, tale, and dramatic narrative agrees. Sierra No reputedly

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<v Speaker 2>fought in many duels, so many that, in addition to

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<v Speaker 2>broadly describing him as a poet, philosopher, and playwright, most

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<v Speaker 2>works written about him cite duellist as one of his

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<v Speaker 2>main vocations. Interestingly, while sierrah No certainly rubbed some people

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<v Speaker 2>the wrong way, he apparently rarely fought on his own behalf.

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<v Speaker 2>Most often, he was recruited as backup by others who

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<v Speaker 2>wanted the ultimate ringer for their clashes. In a letter,

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<v Speaker 2>he even joked about how in demand he was with

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<v Speaker 2>duels quote, it would be false to say that I

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<v Speaker 2>am the first among men, For in the last month,

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<v Speaker 2>I swear I have been second to everybody, a pun

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<v Speaker 2>on the fact that being second in a duel means

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<v Speaker 2>you're the main dualist's backup. All in all, this fighting

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<v Speaker 2>spirit may have been his calling card, but it also

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<v Speaker 2>would possibly lead to his downfall. The question of what

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<v Speaker 2>drove Serano to fight with verbal barbs and actual swords

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<v Speaker 2>provides invaluable insight into who he truly was and eventually

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<v Speaker 2>what would become of him, and there are several interesting

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<v Speaker 2>theories on the matter of his core motivation. One potential

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<v Speaker 2>driving force was again a yearning to be a member

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<v Speaker 2>of the nobility, as evidenced by a year's long conflict

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<v Speaker 2>with his father over his chosen name and persona. Sireno's

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<v Speaker 2>commitment to his lifestyle may have underlined a desperate need

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<v Speaker 2>to attain wealth and power atop the social hierarchy, and

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<v Speaker 2>for the noble young Parisian musketeers of Sierrano's air, gallivanting

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<v Speaker 2>around and challenging people to duels was supposedly a key

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<v Speaker 2>part of a noble's daily routine. That said, the duels

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<v Speaker 2>weren't just preening and posturing, people frequently died in them. Furthermore,

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<v Speaker 2>royal edicts had outlawed duels in the city and promised

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<v Speaker 2>harsh punishments for those caught in the act, including banishment

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<v Speaker 2>or execution if the duellists didn't first die in the duel,

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<v Speaker 2>that is. And yet, if certain estimates are to be believed,

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<v Speaker 2>Sirno participated in hundreds of duels, which does not seem

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<v Speaker 2>to fully fit with a simple goal of just ascending

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<v Speaker 2>to the aristocracy. In other words, even as an elite

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<v Speaker 2>sword fighter, Sirho presumably still could have gotten invited to

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<v Speaker 2>plenty of swanky parties without filling his calendar quite so

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<v Speaker 2>full of very risky fights to the death. Various writers

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<v Speaker 2>have offered another motivation.

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<v Speaker 1>Love.

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<v Speaker 2>Were sirrah NOO's battles of wit and swords a way

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<v Speaker 2>to showcase his dashing bravery, a sort of dramatic peacocking.

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<v Speaker 2>In Rostan's famous play, sirrah No's deep yet tragic love

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<v Speaker 2>for his cousin Roxane informs his entire emotional arc. And

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<v Speaker 2>to be clear, his arc with Roxanne isn't tragic because

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<v Speaker 2>their cousins and unable to pursue romance that was not

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<v Speaker 2>uncommon back then, although the Church did attempt to limit

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<v Speaker 2>marriage between closely related people. As you may recall, his

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<v Speaker 2>nose is actually the tragically steep obstacle impeding a mutual

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<v Speaker 2>attraction with Roxanne, and so, according to that version of

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<v Speaker 2>the story, doubting his chances with his beloved Siera no

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<v Speaker 2>famously helps a tongue tied but handsome fellow soldier wu

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<v Speaker 2>Roxanne instead. Overall, Rostan's play was actually thoroughly researched and

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<v Speaker 2>contains many accurate details, but the romance was a creative invention.

