by Mary Losure
For Guiraud’s report, see Shattuck, pp. 19–20.
red tile roof and wooden balconies: Vidal’s workshop outside Saint-Sernin is still standing, surrounded by terraced gardens.
Chapter Three
“I will shortly . . . extraordinary being”: Constans-Saint-Estève, Journal des débats, January 1800, in Lane, Wild Boy, p. 10.
“I found him . . . great pleasure” Ibid., p. 7.
The strange boy’s eyes . . . couldn’t quite read: Foulquier-Lavergne, p. 12.
“resisted vigorously” and “great impatience”: Constans-Saint-Estève, Journal des débats, January 1800, in Lane, Wild Boy, p. 8.
“I had a hard time catching him” and “air of satisfaction that nothing could trouble”: Ibid., p. 8.
“I have ordered brought . . . unidentified…child,” “In every respect . . . philanthropic observer,” “I am informing the government,” and “Would you see to it . . . which he cannot escape”: Ibid., p. 9.
“A young savage, found in the woods near Saint Sernin. Deaf and mute.”: Saint-Affrique orphanage roll book, Archives Départementales de l’Aveyron.
“He took to running . . . and disappeared”: orphanage official to Journal des débats, January 1800, in Lane, Wild Boy, p. 10.
“feeble in spirit”: Saint-Affrique orphanage roll book, Archives Départementales de l’Aveyron.
“His eyes are dark . . . means of escape” and “We made him a gown . . . lets out sharp cries”: orphanage official to Journal des débats, January 1800, in Lane, Wild Boy, p. 10.
Chapter Four
“From external appearance . . . pleasant smile”: Bonnaterre, Ibid., p. 33.
“It was only with some difficulty . . . Central School”: Aveyron commissioner J.-P. Randon to Constans-Saint-Estève, February 5, 1800, Ibid., p. 15.
“When he raises his head . . . cutting instrument,” “There is one . . . left cheek,” “His whole body is covered with scars,” and “Did some barbaric hand . . . death-dealing blade?”: Bonnaterre, Ibid., p. 34.
For Bonnaterre’s account of these wild children, see Gineste, pp. 182–193.
“The sounds of the most harmonious . . . turn around to seize them”: Bonnaterre in Lane, Wild Boy, p. 39.
“He has been seen, when tired, to walk on all fours”: Ibid., p. 47.
“He is always looking . . . distance from the town”: Ibid., p. 44.
“When it is time . . . furious if not obeyed”: Ibid., p. 46.
“His sleep . . . pain or pleasure”: Ibid., p. 45.
as though he were having a seizure: Ibid., p. 36.
Chapter Five
“This eagerness . . . just experienced,”: Ibid., p. 44.
“I could not imagine . . . impressions of heat,” “One evening . . . rid of these garments,” “Next I pretended . . . the school building,” and “Instead of showing . . . repeated yanks”: Ibid., p. 44.
“comfortably warm”: Ibid., p. 45.
“He can be indifferent . . . with the same habits”: Ibid., p. 44.
Clair’s age and origin: baptismal records for the village of Connac, May 9, 1736, Archives Départementales de l’Aveyron.
“He was constantly occupied . . . the most practiced man,” “He opened the pods . . . movement,” “As he emptied . . . nearby coals,” and “When he felt . . . cooking oil was stored”: Bonnaterre in Lane, Wild Boy, pp. 39–40.
“I saw him . . . without being caught”: Ibid., p. 41.
“a captain of the auxiliary . . . sausage on the plate”: Ibid., p. 40.
“His affections . . . satisfying his needs”: Ibid., p. 39.
“Suspicion of imbecility”: Ibid., p. 41.
“This child . . . reflects on nothing,” “no imagination, no memory,” and “This state of imbecility . . . and determination”: Ibid., pp. 41–42.
“Unfortunate boy” and “I claim him . . . forthwith”: February 1, 1800, Bonaparte to Aveyron commissioner J.-P. Randon, Ibid., p. 14.
Chapter Six
“Provided that the state of imbecility . . . kind of education”: Bonnaterre, Ibid., p. 47.
“Whenever we changed . . . dearest affection”: Ibid., p. 41.
old maps of the time: Arbellot, p. 46.
“putting his chin . . . up to his mouth”: Bonnaterre in Lane, Wild Boy, p. 47.
“During our trip . . . attempts at escape”: Ibid., p. 44.
