European University Institute Library

The world of the salons, sociability and worldliness in eighteenth-century Paris, Antoine Lilti ; translated by Lydia G. Cochrane

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 301-315) and index

index present

non fiction

The world of the salons

bibliography

878301163

Antoine Lilti ; translated by Lydia G. Cochrane

sociability and worldliness in eighteenth-century Paris

"The world of the 18th century salon has long been lauded as a meritocratic setting where writers, philosophers, and women created the Enlightenment. Based on a thorough study of archival sources and using methodology derived from cultural history, social history, and the history of literature, The World of Salons proposes a completely new reading of salons' sociability in eighteenth-century Paris. It challenges the commonly accepted vision of salons as literary circles that were part of the Republic of Letters. It argues, instead, that salons were institutions of worldly sociability, had helped shape 'the world' (le monde) and high society. They have been essential places where the aristocratic elites of the capital met and interacted with literary figures. These interactions based on the mastery of the codes of polite conversation but also on the circulation of news and of personal reputations are the subject of this book. The World of the Salon looks at the way in which eighteenth-century social elites redefined themselves through their practices of worldly sociability. It highlights why some men of letters of the Enlightenment attended the salons. Moving from the salons to worldliness permits taking on some broader debates as well. What relations did worldly sociability maintain with the public sphere? How did the Parisian nobility use the idea of worldly merit and the figure of the man of the world (homme du monde) to preserve its social preeminence? Was the new political culture characterized by an appeal to the public compatible with the monarchical apparatus and with court intrigues? The World of the Salons is suitable for an Anglophone audience of early modern European cultural, political, and intellectual historians"--, Provided by publisher

Part I. From the salon to the world : sociability and distinction -- Sociability and hospitality -- The worldly sphere -- Men of letters and worldly sociability -- Part II. News and opinion : the politics of high society -- Word games : literature and sociability -- Society's judgment and worldly opinion -- Politics in the salon -- Appendix