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<v Speaker 2>Sereno did have a female cousin who may have been

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<v Speaker 2>an inspiration for Roxanne, but there seems to be no

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<v Speaker 2>evidence that he loved her. In general, historians and writers

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<v Speaker 2>of different eras have disagreed on Siereno's romantic inclinations. Some

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<v Speaker 2>have claimed he wasn't all that interested in pursuing fulfilling

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<v Speaker 2>relationships with women. Others have asserted more outright that he

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<v Speaker 2>was a homosexual. That latter theory provides probable context for

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<v Speaker 2>Sierrano's tumultuous relationship with an older writer and musician, Charles

0:17:01.040 --> 0:17:06.360
<v Speaker 2>Desusi According to some scholars, De Susi had a sinister

0:17:06.520 --> 0:17:12.000
<v Speaker 2>reputation for using his social standing to seduce and manipulate

0:17:12.280 --> 0:17:17.160
<v Speaker 2>younger male artists. This could have been the case with Sirno,

0:17:17.800 --> 0:17:23.320
<v Speaker 2>although the full story was probably even more complicated. Judging

0:17:23.440 --> 0:17:29.440
<v Speaker 2>by certain letters, documents, and biographical texts, Sirno had an

0:17:29.560 --> 0:17:34.760
<v Speaker 2>intimate relationship with Dasusi through most of his twenties, but

0:17:35.000 --> 0:17:40.280
<v Speaker 2>their bond then turned extremely bitter and escalated into a

0:17:40.400 --> 0:17:46.840
<v Speaker 2>vicious rivalry involving death threats and both men circulating derisive

0:17:46.920 --> 0:17:52.000
<v Speaker 2>open letters. All this to say, Sierno's love life was

0:17:52.359 --> 0:17:55.840
<v Speaker 2>likely fraught and may have fueled some of his more

0:17:55.960 --> 0:18:01.520
<v Speaker 2>spiteful written work, but seemingly love was not the catalyst

0:18:01.680 --> 0:18:06.720
<v Speaker 2>in many of his most memorable exploits. Perhaps, as some

0:18:07.040 --> 0:18:12.440
<v Speaker 2>modern historians claim, a more all encompassing motivation for Sierno

0:18:13.040 --> 0:18:18.120
<v Speaker 2>was a sweeping desire to be revered and remembered. That

0:18:18.200 --> 0:18:22.879
<v Speaker 2>would definitely help explain his obsession with duels and the

0:18:23.080 --> 0:18:27.760
<v Speaker 2>hyping up of his sword fighting triumphs. Case in point,

0:18:28.160 --> 0:18:31.360
<v Speaker 2>that famed fight at the Poor Denesle on the Seen

0:18:31.640 --> 0:18:35.359
<v Speaker 2>that we mentioned in the introduction of this episode. The

0:18:35.400 --> 0:18:39.840
<v Speaker 2>brawl did reportedly happen. It might not have been one

0:18:39.960 --> 0:18:44.840
<v Speaker 2>hundred men versus one, as various rumors and brags insisted,

0:18:45.400 --> 0:18:49.520
<v Speaker 2>but it still showcased Sierrano's courage and knack for staging

0:18:50.240 --> 0:18:56.720
<v Speaker 2>his impressive victory despite being significantly outnumbered, as well as

0:18:56.720 --> 0:19:00.320
<v Speaker 2>his selectivity in choosing which witnesses to bring a long

0:19:00.880 --> 0:19:06.520
<v Speaker 2>created ideal conditions for the legend to spread, and of course,

0:19:06.720 --> 0:19:09.879
<v Speaker 2>his role as the loyal protector of a friend in

0:19:09.960 --> 0:19:15.920
<v Speaker 2>need made Sereno quite the inspiring hero. Accordingly, as one

0:19:16.160 --> 0:19:20.639
<v Speaker 2>prominent biographer of Sereno de Bergerac put it, this episode

0:19:20.840 --> 0:19:26.280
<v Speaker 2>was a prime example of his quote temptation of heroism.

