Paris and its Revolutionary Ideas: A Guide to French Culture and the Capital by Suzanne Lalonde

Abstract

Reviewed by: Paris and its Revolutionary Ideas: A Guide to French Culture and the Capital by Suzanne Lalonde Erika E. Hess LaLonde, Suzanne. Paris and its Revolutionary Ideas: A Guide to French Culture and the Capital. Cognella, 2021. ISBN 978-1-5165-3870-6. Pp. xxii + 213. "Can the past shed light on our future?" (xviii). That is the question that LaLonde asks as she searches for guidance––for herself and her students––in dealing with contemporary social, environmental, and medical crises. Turning to French revolutionary thinkers, she answers that through them "we may very well" find inspiration and guidance (xviii). LaLonde's original and ambitious work is designed as a textbook for students studying Parisian culture; it includes analyses of writers, artists, philosophers, scientists, and others who "confronted troubling times" in their own eras and "responded with revolutionary ideas" (xviii). She divides her study into ten chapters based on forms of revolution: educational, moral, ethical, political, emotional, artistic, psychological, metaphysical, psycho-philosophical, and global. Each chapter is clearly organized, beginning with a timeline of the key events, and including "Tool Boxes" with study tips, such as "History to Focus on While Reading" (3) or "Concepts from Literature to Focus On" (9), as well as questions to assist students, "Connect the Past with the Present" (9), and "Thinking Allowed: Topics to Ponder and Debate in Class" (xxii). Each chapter also has a "we may very well guide" (or guides), a key figure or writer in the revolutionary idea of that chapter. Throughout her study, LaLonde draws particular attention to paradigm shifts that "promoted a greater sense of dignity for humanity and the natural environment" (xviii), and she focuses primarily on literature and art because, she says, "Literature and art not only make us hear the voice of the voiceless, but they also prime our minds to feel empathy for others" (xx). LaLonde periodically relates a chapter's topic of study to contemporary issues to aid students in drawing connections between the past and present. For example, in her discussion of André Breton, LaLonde contrasts the revolutionary expansiveness of surrealism with the lack of innovation of realism, saying: "Images from realist literature mirror viral clichés on Facebook, kitschy objects for sale at a museum, or stock images on the Internet" (133). She incorporates a vast range of material, first providing necessary historical background for each chapter and then undertaking an analysis of some key works. For example, in chapter IX, "A Psycho-Philosophical Revolution: A Decolonization of the Mind," LaLonde begins with a summary of "colonial history in general" and then moves on to the history of the French colonial empire––together these comprise six pages (168-174); she then turns to Albert Camus and Frantz Fanon, providing a brief biography of each, followed by a short study of their key works. Finally, LaLonde discusses the Quai Branly Museum and its "contradictory goals" (182). Given the broad range of topics, LaLonde's treatment of each is necessarily introductory, however her original perspective and stimulating choice of topics create an [End Page 298] exciting and timely study. The textbook could be used in its entirety for a lower-division course of French culture focusing on Paris, or it could be supplemented for more advanced courses. The book is written entirely in English (all French words and phrases are translated). [End Page 299] Erika E. Hess Northern Arizona University Copyright © 2023 American Association of Teachers of French