On display in
Paris before shipment to New York harbor: Despite the
transatlantic
grousing at one another, the things that unite Americans
and French are
deep and enduring, writes columnist Helio Gurovitz.
French and Americans: Freedom 'Brothers at Odds' (O Globo, Brazil)
"Ask an
American what he or she thinks of the French: They are arrogant they'll say,
stuck in the past, a culture that thinks it's superior, lazy, defenders of
privilege, a set-in-their-ways society, hostages of an economic model whose
wreck is evident - and a curse in the United States: 'socialists.' Now, ask any
Frenchman what he or she thinks of Americans: A smug, unrefined people who don't
understand life's pleasures, don't know how to eat or drink, only think about
money, weapons and power, have delusions of grandeur and disrespect the privacy
of others – a futile people, superficial and in France an expletive: 'uncouth.' …
Yet the gigantic monument that impresses everyone upon arrival at the port of
New York was a French gift. The original statue, smaller it is true, is in
Paris, not far from the Eiffel Tower. Both recall the old Enlightenment ideal
that unites the two peoples even today: liberty.
Ask an American what he or she thinks of the French: They
are arrogant they'll say, stuck in the past, a culture that thinks it's
superior, lazy, defenders of privilege, a set-in-their-ways society, hostages
of an economic model whose wreck is evident - and a curse in the United States:
"socialists." Now, ask any Frenchman what he or she thinks of
Americans: A smug, unrefined people who don't understand life's pleasures,
don't know how to eat or drink, only think about money, weapons and power, have
delusions of grandeur and disrespect the privacy of others – a futile people,
superficial and in France an expletive: "uncouth."
These are prejudices, of course. It's worth remembering that
a short time ago, the Americans turned a book about inequality by French
"neo-socialist" Thomas
Piketty into a best seller. And in Provence, one of the France's most refined
regions, the local population throngs McDonald's to eat burgers and fries on
Saturday nights. The Americans call them "French fries" whereas
Provence dwellers adopted the Anglo term "potatoes." French and
Americans are like brothers living at odds, more similar than different. The
root of this is in history. American Independence and the French Revolution
have the same DNA, the result of an innovation in the world of ideas known as
The Enlightenment.
France was the distribution center for Enlightenment ideas
by way of a type of Internet of its time: the Encyclopedia. This story of this
18th century "super-information highway" is the theme of The
Business of Enlightenment by historian Robert Darnton, an American
impassioned with France and head of the Harvard University Library. Conceived
of by philosophers, the Encyclopedia had, according to Darnton, a duel mission.
First, it was a manifesto of the Enlightenment. It made reason - no longer
divine inspiration or royal objectives - the center of ideas. Second, in
entries written by specialists, encyclopedists undertook a methodical account
on all accumulated knowledge. Professionalism should impose itself over
nobility, royal privilege or divine right.
In its day, the Encyclopedia was the greatest editorial
undertaking of all time. Its impact extended over more than fifty years. In the
beginning it was banned, then released thanks to a brilliant editor that turned
it into a best seller: Charles Joseph
Panckoucke, a businessman from Lille and a kind of Rupert Murdoch of his
time. It underwent multiple reissues, patches, corrections and supplements
according to political and commercial demands. It was sold through a
sophisticated system of subscriptions wherein portions were delivered as they
were produced. The French editors used false advertising to sell subscriptions,
became embroiled in hard-fought business disputes, Panckoucke was victimized by
a disloyal partner, and authorities confiscated books and pirated copies
throughout Europe. At the end of the century and all of this adventure, their
editions even disseminated knowledge of the encyclopedias to the United States
where Thomas Jefferson, former ambassador to France, convinced compatriots like
Benjamin Franklin or James Madison to subscribe.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
The success of the Encyclopedia was not only due to the
encyclopedists, but above all to entrepreneurs. Panckoucke knew how to detect
public demand for enlightened ideas and knowledge, masterfully navigated the
torturous political and legal environment of pre- and post-revolutionary
France, invested in modern graphics, print equipment and gigantic shipments of
paper, signed deals with distributors, was victorious in his dispute with his
ex-partner and faced the harsh demands of printers - all to supply the market
with a new edition which was better and cheaper. More than a philosophical
innovation, the Encyclopedia was, Darnton says, a magnificent commercial
venture. Like "baker" Adam Smith (who didn't feed us out of
benevolence but for money), Panckoucke's editors weren't interested in
enlightening the world with ideas - or not just that. They were greedy
capitalists, and often deceptive.
"The most eminent editors of the Enlightenment operated
based on bribery and extortion, false accounting and the theft of subscriber lists,
mutual espionage and the manipulation of Machiavellian alliances that gave
ample scope for betrayal and intrigue," writes Darnton [translated quote].
This story belies those who believe in simplification. It's
true that the Americans led capitalism to its most advanced stage. It's also
true that the French were left behind. But Piketty isn’t the only thing that
represents France. There are many Panckouckes as well. The gigantic monument
that impresses everyone upon arrival at the port of New York was a French gift.
The original statue, smaller it is true, is in Paris, not far from the Eiffel
Tower. Both recall the old Enlightenment ideal that unites the two peoples even
today: liberty.