0:19:27.200 --> 0:19:32.720
<v Speaker 2>Serano's longing for glory went far beyond fighting, though in fact,

0:19:32.840 --> 0:19:37.719
<v Speaker 2>a major shift in Sierno's life seemingly occurred when, to

0:19:37.720 --> 0:19:40.480
<v Speaker 2>put it bluntly, he tried to put his ass kicking

0:19:40.680 --> 0:19:45.879
<v Speaker 2>days behind him. He fully leaned into his literary endeavors,

0:19:46.320 --> 0:19:49.480
<v Speaker 2>assuming the written word would be an even better path

0:19:49.560 --> 0:19:56.760
<v Speaker 2>to lasting respect and artistic immortality. Unfortunately, like his romantic

0:19:56.920 --> 0:20:01.800
<v Speaker 2>arc in fictionalized versions of his life, Sierno's writing career

0:20:02.040 --> 0:20:07.680
<v Speaker 2>followed a tragic trajectory. His eloquent letters and plays were

0:20:07.800 --> 0:20:11.840
<v Speaker 2>enjoyed by some, but he struggled to find a larger

0:20:12.000 --> 0:20:16.119
<v Speaker 2>audience to support himself along the way. As a writer,

0:20:16.640 --> 0:20:21.200
<v Speaker 2>he worked for a wealthy patron, dedicating poems and other

0:20:21.280 --> 0:20:27.040
<v Speaker 2>works to him, but Sereno would become creatively frustrated. As

0:20:27.160 --> 0:20:32.840
<v Speaker 2>an escapist outlet, he began working on an expansive satirical

0:20:33.119 --> 0:20:38.400
<v Speaker 2>novel titled The Other World Comical History of the States

0:20:38.440 --> 0:20:43.040
<v Speaker 2>and Empires of the Moon. Sirano spent years on his

0:20:43.160 --> 0:20:47.280
<v Speaker 2>magnum opus, but unfortunately he did not live to see

0:20:47.320 --> 0:20:52.439
<v Speaker 2>it published. In sixteen fifty four, the daring duellist turned

0:20:52.600 --> 0:20:59.240
<v Speaker 2>novelist met an uncharacteristically mundane bit of fortune. While Sereno

0:20:59.440 --> 0:21:02.960
<v Speaker 2>was entering the house of his wealthy patron, a worker

0:21:03.160 --> 0:21:07.399
<v Speaker 2>apparently dropped a block of wood on his head, or

0:21:07.440 --> 0:21:11.640
<v Speaker 2>at least that's what happened according to Rusten's play. Other

0:21:11.800 --> 0:21:16.400
<v Speaker 2>counts paint a similar picture, often hinting that the supposed

0:21:16.520 --> 0:21:21.480
<v Speaker 2>accident was in fact a premeditated act of revenge for

0:21:21.600 --> 0:21:27.040
<v Speaker 2>Sierno's past duels or feuds. Analysis by a few historians

0:21:27.119 --> 0:21:31.160
<v Speaker 2>even point to Serno possibly having been injured in an

0:21:31.240 --> 0:21:35.440
<v Speaker 2>attack on his patron's carriage, which could have either been

0:21:35.520 --> 0:21:40.879
<v Speaker 2>an unrelated crime or again an act of vindictive foul play.

0:21:41.960 --> 0:21:45.760
<v Speaker 2>Whatever the case, Sereno convalesced for over a year in

0:21:45.800 --> 0:21:50.360
<v Speaker 2>his cousin's home, then died in sixteen fifty five at

0:21:50.359 --> 0:21:54.480
<v Speaker 2>the age of thirty six. However, as we know, that

0:21:54.800 --> 0:21:59.480
<v Speaker 2>was far from the end of his story. It's hard

0:21:59.480 --> 0:22:05.119
<v Speaker 2>to think of many historical figures whose romanticized legacies more

0:22:05.200 --> 0:22:09.800
<v Speaker 2>greatly eclipsed their actual lives, to the point that many

0:22:09.920 --> 0:22:13.800
<v Speaker 2>are genuinely surprised to learn that a real Sierraeno de

0:22:13.800 --> 0:22:18.639
<v Speaker 2>Bergerac actually existed. Ralston's play was largely to thank for

0:22:18.680 --> 0:22:24.160
<v Speaker 2>that the theater production featured highly celebrated French actors when

0:22:24.200 --> 0:22:28.040
<v Speaker 2>it premiered in Paris in eighteen ninety seven and became

