Cat Massacre

The Great Cat Massacre of the Rue Saint-Séverin

Introduction

  • The Great Cat Massacre represents a humorous yet ironic episode from the late 1730s at the printing shop of Jacques Vincent in Paris.

  • Narration by Nicolas Contat, a worker who describes the harsh life of apprentices.

Life as an Apprentice

  • Apprentices, Jerome (fictionalized) and Léveillé, faced significant hardships:

    • Lived in a filthy, freezing room.

    • Had to wake before dawn and run errands, often facing insults and abuse.

    • Received subpar food, often eating scraps from their master's plate.

  • This mistreatment fueled resentment towards their bourgeois masters.

The Cat Massacre Event

  • The turning point was the cook's decision to serve cat food instead of proper meals, causing further discontent among the apprentices.

  • The workers' disdain for the bourgeois' love of cats was evident:

    • The master's wife adored her cats, particularly la grise (the gray).

    • Many bourgeois kept multiple cats, lavishly caring for them.

Staging a Mock Trial

  • In response to their mistreatment and gathering frustrations, the apprentices staged a mock trial for the cats:

    • Included guards, a confessor, and an executioner.

    • The animals were pronounced guilty and executed in a grotesque display.

    • Laughter erupted among the workers, reinforcing the mockery of their masters.

Reactions from the Bourgeois

  • The mistresses' arrival upon witnessing the scene ignited her horror as she believed la grise was among the casualties.

  • The master's disproportionate rage only highlighted the tension between workers and their bourgeois masters.

Humor and Cultural Context

  • The humor derived from the event stems from various cultural examinations:

    • Cohesion vs. Insult: The laughter manifested from satirizing social norms, specifically targeting the bourgeois who were seen as neglectful.

    • Charivari Traditions: Demonstrates an inversion of the social hierarchy, common during carnival times where normal rules were suspended.

    • Role of Cats: Cats were seen as creatures linked with witchcraft and the idiosyncrasies of domestic life, serving as suitable symbols for this culture of mockery.

Symbolism of Cats

  • Perceptions of cats in preindustrial France included links to witchcraft and sexuality:

    • Superstitions often made witches associate with cats, specifically during rituals or sadistic cultural humor.

    • The oppressive labor conditions for apprentices reflected in their jest as they harnessed cultural symbols in their revenge against the masters.

Contat's Narrative as Memory

  • Contat’s account, while fictionalized, serves as a critical reflection of the workers' perspective on their class struggles and treatment:

  • Captures a moment of camaraderie found in their shared experiences, accentuated by the audacity of their humor.

  • Highlights the gap between cultural practices of that time and modern sensibilities, often interpreted as horrific rather than funny today.

Conclusion

  • The Great Cat Massacre stands out as a significant reflection on class dynamics, cultural practices, and the visible anger of workers in preindustrial Europe.

  • Through humor, the apprentices expressed their frustrations against their social conditions and the absurdities confronting them.