Description of Clermont: Young, Arthur. Arthur Young’s Travels in France During the Years 1787, 1788, 1789. Matilda Betham-Edwards, ed. London: George Bell and Sons, 1909. Library of Economics and Liberty. www.econlib.org/library/YPDBooks/Young/yngTF.html. Entry for August 11, 1789 (¶4.75) “Clermont is in the midst of a most curious country, all volcanic; and is built and paved with lava: much of it forms one of the worst built, dirtiest, and most stinking places I have met with. There are many streets that can, for blackness, dirt, and ill scents, only be represented by narrow channels cut in a night dunghill. The contention of nauseous savours, with which the air is impregnated, when brisk mountain gales do not ventilate these excrementitious lanes, made me envy the nerves of the good people, who, for what I know, may be happy in them.”
pestered by “curious people . . . along our route” [l’importunité dae curieux qui se portaient en foule sur notre route]: Bonnaterre to Aveyron official, September 2, 1800, in Gineste, p. 145.
“He refused to eat . . . any medicine” and “He recovered very well in a few days”: J.-J. Virey in Lane, Wild Boy, p. 46.
“arrived . . . Bonnaterre”: Gazette de France, August 9, 1800, in Shattuck, p. 190.
“As yet we know . . . visited promptly” and “down to . . . first thoughts”: Gazette de France, August 9, 1800, in Lane, Wild Boy, p. 18.
“in the hands . . . deaf-mutes”: Gazette de France, August 9, 1800, in Shattuck, p. 190.
Chapter Seven
“Many people . . . past life”:Itard, p. 4.
“a certain amount of ill-natured treatment” from “children his own age”: Ibid., p. 11.
“He detests children . . . without fail”: Virey in Lane, Wild Boy, p. 42.
“He likes solitude . . . as much as possible” and “If he is afraid . . . and remain alone”: Virey, Ibid., p. 43.
“The Savage of Aveyron, currently at the Institute for Deaf-Mutes” [Le Sauvage de l’Averyon, actuellement à l’Institution des Sourds-Muets]: Archives Départementales de l’Aveyron.
“annoyed and victimized . . . just as much”: Itard in Shattuck, p. 29.
“he stood at the window . . . countryside” and “Sometimes he dreams . . . during the day”: Virey in Lane, Wild Boy, p. 45.
“young savage of Aveyron” [le jeune sauvage de l’Averyon]: Bonaparte to Abbé Sicard, August 29, 1800, in Gineste, p. 144.
One person who saw the wild boy . . . door and windows [Il a . . . un balancement . . . qui ressemble à celui de l’ours de la ménagerie . . . ses yeux se portaient d’une manière inquiète vers la porte où les fenêtres.]: le Courrier des spectacles, September 2, 1800, in Gineste, p. 478.
“lively joy” [vif sentiment de joie]: le Publiciste, September 2, 1800, in Gineste, p. 477.
“very lively cries of joy” [des cris de joie très vifs]: le Courrier des spectacles, September 2, 1800, in Gineste, p. 478.
married and widowed twice: death certificate of Clair Saussol, Rodez, February 28, 1822, Archives Départementales de l’Aveyron.
“his old guardian, whom he appears to love very much”: Gazette de France, August 9, 1800, in Lane, Wild Boy, p. 18.
Often, he went hungry: Itard, p. 88. When he could get food . . . by himself: Ibid., p. 19. Locked in a dark closet: Ibid., p. 95.
about forty boys and twenty girls: Institute for Deaf-Mutes enrollment records, 1801, National Archives, Paris.
For descriptions of student life at the Institute, see Harlan Lane’s When the Mind Hears: A History of the Deaf, pp. 8–13. The separate gardens for girls and boys can be seen in contemporary floor plans in
unedited manuscripts in the archives of the Institute for Deaf-Mutes, now known as the Institut National de Jeunes Sourds de Paris.
Chapter Eight
“The child . . . interesting being”: Itard, p. xxiv.
“I have often . . . this situation”: Ibid., p. 13.
“condemned . . . in our asylums”: Philippe Pinel, “Report to the Société des Observateurs de l’Homme concerning the child known by the name of ‘Sauvage de l’Aveyron,’” in Lane, Wild Boy, p. 58.
“Debtors are incarcerated . . . epileptics, imbeciles. . . .” Mercier, p. 160.
“subterranean dungeons . . . in the roof”: Ibid., p. 163.
“to tear a child . . . boredom in an institution”: Itard, p. 11.
“I never shared this unfavorable opinion” and “I dared to conceive certain hopes”: Ibid., p. 7.
Chapter Nine
“I believed . . . tastes and inclinations”: Ibid., p. 11.