0:22:28.160 --> 0:22:34.600
<v Speaker 2>an instant, roaring success. Critics praised its delightfully rhyming verses,

0:22:35.040 --> 0:22:39.320
<v Speaker 2>and the French public reportedly fell for the compelling romantic story,

0:22:39.720 --> 0:22:43.520
<v Speaker 2>while taking national pride in the way the play showcased

0:22:43.600 --> 0:22:50.160
<v Speaker 2>the country's iconic musketeer era. The original cast members performed

0:22:50.280 --> 0:22:56.800
<v Speaker 2>the noseworthy noteworthy play hundreds of times in Paris, then

0:22:57.080 --> 0:23:01.080
<v Speaker 2>various iterations of the show toured throughout Europe, up North Africa,

0:23:01.160 --> 0:23:05.399
<v Speaker 2>the Middle East, and North America. The drama was initially

0:23:05.440 --> 0:23:10.359
<v Speaker 2>performed in French, but was soon translated into many other languages.

0:23:11.040 --> 0:23:17.040
<v Speaker 2>Acclaimed stagings graced Broadway as well as numerous renowned theaters

0:23:17.040 --> 0:23:21.480
<v Speaker 2>and festivals across the world, and the play eventually inspired

0:23:21.600 --> 0:23:27.240
<v Speaker 2>musical and cinematic adaptations, novels, operas, radio plays, and TV

0:23:27.359 --> 0:23:33.600
<v Speaker 2>episodes of varying genres. In pop culture, Sierraho's name started

0:23:33.800 --> 0:23:39.520
<v Speaker 2>intrinsically conjuring up images of absurdly large noses, and then

0:23:39.640 --> 0:23:44.679
<v Speaker 2>became shorthand for a scenario in which one person helps

0:23:44.840 --> 0:23:50.040
<v Speaker 2>ghostwrite another's love interest. There's irony to be found in

0:23:50.080 --> 0:23:53.919
<v Speaker 2>the fact that some of the least accurate parts of

0:23:54.000 --> 0:23:59.160
<v Speaker 2>Sierrano's story became the most widely repeated. On the other hand,

0:23:59.240 --> 0:24:02.520
<v Speaker 2>this isn't that so prizing, because ay, that's the way

0:24:02.680 --> 0:24:06.520
<v Speaker 2>history so often goes. And b we must again remember

0:24:06.560 --> 0:24:09.720
<v Speaker 2>that the seeds of so many of those myths were

0:24:09.760 --> 0:24:15.360
<v Speaker 2>planted by Sireno himself. Sereno modified his name and constantly

0:24:15.400 --> 0:24:18.959
<v Speaker 2>tried to beef up his own reputation. He helped his

0:24:19.080 --> 0:24:23.880
<v Speaker 2>wealthy patron compose eloquent letters to presumably pass off as

0:24:23.960 --> 0:24:28.600
<v Speaker 2>his own, and he wrote innumerable witty zingers about others,

0:24:29.160 --> 0:24:33.520
<v Speaker 2>some even pointing out their big noses. For example, as

0:24:33.560 --> 0:24:37.680
<v Speaker 2>a teenager, Siereno wrote a comedic play that was a

0:24:37.840 --> 0:24:42.080
<v Speaker 2>thinly veiled rebuke against a hated professor at his college.

0:24:43.080 --> 0:24:47.480
<v Speaker 2>In that play, a character describes the professor's appearance using

0:24:47.600 --> 0:24:52.879
<v Speaker 2>many creative insults, including the crack that quote his nose

0:24:53.040 --> 0:24:56.240
<v Speaker 2>arrives everywhere a quarter of an hour before its master,

0:24:57.359 --> 0:25:02.200
<v Speaker 2>in something of a cruel twist. These insults then served

0:25:02.240 --> 0:25:06.840
<v Speaker 2>as inspiration for the playwright Rosstand, who had the theatrical

0:25:06.960 --> 0:25:11.720
<v Speaker 2>version of Sierrano rattle off a run of similar snooty

0:25:11.920 --> 0:25:17.000
<v Speaker 2>diggs about himself in his play. So while the playwright

0:25:17.160 --> 0:25:22.800
<v Speaker 2>Rostand deserves accolades for popularizing the legend of Serrano, Sereno

