The Only Use
Marie Antoinette
in
The Great Gatsby
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- And inside, as we wandered through Marie Antoinette music-rooms and Restoration salons, I felt that there were guests concealed behind every couch and table, under orders to be breathlessly silent until we had passed through.†
p. 91.1Marie Antoinette = Queen of France whose luxury and execution made her a symbol of the French Revolution
Definitions:
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(1)
(Marie Antoinette) Queen of France whose luxury and execution made her a symbol of the French Revolution (1755-1793)Marie Antoinette was born an Austrian princess and married King Louis XVI, becoming queen of France as a teenager. She lived at the palace of Versailles, where the royal court was known for its fashion, ceremonies, and expensive parties.
As France ran into debt and ordinary people struggled to afford food, many blamed her for selfish spending and not caring about the poor.
A later story claimed that, when told poor people had no bread, she answered, "Let them eat cake," as if she didn't understand how serious their hunger was. Historians now believe this quote was invented and that she almost certainly never said it, but the story stuck and added to her bad reputation.
During the French Revolution, she became a symbol of an out-of-touch monarchy. She was imprisoned, put on trial, and executed by guillotine in 1793. - (2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)