“all the patience . . . enlightened teacher,” “It was necessary . . . happy in his own way,” “sleeping, eating . . . the fields,” and “scampers”: Ibid., p. 12.
“I have many . . . great satisfaction”: Ibid., p. 64.
“was the beginning . . . signs of satisfaction” and “I shall perhaps . . . life’s earliest joys”: Ibid., pp. 24 and 25.
“A ray of sun . . . child of nature”: Ibid., p. 18.
“cry of joy”: Ibid., p. 12.
“There, giving vent . . . incredible eagerness”: Ibid., p. 13.
Chapter Ten
“ . . . in moments of great happiness”: Ibid., p. 33.
“an almost ordinary child who cannot speak”: Ibid., p. 49.
“People may say . . . childish play”: Ibid., p. 25.
“He is often heard . . . sweetness” and “I am somewhat . . . name of Julie”: Ibid., p. 33.
Chapter Eleven
Victor’s friendship with the astronomer’s daughter: editors’ note to article in Décade philosophique, 1800, in Gineste, p. 481.
“in moments of great happiness”: Itard, p. 33.
“Everything put . . . communication of ideas”: Ibid., p. 67.
“I have . . . shown him toys . . . before his bonfire”: Ibid., p. 20.
“It would have been inhuman to insist further”: Ibid., p. 31.
“despairing of success”: Ibid., p. 32.
“trembling in every limb . . . towards the door,” “With every appearance of anger,” “his head directly . . . the chasm,” and “He was pale . . . bed and wept”: Ibid., p. 44.
“contented himself . . . in tears”: Ibid., p. 45.
But after that day, Victor . . . ran away: Ibid., pp. 44–45.
“escaped,” “shed many tears on seeing her again,” and “When Madame Guérin . . . began to weep”: Ibid., pp. 24–25.
Chapter Twelve
“The child . . . early success”: Ibid., p. 48.
Chapter Thirteen
“There is always the same . . . stormy wind”: Ibid., p. 92.
“such was the effect . . . wild than ever,” “an independent life, happy and regretted,” and “straight and regular . . . wild nature is composed”: Ibid., pp. 23–24.
“garland of flowers . . . swans”: Edmond and Jules de Goncourt, in Herriot, p. 25.
“Madame Récamier . . . child of nature,” “the young savage . . . attracted,” “startling greed,” “all the delicacies he could filch,” “running across . . . rabbit,” and “bundled into . . . nature untamed”: L. C. Wairy, Mémoires sur la vie privée de Napoléon, sa famille, et sa cour, vol. 3, Paris: Ladvocat, 1830, in Lane, Wild Boy, pp. 108–109.
Chapter Fourteen
“I was obliged . . . does he not speak?”: Itard, p. 26.
“inspiration of really creative imagination”: Ibid., p. 78.
“the most rapid . . . first triumph”: Ibid., p. 32.
“this reading conveyed no meaning to him”: Ibid., p. 61.
“He often stopped . . . of his errand”: Ibid., pp. 71–72.
“I have seen . . . threat, or punishment”: Ibid., p. 91.
“stamp with joy . . . behind his head”: Ibid., p. 57.
“Thus we have instructor . . . grimacing their hardest”: Ibid., p. 86.
“‘Unhappy creature . . . boredom at Bicêtre”: Ibid., p. 73.
“scarcely had I finished . . . bitter grief”: Ibid., p. 74.
Chapter Fifteen
“To speak of . . . judgment on him”: Ibid., p. 52.
“I know, sir . . . diligent” and “essential . . . know the results”: Champagny to Itard, June 13, 1806, in Lane, Wild Boy, p. 133 (date in Gineste, p. 390).
“brilliant hopes”: Itard, p. 40.
“As for me . . . and to distain”: Ibid., p. 52.
“incurable dumbness”: Ibid., p. 86.
“As soon as his governess . . . to go out”: Ibid., p. 93.
Chapter Sixteen
“Hurrying into the street . . . Barrière d’Enfer”: Ibid., p. 93.
“From my window . . . wealth of foliage” and “Along all . . . century-old trees”: Victorien Sardou, in preface to Cain, p. xx.
half a million people: Braudel, p. 248.
Chapter Seventeen
“He turned in the direction . . . gained the forest”: Itard, p. 89.
“he suddenly revived . . . radiant expression,” “In the eyes . . . given him life,” “in a loud and threatening tone,” and “This was always . . . all was forgotten”: Ibid., p. 90.
