The Invention of Europe in French Literature and Film (review)

Edward Ousselin has written a smallish book on a large subject. Restricting himself to a by no means self-evident selection of figures, comprising Voltaire, Mme de Staël, Victor Hugo, Barrès, Jean Renoir and Denis de Rougemont, each of whom forms the subject of a separate chapter, he nonetheless demonstrates, lucidly and succinctly, that 'the on-going movement toward European unity […] cannot be understood without reference to the literary works that helped bring it about' (p. 151). Single-author specialists will find much that is familiar, but the material is invariably afforded a new resonance by Ousselin's overall theme. (Arguably, it is Renoir's films that gain the most.) The author has read widely within the secondary literature, but prudently eschews engagement with previous scholars at the level of detailed argument. While avoiding undue simplification, he has thus written a book that is admirably accessible to the general reader. All categories of thoughtful reader, however, will value his discriminating analysis of the diversity present in the various 'definitions' of European identity advanced. A feature of the volume, which is marred only by the selectiveness of the index, is Ousselin's focus on the shifts and contradictions discernible within the positions adopted by his different authors, all of whom were challenged either by historical events in Europe of unprecedented magnitude or by the hostility of those in power in France, if not both. Not even Voltaire was able to shed a belief in the superior status of the French language, though, as Ousselin observes, he deftly attributed this to the expulsion of the Huguenots. Hugo was compelled to acknowledge the devastating implications of Prussian aggression for his seemingly unshakable European mission. Implicit throughout is the recognition that the majority of the authors expressed their views in piecemeal fashion over a period of time. Particularly valuable, nonetheless, is Ousselin's identification of the ways in which certain writers in his corpus explicitly situated themselves in relation to their predecessors. The separate case-studies are further interwoven by his own provision of points of similarity and contrast, the most notable perhaps being Barrès's reversal of the French and German cultural stereotypes invented by Staël. The discussion inevitably seems a little undernourished at times, for example the overly brief treatment of Voltaire's attitude towards Islam. One might have expected Tocqueville to feature alongside Renan, and for there to have been at least passing reference to Heine and Nerval. There is no mention of the way perceptions of 'Europe' were affected by the controversial 'East versus West' debates of the 1920s. Yet to have included all the relevant strands would undoubtedly have diminished the effectiveness of the demonstration. No faint praise is intended in saying that Ousselin's study is essentially an (intelligent and incisive) introduction to the subject. It is one of the merits of his project, originally an Ohio State thesis, to have shown, in effect, that it warrants comprehensive expansion of its scope by a team of scholars. A more appropriate initiative for EC funding is difficult to imagine.