0:25:23.000 --> 0:25:28.399
<v Speaker 2>deserves plenty of credit for mythologizing himself as well. Given

0:25:28.600 --> 0:25:33.280
<v Speaker 2>the real life Sereno's skill at crafting legends, it would

0:25:33.480 --> 0:25:37.480
<v Speaker 2>seem a distinct tragedy if the works he was most

0:25:37.560 --> 0:25:43.080
<v Speaker 2>proud of never saw the light of day. Thankfully, that

0:25:43.119 --> 0:25:47.240
<v Speaker 2>wouldn't be the case. After Sirho died, his friend and

0:25:47.560 --> 0:25:52.360
<v Speaker 2>later biographer henri Le Brett published The Other World, comical

0:25:52.520 --> 0:25:55.439
<v Speaker 2>History of the States and Empires of the Moon and

0:25:55.680 --> 0:26:00.119
<v Speaker 2>its sequel, The States and Empires of the Sun. From

0:26:00.200 --> 0:26:04.760
<v Speaker 2>a literary perspective, the novels are fascinating and have been

0:26:04.960 --> 0:26:09.719
<v Speaker 2>lauded by many for their imaginative storytelling, as well as

0:26:09.800 --> 0:26:13.919
<v Speaker 2>their importance to the science fiction genre. In fact, lines

0:26:13.960 --> 0:26:17.119
<v Speaker 2>of influence can be drawn from Sirno's works of fiction

0:26:17.560 --> 0:26:21.879
<v Speaker 2>to that of heavyweights like Jonathan Swift, Voltaire HDL's, and

0:26:22.119 --> 0:26:28.960
<v Speaker 2>Jules vern. Sirno's novels predicted several futuristic technologies, including a

0:26:29.040 --> 0:26:32.840
<v Speaker 2>type of audiobook, and he was arguably the first writer

0:26:33.040 --> 0:26:38.320
<v Speaker 2>to clearly describe rocket power based space travel. The book's

0:26:38.600 --> 0:26:43.720
<v Speaker 2>sci fi concepts are undoubtedly intriguing, but so are their

0:26:43.720 --> 0:26:50.600
<v Speaker 2>philosophical and personal themes. As many historians advise, caution should

0:26:50.640 --> 0:26:54.359
<v Speaker 2>be used when linking artists work to their personal lives.

0:26:54.800 --> 0:26:58.160
<v Speaker 2>But that said, it's pretty difficult in this case since

0:26:58.320 --> 0:27:02.720
<v Speaker 2>so many components are forgive me so on the nose.

0:27:03.359 --> 0:27:08.800
<v Speaker 2>The protagonist of these novels is named Sirrho and spoiler alert.

0:27:09.240 --> 0:27:12.560
<v Speaker 2>After finally making it to the Moon, he finds an

0:27:12.680 --> 0:27:18.119
<v Speaker 2>alien civilization whose interests come off as eerily similar to

0:27:18.280 --> 0:27:23.320
<v Speaker 2>Sierrano de Bergerac's own. The moon Men have specific naming conventions,

0:27:23.720 --> 0:27:30.600
<v Speaker 2>atheist philosophies, and they cherish and honor big noses. Given

0:27:30.800 --> 0:27:36.520
<v Speaker 2>the real Sirrho's audacious personality, it's also tempting to imagine

0:27:36.560 --> 0:27:40.200
<v Speaker 2>whether he would have looked down his proud nose at

0:27:40.240 --> 0:27:43.720
<v Speaker 2>all of the even wilder portrayals of him to come.

