Lessons from America: Liberal French Nobles in Exile, 1793–1798 by Doina Pasca Harsanyi (review)

HARSANYI, DOINA PASCA. Lessons from America: Liberal French Nobles in Exile, 1793– 1798. University Park: Pennsylvania State UP, 2010. ISBN 978-0-271-03637-3. Pp. xi + 204. $80. Meticulously documented and persuasively argued, this book tells the story of a group of French liberal aristocrats (Talleyrand, Liancourt, Noailles, and six less familiar figures) who, during the Reign of Terror, chose emigration to America over almost certain execution for alleged antirevolutionary activities. The first three chapters are devoted to setting the stage for the émigrés’ exile, describing in detail the situation in France on the eve and in the aftermath of the Revolution. The period between 1789 and 1792 saw their identity regress “from liberal nobles to just ‘aristocrats,’ and from enlightened leaders [...] to enemies of the people and agents of despotism” (20). These ex-members of the National Constituent Assembly, all firm believers in Enlightenment values, congregated in Philadelphia at the bookshop of one of their own, Moreau de Saint-Méry. Harsanyi discusses depictions of America already in circulation, such as that of Cornelius de Pauw, who considered living in the state of nature “the result of innate stupidity mistakenly interpreted as simplicity by European observers” (41) and that of Démeunier, an émigré himself, who believed that America represented France’s future. The heart of the study is the chapter on the émigrés’ American experience as recorded in memoirs, diaries, travel notes, and letters. The mix of “begrudging respect” for American institutions of government and “a sort of Schadenfreude” regarding sociocultural standards resulted in new stereotypes that replaced “the lofty prerevolutionary image of America” (57). Among the grievances: America’s lack of enlightened leadership (“the rich had no manners, no taste, and no class” [67]) and its obsession with making money (Liancourt claimed that “getting rich quickly was the only true ideal of all Americans” [61]). Not surprisingly, these “accidental tourists” (115) had no interest in assimilating into American culture (Liancourt, for one, proclaimed “I would perish if I had to stay here” [118]); rather, they wished to preserve the integrity of the values and principles under siege at home in the hope of restoring them once the political climate changed. In the penultimate chapter Harsanyi discusses the émigrés’ reactions to politics in America and their forays into business (particularly land development), destined to fail because of their aversion to money-making and their reluctance— as short-timers—to make long-term investments. By 1798 all but two of the members of Moreau’s coterie were back in France, some blessed with bright futures (Talleyrand embarked upon an impressive diplomatic career, for example), others not (the marquis de Blacons gambled away the money he had made in America and killed himself). The final chapter proper looks at how the lessons learned in America, where stability and social peace reigned (“uncouth and ignorant American elites” [77] notwithstanding), might be applied to the France to which the émigrés would return. Harsanyi’s talents for synthesis and interpretation truly shine in her conclusion, where she analyzes the extent to which the émigrés’ observations anticipated those of Tocqueville: she states unequivocally, for instance, that the émigrés were wrong about so many things American “because they so intensely needed to be right about France” (140), and that although Talleyrand and Liancourt did not have a direct influence on Tocqueville’s thinking , they and their cohorts “helped create the paradigm of intense scrutiny of America qua analytical tool, a precedent that Tocqueville was able to build on” (142). Though aimed primarily at historians, Lessons from America will appeal to Reviews 773 anyone keen on discovering the roots of the cultural misunderstandings that continue to influence Franco-American relations today. It is sobering indeed to learn that over two hundred years ago, Americans were already being taken to task for not devoting enough time to leisure... University of Arkansas Hope Christiansen READER, KEITH. The Place de la Bastille: The Story of a Quartier. Liverpool: Liverpool UP, 2011. ISBN 978-1-84631-665-4. Pp. viii + 184. £25. Even though the Bastille prison was demolished shortly after 14 July 1789, countless visitors seek out its location for its role...