Le Cahier bleu
Encyclopedia
Le Cahier bleu is a bande dessinée album created by André Juillard
in 1994. It is divided into three chapters. A sequel, Après la pluie, was published in 1998.
Métro
has broken down just outside. They immediately fall in love her. However whilst Armand meets her soon after seeing her, Victor does not meet her until later in the chapter. Having met her later on, he then gets acquainted with her. Chapter 1 ends by Louise discovering a diary, Le Cahier bleu, in her post box.
Chapter 2 is a re-run of events from chapter 1, except there is one major difference - the reader discovers that Victor has been cataloguing all the events of chapter 1 in his diary (which is the one that Louise finds at the end of chapter 1 - her discovering the diary was not Victor's intention - he did not put it in her postbox). It transpires that Victor has followed her during chapter 1 - Juilliard has used a paralipsis, in that Victor was there all along during chapter 1, but was just outside of the diegesis
. Chapter 2 ends with Louise having finished reading the diary.
Chapter 3, opens with Pauline, Louise's older sister, and Victor in the Juge d'Instructions. It has turned out that Armand has died and that Victor is a possible suspect for his death. Louise's reaction to the diary is one of anger - she cannot believe that Victor would do such a thing as create a diary of all he did with her. Victor thinks all is well between Louise and him, however her reaction is a negative one. Victor asks Louise's older sister, Pauline, why Louise reacted in that way. Pauline, having read the diary, does not think it is as bad as Louise thinks, nevertheless, Pauline advises Victor to forget about Louise.
There is then a flashback to the time when Victor works out that Armand was the one responsible for Louise discovering the diary - at the end of meeting up with Victor at Victor's flat, Victor put a bag of rubbish out which contained the diary. It is clear from here that Armand took it and planted the diary, so that Louise would take it. The question of why Armand would betray his friend is raised - it is because Armand discovers that his love rival for Louise is Victor.
Victor then storms to Armand's flat and confronts him about planting the diary in Louise's post box. They break out into a fight. After this, Victor then goes. Elena, a friend of Armand who was in Armand's flat at the time of the fight, runs after Victor, talking about the diary.
Back to the present day, it turns out that Victor has in jail
, under suspicion of killing Armand, however Elena acts as Victor's alibi
, thus clearing him of Armand's death - it transpires that Armand died accidentally. Through this evidence, Victor is released without charge.
At the same time as being released, Louise is rushing to meet him, thus she could have had second thoughts about him. However, when she gets to the prison
, it turns out that she is too late - Victor is walking off with Elena when she gets there.
André Juillard
André Juillard is a French comic book creator.-Biography:Born in Paris, Juillard is one of the most prolific artists of historical comics in France. His career began in 1974...
in 1994. It is divided into three chapters. A sequel, Après la pluie, was published in 1998.
Story
Chapter 1 tells the story of two friends, Victor and Armand, who see a young lady, Louise, in her flat whilst the ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
Métro
Paris Métro
The Paris Métro or Métropolitain is the rapid transit metro system in Paris, France. It has become a symbol of the city, noted for its density within the city limits and its uniform architecture influenced by Art Nouveau. The network's sixteen lines are mostly underground and run to 214 km ...
has broken down just outside. They immediately fall in love her. However whilst Armand meets her soon after seeing her, Victor does not meet her until later in the chapter. Having met her later on, he then gets acquainted with her. Chapter 1 ends by Louise discovering a diary, Le Cahier bleu, in her post box.
Chapter 2 is a re-run of events from chapter 1, except there is one major difference - the reader discovers that Victor has been cataloguing all the events of chapter 1 in his diary (which is the one that Louise finds at the end of chapter 1 - her discovering the diary was not Victor's intention - he did not put it in her postbox). It transpires that Victor has followed her during chapter 1 - Juilliard has used a paralipsis, in that Victor was there all along during chapter 1, but was just outside of the diegesis
Diegesis
Diegesis is a style of representation in fiction and is:# the world in which the situations and events narrated occur; and# telling, recounting, as opposed to showing, enacting.In diegesis the narrator tells the story...
. Chapter 2 ends with Louise having finished reading the diary.
Chapter 3, opens with Pauline, Louise's older sister, and Victor in the Juge d'Instructions. It has turned out that Armand has died and that Victor is a possible suspect for his death. Louise's reaction to the diary is one of anger - she cannot believe that Victor would do such a thing as create a diary of all he did with her. Victor thinks all is well between Louise and him, however her reaction is a negative one. Victor asks Louise's older sister, Pauline, why Louise reacted in that way. Pauline, having read the diary, does not think it is as bad as Louise thinks, nevertheless, Pauline advises Victor to forget about Louise.
There is then a flashback to the time when Victor works out that Armand was the one responsible for Louise discovering the diary - at the end of meeting up with Victor at Victor's flat, Victor put a bag of rubbish out which contained the diary. It is clear from here that Armand took it and planted the diary, so that Louise would take it. The question of why Armand would betray his friend is raised - it is because Armand discovers that his love rival for Louise is Victor.
Victor then storms to Armand's flat and confronts him about planting the diary in Louise's post box. They break out into a fight. After this, Victor then goes. Elena, a friend of Armand who was in Armand's flat at the time of the fight, runs after Victor, talking about the diary.
Back to the present day, it turns out that Victor has in jail
Jail
A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...
, under suspicion of killing Armand, however Elena acts as Victor's alibi
Alibi
Alibi is a 1929 American crime film directed by Roland West. The screenplay was written by West and C. Gardner Sullivan, who adapted the 1927 Broadway stage play, Nightstick, written by Elaine Sterne Carrington, J.C...
, thus clearing him of Armand's death - it transpires that Armand died accidentally. Through this evidence, Victor is released without charge.
At the same time as being released, Louise is rushing to meet him, thus she could have had second thoughts about him. However, when she gets to the prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, it turns out that she is too late - Victor is walking off with Elena when she gets there.
Awards
- 1995: Angoulême International Comics FestivalAngoulême International Comics FestivalThe Angoulême International Comics Festival is the largest comics festival in Europe. It has occurred every year since 1974 in Angoulême, France, in the month of January.The four-day festival is notable for awarding several prestigious prizes in cartooning...
Award for the best French comic of the yearAngoulême International Comics Festival Prize for Best Comic BookThe Prize for Best Album , also known as the Golden Wildcat , is awarded to comics authors at the Angoulême International Comics Festival....
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
-
- - Special prize of the jury in SierreSierreSierre is the capital of the district of Sierre in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a population of 14,355.It is situated on the French–German language border of the canton of Wallis...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... - - Prize of the Festival of CharleroiCharleroiCharleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
, BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
- 2000: After the rain, the English translation of the sequel Après la pluie, is nominated for a Harvey AwardHarvey AwardThe Harvey Awards, named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman and founded by Gary Groth, President of the publisher Fantagraphics, are given for achievement in comic books. The Harveys were created as part of a successor to the Kirby Awards which were discontinued after 1987.The Harvey Awards are...
for best foreign material
- 2000: After the rain, the English translation of the sequel Après la pluie, is nominated for a Harvey Award
- - Special prize of the jury in Sierre
Further reading
- LAVANCHY Éric, Étude du Cahier bleu d’André Juillard. Une approche narratologique de la bande dessinée, Louvain-la-Neuve, Academia-Bruylant, 2007, 162 p., coll. « Texte-Image ».