Balzac
I'm currently reading the novel Lost Illusions by Balzac, who is one of my favorite writers. He is funny, brilliant, and one of the great pessimists. It doesn't matter that he's writing about French society of the mid-1800's, each book mirrors, perfectly, every aspect of the modern world. Any University could easily shut down their sociology department and have the students read Balzac, it would be more educational. Anyway, I had to quote this one passage from the book. It's a discussion at a party between a group of drunken journalists:
At this point everyone began to explain their character for the benefit of the person who was sitting next to him. When intelligent men reach the stage of feeling that it is necessary to explain themselves, and give away the key to their hearts, it is a sure sign that the wine has gone to their heads. An hour later all the guests, who by that time had become best friends in the world, were all telling one another what great men they were, first-rate men, men who held the future in their hands.
"My children," said Finot, "the Liberal party is compelled to start up a controversy, because at the present moment there is nothing to be said against the Government, and that puts the Opposition in a very awkward situation, as you will understand. Which of you would like to write a pamphlet to raise an outcry against the secret designs of the Court? It will be well paid."
"I will," said Hector Merlin [Merlin is not a member of the Liberal party]
"Your party will complain that you are compromising them," Finot retorted. "Felicien, you must write the pamphlet, Dauriat will publish it, and we will all keep the secret."
"So you are bringing the canard into politics?" said Lousteau.
"It is simply the Chabot case transposed into the realm of ideas," said Finot. "You attribute intentions to the Government in order to arouse public opinion against them."
"It always seems to me a most astonishing thing," said Vignon, "that the Government leaves the dissemination of ideas in the hands of such a pack of scoundrels as ourselves."
"If the Ministry commits the blunder of coming down into the arena," said Finot, "we can beat them hands down; if they persist, we can poison the issue and turn the public against them. The press risks nothing, and the authorities have always everything to lose."
"France will be paralysed," said Vignon, "until the day that the newspapers are made illegal."
At this point everyone began to explain their character for the benefit of the person who was sitting next to him. When intelligent men reach the stage of feeling that it is necessary to explain themselves, and give away the key to their hearts, it is a sure sign that the wine has gone to their heads. An hour later all the guests, who by that time had become best friends in the world, were all telling one another what great men they were, first-rate men, men who held the future in their hands.
"My children," said Finot, "the Liberal party is compelled to start up a controversy, because at the present moment there is nothing to be said against the Government, and that puts the Opposition in a very awkward situation, as you will understand. Which of you would like to write a pamphlet to raise an outcry against the secret designs of the Court? It will be well paid."
"I will," said Hector Merlin [Merlin is not a member of the Liberal party]
"Your party will complain that you are compromising them," Finot retorted. "Felicien, you must write the pamphlet, Dauriat will publish it, and we will all keep the secret."
"So you are bringing the canard into politics?" said Lousteau.
"It is simply the Chabot case transposed into the realm of ideas," said Finot. "You attribute intentions to the Government in order to arouse public opinion against them."
"It always seems to me a most astonishing thing," said Vignon, "that the Government leaves the dissemination of ideas in the hands of such a pack of scoundrels as ourselves."
"If the Ministry commits the blunder of coming down into the arena," said Finot, "we can beat them hands down; if they persist, we can poison the issue and turn the public against them. The press risks nothing, and the authorities have always everything to lose."
"France will be paralysed," said Vignon, "until the day that the newspapers are made illegal."
posted by Samwick @ 1:43 AM
2 Comments:
At 4:24 PM,
Christopher said…
You spoke volumes when you said of Balzac: ”It doesn't matter that he's writing about French society of the mid-1800's, each book mirrors, perfectly, every aspect of the modern world. Any University could easily shut down their sociology department and have the students read Balzac, it would be more educational”.
It has been said of George W Bush that no other president has benefited so much from people’s inattention to what he says.
I think this is because most people, in the words of the famous song of the early ‘sixties “What a Wonderful World”, don’t know much about history, because they don’t read.
If people did read history, and also literature by the likes of Balzac or Tolstoy among so many others, they would - as you indicated - so much more quickly see the past to be reflected in what is going on now, and so see what the likes of George W Bush are up to, and what will happen if he gets away with what he is doing.
You will surely have seen the results of those periodic studies which show students - not only American by the way (Canadians are just as bad) – to be shockingly ignorant of history and all-round general knowledge.
For instance a recent study showed that more than fifty percent of American students (and it may even have been of the general public, but I don’t remember) thought that the US and Nazi Germany fought together as allies in World War Two against the Soviet Union.
It has occurred to me that the teaching of history in schools may been marginalized on purpose by the powers-that-be, so that when students become adults of voting age, they will, in their ignorance, be so much more manipulable by their rulers, and so will vote functional illiterates like George W Bush - arguably the most intellectually-challenged US president ever - into power.
There is the adage that people get the leaders they deserve.
In the matter of the American people and George W Bush, need I say more?
At 3:09 AM,
Samwick said…
Hi Christopher, sorry for the late response. Very good points.
"It has occurred to me that the teaching of history in schools may been marginalized on purpose...so that when students become adults of voting age, they will...be so much more manipulable by their rulers"
There is no doubt in my mind that this is the case. Kids are taught to view history, not as a vital part of their past, present and future, but as a boring accumulation of dates and names. This ends up depriving kids of the sort of critical thinking skills that historical understanding brings. The worst part is that Civics classes have been slowly phased out from the educational process...kids, as a result, know nothing about their own rights and responsibilities as citizens. You hit the nail on the head, governments love a dumbed down citizenry.
Normally I don't agree with republicans, but I heard a conservative commmentator, this weekend, say that schools should toss out Political Science and just teach Shakespeare...it all gets down to endless repetitions of power and corruption.
You also mentioned, "There is the adage that people get the leaders they deserve", and this is completely right. A lot of people focus on how terrible Bush is, but, with his simplistic world view and lack of attention span, I think he very accurately the average American. It's the public we should be blaming, not just the leader they've chosen.
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