Manotte

Research Status: Basic Last Updated: 2025-07-05 Diary Coverage: Up to 1874-02-28

Identity

Marie's music teacher who hosts musical matinées. Later revealed to be ill-tempered and disrespectful.

Diary References

1874

• January 21: Marie taking a lesson with Manotte when Ermolaïeff visits.
• February 28: Major confrontation. Wants Marie to play six-hand piece at his matinée. When she says the partition isn't pretty, he shouts "Vous n'y comprenez rien" (You understand nothing). Screams at her so loudly and rudely that Marie compares it to how he might treat "une Tolstoï." Marie's aunt in next room doesn't intervene. Marie refuses future lessons with him.

Context

• Music teacher who holds matinées
• Organizes six-hand piano performances
• Marie calls him "paysan" (peasant) repeatedly
• Lost Dina as student (refused morning of incident)
• Marie sees his behavior as class-based disrespect
• Incident represents Marie's fury at family's failure to defend her honor
• Marie writes: "Un paysan comme ça a osé" (A peasant like that dared)