PARIS AND THE INTELLECTUAL REVOLUTION

The epitome of love, the voice of the voiceless as they call it – Paris has come a long way post world wars. A bunch of independent thinkers turned the game around in a catastrophic time and gifted an asset to the modern world.

March of Liberation in Paris, 1944

The horrors of the war that the West had survived, left nothing but an everlasting agony and hatred towards the existing social and political systems. The perfect stage for an intellectual outbreak was thus set. The city that had lost its morale during the German occupation (1940-1944) was all the more responsive to this gale of change. Minds started deviating from the two extreme thoughts of capitalism and communism, in search of a third way of life.

Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone De Beauvoir

The Left Bank (Southern Bank of River Seine) became the nerve centre of this rebel. Artists, novelists, social critics and thinkers directed their works in the direction of new days, the cries of the unheard started reaching ears. Ellsworth Kelly, Janet Flanner, James Baldwin (coincidentally all of American origin) spent their active years in Paris, hailing the transition. Jean-Paul Sartre in his trilogy ‘The Road to Freedom’ (originally written in French), upheld the fierce spirit of liberation that engulfed the soul of France. ‘Age of Reason’, ‘The Reprieve’ and ‘Troubled Sleep’, three volumes contributing to the series, spoke of independence and individuality as the sole motto of human life. The work of his contemporaries reflected the same idea from different perspectives.

French cover of ‘The Second Sex’

Social equality became a prime concern. The first seeds of Feminism were sown in this age – Feminism, not only of equal rights but also to prove equal worth. An era where being the consort to a successful man was considered to be the pinnacle of womanhood, great souls diverged from the notion to mark their independent existence.

“One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman” The famous words of Simone De Beauvoir clearly depict that sex was not merely a biological orientation, but rather a social class. Her word and works were ideated around freedom of choice – both individual and social. ‘The Second Sex’ is an immortal work of hers that provide the much-needed insight into the status of women.

Janet Flanner

Sexual exploitation, not only of women but also of bisexual and homosexual individuals, started emerging on debating platforms. Sexuality as a choice invaded the consciousness of people. The social taboo started fading away making way for new horizons. Janet Flanner even went to the extent of asking for a third sex where the biological needs of the first and the second would be irrelevant in the face of individuality.

In an attempt to break all that was custom, people started staying away from the constitution of marriage. The notion that commitment should be philosophical and emotional, rather than legal, led to what we call today as 'live-in relationships'. Being bisexual was no longer a social taboo; having multiple partners became an open affair. Redefining modernism came with the likes of alcohol and cigarettes, an unhealthy but outlawing habit nonetheless.

James Baldwin

Racism was another issue that created a whirlwind of controversies. Though slavery was long gone and the likes of Nelson Mandela had arrived in world politics, yet the affinity towards white skin was no less emphasised. Richard Wright in ‘Native Son’, James Baldwin in ‘Notes of a Native Son’ , demanded not sympathy, but respect from the other world; being black was no ‘fault’ but simply a diversity of theirs. This attitude was unknown till date.

Not only France, but the world itself was virtually centered on and around a few miles in Paris. Student gatherings, debates, write-ups originating in Paris reached every nook and corner of the first world. Magazines like 'Elle' took the center stage. Not only France, but the world itself was virtually centred entered on and around a few miles in Paris. Student gatherings, debates, write-ups originating in Paris reached every nook and corner of the first world. Magazins like 'Elle' took the center stage.

Richard Wright

However, the rush in the wild that the movement attained, died down the river of time. The unnatural pace and huge upheaval could not achieve most of what it aspired for. Tony Judt in his controversial work ‘Past Imperfect: French intellectuals, 1944-1956’ has described the time as an era of intellectual irresponsibility. The congestion of thoughts and the unidirectional approach created another set of stereotypes, instead of doing away with the entire idea. Modernism and freedom were caged again, this time, under a different and clearer light. Criticisms may come up, failures may be cited; but there is no denying the fact that wherever the present day socialist movements are headed, they have their roots in a different era, in a certain country, whose contributions linger on even today.