0:27:44.600 --> 0:27:51.600
<v Speaker 2>Those depictions obviously accentuated unflattering characteristics, but if his primary

0:27:51.640 --> 0:27:56.240
<v Speaker 2>motive throughout his life was indeed to be remembered, then

0:27:56.520 --> 0:28:03.040
<v Speaker 2>mission accomplished right. Syrno's own correspondence suggests that he cared

0:28:03.200 --> 0:28:07.320
<v Speaker 2>little about being a divisive figure as long as people

0:28:07.440 --> 0:28:11.520
<v Speaker 2>were talking about him. In one letter, he basically summed

0:28:11.560 --> 0:28:15.080
<v Speaker 2>this up, stating, in truth, it is a very great

0:28:15.200 --> 0:28:19.199
<v Speaker 2>consolation to me to be hated because I am loved

0:28:19.680 --> 0:28:25.200
<v Speaker 2>to find enemies everywhere, because I have friends everywhere. All

0:28:25.240 --> 0:28:28.960
<v Speaker 2>in all, sierrah No quite possibly would have felt grateful

0:28:29.080 --> 0:28:33.120
<v Speaker 2>for Rostand and other writers who immortalized him as they did,

0:28:33.840 --> 0:28:37.440
<v Speaker 2>although knowing sierrah No, he still probably would have found

0:28:37.480 --> 0:28:50.040
<v Speaker 2>reasons to challenge them to duels. That's the swashbuckling story

0:28:50.080 --> 0:28:53.520
<v Speaker 2>of the real Serano de Bergerac, but stick around after

0:28:53.600 --> 0:28:58.160
<v Speaker 2>a brief sponsor break to hear another surprising French connection

0:28:58.720 --> 0:29:10.040
<v Speaker 2>to several more fabled Musketeers. Another factor in the massive

0:29:10.080 --> 0:29:14.360
<v Speaker 2>success of Rostand's play Serena de Bergrek was the lasting

0:29:14.520 --> 0:29:19.240
<v Speaker 2>popularity of the eighteen forty four novel by Alexander Duma

0:29:19.360 --> 0:29:24.000
<v Speaker 2>and his collaborator, The Three Musketeers. Not only did that

0:29:24.160 --> 0:29:28.560
<v Speaker 2>story promote ample nostalgia for a period of bold adventuring

0:29:28.600 --> 0:29:33.000
<v Speaker 2>in French history, it also provided a blueprint for crafting

0:29:33.080 --> 0:29:38.600
<v Speaker 2>a compelling piece of fiction based on historical figures. Because

0:29:38.800 --> 0:29:42.640
<v Speaker 2>similar to how the fictional character of Serena was modeled

0:29:42.680 --> 0:29:46.320
<v Speaker 2>on a real guy, so too were the lead characters

0:29:46.360 --> 0:29:51.280
<v Speaker 2>from The Three Musketeers. And fascinatingly, there is evidence to

0:29:51.360 --> 0:29:56.880
<v Speaker 2>suggest that Sirho very likely knew the real Count d'artagnian,

0:29:57.320 --> 0:30:01.360
<v Speaker 2>the inspiration for the novel's protagonist, as well as the

0:30:01.520 --> 0:30:06.600
<v Speaker 2>renowned trio of Athos, Porthos and Aramus. In fact, Sirano

0:30:06.800 --> 0:30:11.800
<v Speaker 2>reportedly fought alongside d'Artagnan in a siege in sixteen forty,

0:30:12.240 --> 0:30:16.200
<v Speaker 2>and by sixteen forty one was almost assuredly in the

0:30:16.240 --> 0:30:22.520
<v Speaker 2>same Gaskin Regiment as the Three Musketeers. Now there's a crossover,

0:30:22.720 --> 0:30:35.240
<v Speaker 2>I would love to see. Noble Blood is a production

0:30:35.440 --> 0:30:39.880
<v Speaker 2>of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manke. Noble

0:30:39.880 --> 0:30:43.880
<v Speaker 2>Blood is hosted by me Dana Schwartz, with additional writing

0:30:43.920 --> 0:30:48.480
<v Speaker 2>and research by Hannah Johnston, Hannaswick, Courtney Sender, Amy Hit

0:30:48.640 --> 0:30:52.600
<v Speaker 2>and Julia Milani. The show is edited and produced by

0:30:52.720 --> 0:30:58.959
<v Speaker 2>Jesse Funk, with supervising producerrima Ill Kali and executive producers

0:30:59.040 --> 0:31:02.560
<v Speaker 2>Aaron Mankey, t, Trevor Young, and Matt Frederick. For more

0:31:02.640 --> 0:31:08.120
<v Speaker 2>podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or

0:31:08.200 --> 0:31:10.080
<v Speaker 2>wherever you listen to your favorite shows.