| On April 29, 1999, Bradley W. Bishop wrote: I like Scott Jamieson's interpretation, but I'd like to clarify it first, and then add a few facts that may confuse the issue a bit more. Clarification: 1) Louis XVI was considered weak, ignorant, and distracted in comparison to his predecessors in the French Royalty. In 1770 he married Marie Antoinette who heavily influenced his decisions thereafter. JACK AND JILL 2) Louis XVI's and Marie Antoinette became the King and Queen of France in 1774. WENT UP THE HILL 3) In the Mid 1770's, France was amidst a financial crisis, and heavy taxation caused a nationwide withdrawal from royal patriotism. In order to quell the flames of rebellion arising amongst the people, Louis XVI remitted some of the most oppressive taxes and began financial and judicial reforms (like water from a pail). TO FETCH A PAIL OF WATER; 4) The French Bourgeoisie would not allow for large enough reforms to be implemented. In July of 1789, the Parisian populace razed the Bastille, and imprisoned the king and royal family in the palace of the Tuileries. JACK FELL DOWN 5) In 1792, when the National Convention declared France a republic, the king was tried for treason, convicted, and sentenced to death. Louis XVI was guillotined in Paris on January 21, 1793. AND BROKE HIS CROWN, 6) After being separated from her son, Marie Antoinette was sent before the revolutionary tribunal, and sentenced to death for treason. She was guillotined in Paris on October 16, 1793. (a tumbling head) AND JILL CAME TUMBLING AFTER. Other Facts: 1) It is highly likely that the �Jack and Jill� story, as is clear with Mother Goose, has a French origin. In 1697 a French writer named Charles Perrault released a collection of eight famous folk tales called �Contes de ma m�re l'Oye� or �Tales of Mother Goose�. These tales, such as �Sleeping Beauty,� �Cinderella,� and �Red Riding Hood,� were translated into English in 1729. 2) With the invention of the press in the 15th Century, rhymes such as this moved away from religious origins and towards political and historical references. However "Jack and Jill" was originally published amongst a collection of traditional verses and jingles titled Mother Goose's Melody, by John Newbery in the Mid 1760's, which would precede the history of King Louis XVI. It is interesting how this small tale foretold such a revolution under this interpretation. To read other interpretations of the nursery rhyme, click here. |