Chapter Eighteen
“Those generous . . . human heart”: Ibid., p. 87.
“raving maniac”: Ibid., p. 92.
“sitting beside . . . changed his attitude” and “he took the lady . . . his cheeks”: Ibid., p. 97.
the Savage . . . should be sent to . . . Charenton: Chaptal to the Administrators of Charitable Institutions (including the administrators of the Institute for Deaf-Mutes), April 8, 1801, in Gineste, pp. 265–266.
“destiny so strange”: Itard, p. 101.
“those generous feelings which are the glory and happiness of the human heart”: Ibid., p. 87.
“extraordinary young man”: Ibid., p. 101.
“order and discipline” [l’ordre et la discipline]: Administrators of Charitable Institutions to the Minister of the Interior, July 13, 1810, in Gineste, p. 448.
“with my deep gratitude” [de ma profonde reconnaissance] and “Widow Guérin” [Veuve Guérin]: Madame Guérin to the administrators of the Institute for Deaf-Mutes, May 2, 1811, Ibid., p. 454.
list of Victor’s possessions: Madame Guérin to the administrators of the Institute for Deaf-Mutes, July 10, 1811, Ibid.
“A park, a wood . . . virgin forest”: Hugo in Maurois, p. 20.
recognized him by his loping gait: Shattuck, p. 156.
Afterword
“Today he understands . . . efforts that were made” [Aujourd’ hui il comprend plusieurs choses, sans articuler des mots. . . . Il est resté effaré, à demi sauvage et n’a pu apprendre à parler, malgré les soins qu’on en a pris.]: Virey, report of 1817, in Gineste, p. 455.
“spoke no more about him”: Itard, pp. 4–5.
“protector” [protecteur]: E. Morel, “Notice biographique sur le Dr. Itard,” Annales de l’éducation des sourds-muets et des aveugles, 1845, in Gineste, p. 455.
Author’s Note
“It is in the Memoirs . . . positive education”: Séguin in Lane, Wild Boy, p. 269.
Arbellot, Guy, et al. Atlas de la Révolution française. Vol. 1, Routes et communications. Paris: École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, 1987.
Bonnaterre, P.-J. Notice historique sur le sauvage de l’Aveyron. Paris: Panckoucke, 1800. Translated by Harlan Lane and reprinted in his The Wild Boy of Aveyron, pp. 33–48.
Braudel, Fernand. The Identity of France. Vol. 1, History and Environment. Translated by Siân Reynolds. New York: Harper and Row, 1988.
Cain, Georges. Nooks and Corners of Old Paris. London: E. G. Richards, 190
7.
Foulquier-Lavergne, P. Le Sauvage de l’Aveyron. Rodez: Imprimerie de Broca, 1875.
Gineste, Thierry. Victor de l’Aveyron: Dernier enfant sauvage, premier enfant fou. Paris: Hachette/Pluriel, 1993.
Herriot, Édouard. Madame Récamier. Translated by Alys Hallard. New York: Boni and Liveright/London: Heinmann, 1926.
Itard, Jean-Marc-Gaspard. The Wild Boy of Aveyron. Translated by George and Muriel Humphrey. New York: Meredith, 1962.
———. When the Mind Hears: A History of the Deaf. New York: Random House, 1984.
Lane, Harlan. The Wild Boy of Aveyron. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1976.
Maurois, André. Olympio: The Life of Victor Hugo. Translated by Gerard Hopkins. New York: Harper, 1956.
Mercier, Louis-Sébastien. Panorama of Paris: Selections from Le Tableau de Paris. Based on the translation by Helen Simpson. Jeremy D. Popkin, ed. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1999.
Shattuck, Roger. The Forbidden Experiment: The Story of the Wild Boy of Aveyron. London: Quartet Books, 1980.
I would like to thank the many, many people who read (or listened to) drafts and offered advice and encouragement, with special thanks to Dan Bachhuber’s fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade classes at the J. J. Hill Montessori School in St. Paul, Minnesota; the Jerome Foundation, whose Travel and Study Grant Program enabled me to retrace the wild boy’s footsteps in France; Charles Eisendrath of the Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellowship at the University of Michigan, who helped me find a new writing path; Monsieur Jean Delmas, longtime director of the Rodez archives, who told me so much about the wild boy; Harlan Lane, whose book The Wild Boy of Aveyron was invaluable to me in writing this one; my agent, George Nicholson, who believed in this book; and most of all my wonderful husband, Don, who liked the wild boy as much as I did.
Also by Mary Losure
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