Maru

When I looked him up, I was kind of shocked. Saint-Just was apparently known as the "Angel of Death," one of the key figures behind the Reign of Terror, working closely with Robespierre. Together, they were said to have sent countless people to the guillotine. Before this, all I knew about the French Revolution came from high school history classes in China. And those textbooks mostly focused on Robespierre’s (fake, but famous) so-called epitaph, which portrayed him in a pretty negative light.

I couldn’t understand it. Why would Hugo compare someone as noble and inspiring as Enjolras to a man with such a terrifying reputation? That question stayed with me, so I started digging deeper. I read some books, both general histories and biographies, trying to really understand who Saint-Just and Robespierre were.

The more I read, the more surprised I became. They weren’t monsters, and they weren’t saints either. But they were good people. Flawed in some ways, yes, but sincere, committed, and trying to build something better.

Definitely a surreal experience. I think I read past the "Angel of Death" part out of pure morbid curiosity.

Well thanks Saint-Just for thrusting subsequent undereducated generations into the reality of the Revolution ❤️

𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬.

I never knew you was lookin’ so close.

- Quel beau marbre!