A Strange Familiarity: Monkeys and Chinamen in Enlightenment France

This article explores cultural meanings within the convergence of chinoiserie and singerie aesthetics of the eighteenth century and how the pairing of the Chinese human and simian figures reflects the growing sociopolitical malaise expressed in scientific and critical discourses of the period. A study of decorative renderings of these figures, alongside that of works of various Enlightenment thinkers, traces the evolution of French attitudes toward the Chinese and simian form, from pleasure to trivialization to uncanny disruption. The primary artists and authors consulted are: Athanasius Kircher, Christophe Huet, Jean-Baptiste Pillement, Cornelius De Pauw, Buffon, and Restif de la Bretonne.