InsaneJournal

1) Why did he cheat? And how did he manage it? He cheated because he was afraid he might fail. Latin was a sort of nebulous subject. He wasn't so weak in it that he studied obsessively to fix such a "failing" (like with math), but he didn't have the natural proficiency that would let him pass a test without studying (like with literature). Thus, when he came to class early the day of the test, he checked the professor's notes to find the page of Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico to translate on the spot, without any outside help, and tore the French translation of the page out of his own book. Jacques hid the paper in the ruffles of his cuff and trailed his sleeves in his ink as he wrote, so he'd have an excuse to look at his cuffs in the middle of the test.

2) What is Jacques' happiest memory? Opening night of his play. The troupe pulled him onstage during the second curtain call and he was surrounded by applause. It was one of the only times in his life that he felt he was finally good enough for something.

3) What would Léon have to do to win his son over? Or is that relationship to far gone to be fixed? Jacques would have to first figure out that his mother isn't perfect. After that, Léon would have to prove that he actually was proud of, or cared about Jacques. Jacques, after all, desperately craves his father's approval.

4) Is there anything that could turn him away from the revolution? If so, what? The new government becoming corrupt, or rejecting the ideals espoused in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.

5) What was his play about? It was a satire of the ancien regime hidden in a comedy of manners about the daughter of a duchess on the day of her wedding to a man she had never met before. The bride and her brother (a student) swapped clothes to give the bride time to escape, and the brother quickly found himself propositioned by his sister's near-sighted intended, who was a conglomeration of every stereotype about the French nobility. Unfortunately, the brother had become secretly engaged to his best friend's sister, and his fiancée showed up and became incredibly upset when her fiancé would not even look her in the face. In the end, the other members of the cast overthrew the near-sighted groom, foreswore their titles, and lived a life of Roussian rusticity in a republic of virtue impossible anywhere but onstage.

1) What is his relationship with his parents like? Does he prefer his mother or his father? His relationship with his father is basically non-existent. Ever since he was born, his father has been a cold, distant figure, painfully polite and extremely unconcerned with Jacques or his mother. Jacques despises his father for abandoning his mother yet wants his father's approval so desperately he can't even acknowledge it. Jacques adores his mother. He would fight a duel with any man who insulted her (except his father), and scrupulously follows her advice.

2)Was it his decision to go to school for law, or was it forced upon him? It was his decision. It was half to please his mother and half to thumb his nose at his father, also a lawyer. He's also always been interested in social contract theory and political philosophy and figured that a law career would be the best way to gain influence and fix the corrupt government according to Enlightenment ideals.

3) Has he ever been in love? No. Sometimes he wishes he had.

4) Does he someday wish to marry? Yes.

5) Where would he rather live, France of England? France, definitely. He's a patriot through and through.

1) Why does he see this as a sign of weakness? He feels that he shouldn't need to write plays to keep himself calm; he ought to be calm, collected, and put-together all the time. Playwriting is also not a particularly respectable career. He ought to dream only of becoming a lawyer (and later, perhaps, a Representative in the Asemblee) and righting the wrongs of France, not of how to express emotions in twelve syllable rhyming lines..

2) If somebody did find out about these writings and convinced him that they were good, would he be willing to publish them? Actually, that has happened; his best friend found Jacques's manuscript and convinced him to offer it to a provincial troupe. Much to Jacques's shock, the troupe bought the play and performed it.

3) Is Jacques religious? Not particularly. He is a Deist and has very strong principles, but he has very little faith in anything outside of his ideals.

4) Does he believe that sex is something that should be reserved for people in love? It isn't a subject he's thought about overmuch, but he'd be inclined to say 'no', as long as it doesn't hurt anyone.

5) What is his biggest regret? He very much liked the girl next door when he was sixteen, but he was always too busy studying to pursue her. He laments the lost chance, since literature so universally celebrates love and physical affection. Besides that, he finds it unlikely that women would like him and his naivity at 16 was probably his best selling point. Thus, he doubts he'll have a second opportunity to marry.

1) Do you think there could ever be some common ground between Nell and Jacques, maybe because of the theatre connection, or is Nell just another representation of his father's slip towards corruption? If Jacques met Nell on his own, without knowing of Nell's relationship with Léon, then yes. He likes actors, as a general rule, and he always admires people of talent (unless they're his father, or corrupt).

2)What was Jacques' best subject and what was his worst? He was best at French literature and worst at math.

3)Would Jacques wish to see his mother in England? Why? If yes, would part of it be to upset his father? Yes, partly to upset his father, partly for reassurance.

4) Is Jacques writing any plays at the moment? Does he use caricatures of those he already knows around him? Yes, and you bet. This one's about the trial of Socrates, who, since this is a satire, is put on trial not for his teachings, but for his corruption, and Socrates resembles Jacques's father.

5) What are his hopes for the future? What would be his ideal? He hopes to open a law firm with his best friend, and one day become either a judge or a member of the National Assembly. Ideally, he would become a playwright so successful he'd gain a seat in the National Assembly as soon as the voters knew he was in the running. From then on, he'd divide his time between writing plays and fixing France. At some, nebulous point in time, he would marry someone who shared his ideals and liked him, but Jacques has always been more focused on his career than on his personal life.

1. What has been Jacques most important relationship in his whole life? Be it to his mother a friend or a romantic interest? Probably his relationship to his best friend, another lawyer in Paris. He convinced Jacques to get his play performed and introduced him to the Jacobin Club. It's followed in a close second by his relationship with his mother, and a friend whom he met at the Champs de Mars Massacres.

2. What does Jacques wish to acheive? What is his life's goal? Jacques is very ambitious. He dreams of becoming the president of the National Assembly or the president of the Academie Francais based on the strength of his literary work. All he'll admit to is owning his own practice and becoming a member of the Assembly.

3. Would he ever join with his father? Does he see himself working happily with him if the Revolutionaries are to win? It's doubtful. Until he can get over all of his issues with dear old dad, no. 4. Though he has friends, why is it that he thinks he has been alone for most of his life? Does he intend to rectify it in England? Up until going to the Sourbonne, he spent all his time reading and studying. He's always been a very driven student, so he never had any friendship deeper than a study group. Once at the Sourbonne he got a few acual friends, but it took a while. He'd like to rectify the situation, since he just realized he liked having friends, but he's not entirely sure how to go about it.

5. What has been his first impresions of England? Does he like the people? He's reserving judgment until he's seen more of it, but so far he finds it inferior to France. After all, in the rather ghastly contest between guillotine and hanging, hangings are much more inhumane. He liked the constitutional monarchy before France established a republic, though he finds the royal family absurd and the Prince of Wales loathsome. He hasn't met enough people to decide whether or not he likes them.

1. Why does Jacques feel the need to master everything? To prove that he's good enough for his father. And possibly God; when he was younger, he used to get confused by the Lord's Prayer. Who as the Father he was supposed to be praying to? He assumed it was his.

2. Does Jacques have an ideal girl in his head? It's not a subject he's really thought about much, so no. However, she would have to share some, if not all, of his ideals, and be educated. He couldn't stand marrying someone he didn't think his intellectual equal.

3. Would Jacques ever do an anti-revolutionary play if it furthered his career on stage? He wouldn't be able to bring himself to write it.

4. What types of cases does Jacques most hope to present/defend, when he has his own practice? Ones that don't conflict with his principles. He would prefer to deal with cases of clearer-cut moral issues than not, but, as that is very rarely the case, he'd prefer to prosecute in crimial trials.

5. Would he ever marry a girl his mother disapproved of? No.