Year: 2007
Type: article
Abstract: A prequel: A French gourmand, in flight from political turmoil at home, arrives in post-Revolutionary America with a taste for satire, a Rabelaisian eye for folly, and a gargantuan appetite for turkey. Journeying from the Francophone enclave of Philadelphia to the “backwoods” of Hartford, he enjoys the hospitality of a Mr. Bulow, “a worthy old American farmer,” and his “four buxom daughters, for whom our arrival was a great event” (Brillat-Savarin 77). Having charmed his hosts, he enjoys still more success as a member of their shooting party, bagging the prize turkey for “sport.” Afterwards, the gourmand makes sport of one of the most widely noted mannerisms of Americans, the childlike but grating chauvinism for their nation that stops every conversation in its tracks. True to form, his American host foregoes the customary bon voyage wishes in order to drill into his departing guest the national creation myth. His own well-tended estate, he reminds his French visitor, pays eloquent tribute to the providential system of mild laws and low taxes that has rewarded the labor of self-sufficient yeomen like him. He means to leave his listener with the thrilling prospect of continual, self-perpetuating prosperity, but all the gourmand has heard is a steady droning in his ear. “I was thinking,” he recalls as he rode away, “of how I would cook my turkey” (81). * * * In The Physiology of Taste (1825), an eccentric philosophical treatise on cookery, cuisine, and conviviality, Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin made quick work of the Americanist commentary that so many of his fellow travelers inscribed into their narratives of North American travel. The most well known of these French travel writers, Jean de Crevecoeur and Alexis de Tocqueville, used their narratives to generate the synthetic, formalized images of democracy—the pervasive equality of condition; the assimilation of foreign emigrants; the vitality of civil society—that contemporaries like Mr. Bulow and subsequent generations of American citizens employed to express their sense of national belonging.1Letters from an American Farmer (1782) and Democracy in America (1835, 1840) have equally proved useful to a pre- and post-war generation of Americanist scholars, providing them with the distinctive historiography, sociology, and political theory of a national liberal tradition. In this capacity, the Franco-American travel narrative has served not just as a privileged Americanist archive but as a virtual starting point for the self-conception of the field of American studies.2 And yet, the French commentator who could climax the saga of the venerable American farmer with the thought of his next meal and comically invert the priorities of citizenship with the appeal of roasted turkey can better reveal the incongruous, even adverse interest of his fellow travelers in the articulation of American democracy. Brillat-Savarin's entertaining little anecdote in fact tells an allegory about the pleasures of taste that underwrote not just the critical method and vocabulary of the travelogue genre but the counter-democratic liberal politics which gave two generations of French travel writers their vocation and stake in the US. The comic encounter of the gourmand and the citizen is thus a good place to begin a literary-historical inquiry that would reverse the nationalist appropriation of the Franco-American travel narrative, reinstate its foreignness, and retrieve its Americanist discourse from the self-representation of the American citizen. In Brillat-Savarin's rendition of this allegory, the exhibition of taste operates as a fundamentally incongruous moment within a civic ritual of self-fashioning, a differend within a rapidly foreclosing liberal consensus, and—perhaps most importantly—an expression of cultural estrangement that is meant to resonate beyond the misalliance of citizen and gourmand and indicate a still more fatal incommensurability. A broader survey of the travel narrative genre indeed suggests that Brillat-Savarin's was the exception that proved the rule, and that many other French travel writers took the logical next step of counterpoising their own ironic detachment from the American citizen, the and for the of with the of and from civic The comic allegory of taste as an of and and the of into the of a national a the Franco-American travel narrative the of in the as a for and the for the of an as a for even the French the American travelogue as its and In its pre- and this a of to the in of the of and “four buxom interest in the of American Taste was the of their political their of with of the not just the of detachment from the of American to the of American with for A of the to the North American travel has the of the of an that the of the and its The of the travel narrative to American to beyond a of the genre to its in the of liberal and political has to the and the and to for the liberal political a venerable genre to the and of the of North America whom the the of a French and who would the the this liberal from his in Francophone the he his liberal the the of North America and the of the The of the travel narrative to American to beyond a of the genre to its in the of liberal and political suggests that the politics and of a Franco-American would in the of and not in the of liberal well one so many into my the of this and their point of travel narratives as suggests that an that would from the of North American travel narratives would with the of equality into and the of cultural in the of the its political The about to from this well counter-democratic for an discourse of taste and to these And yet, the that could a of and its of American would more its to the of for the and the of In the of from which the Franco-American travel narrative an but discourse of taste a for that was on the of the the many and of these the cookery, cuisine, and hospitality of of would the that an of to on the of and which a of on of the the who could a with these was in the to a liberal discourse of cultural that the of and and the of taste in this in the of North but liberal more at stake in and made taste their political of an of the and an the of this the French could to just for the of taste who would travel the in the of its in de and of a who the of a French as the for American travel. on the of in to the as the of the he in of and He as a gourmand who would a interest in and to the most In his in the and in the he as a of for to the American within the and of the the of that not just to the of but to the of the The travel narrative of de a how this was to the American of to the in as and who from the of Democracy in America to in the the about American In he his as a of taste and who was as from the civic of America as was And yet, would a for the French and a cultural for the he made that estrangement on a and with an American of the of American I used the travel discourse of to and of as an In he would that to a of and the politics of he to the of the of He made a for French the politics of North America an of to which Americans, Americans, of but from which American citizens could the in an a on the of the the of and The of this in and in the for their this not within the and of their but the of the and to an of The French on the other made its distinctive to the and priorities on the of its for travel. the the most of this travelers like de and who and American into of and writers in in the American to an for was the liberal of his so to with the of his in to an American like de and Jean de in this of their of in the and the to this his from the for the of His was the of the who used his in the as the for the and that the the of in the French in the cultural of travel to the and the politics of the French just could not In can the to the French its Americanist and He to in political as an and who the of the American as a to French of Crevecoeur and of the of in the of and of with the of which “a to would as at as he a a he would that as a of he to all in was the of this of a that the of the In he to to the for in with a French with he a on the American foreign in for in well on his to the of American was still the of Americanist for his commentary on the of on the and of the in on the of and the of the to a of with in and his of as the of a in the of and A of would he in his the of a at a to with of America and the of the and of the In his he beyond the that an to the more prospect of in form, a the of this even the but could to of which the of and its to Having in the of a the of for and for the US. with of to the he as the and of a He the good to in the of the the of the that a generation of to a to an and of the of the he would his travel narrative, in the into a narrative of the of not to Philadelphia to to the of equality even to a the of an he was to the order that was in the US. His travel narrative thus its of to the that for and that and his in the of a employed in this to the of and on is a he the to have his of a of the his that a of could reverse the of on the and of in a a about the of the with his of the of and Philadelphia the of his for the as the one of more political and and more in North was not just the of in the but the of could in the was the success of the of which its the in but for the was a of on the of and them as to their as liberal The of and the that in thus not just the of the but the of a to the of its this was more thrilling to the of a in of the and of the In an to in the of his to the French he to in this a which would have in has of all of all of all equally is a of the and a of was the stake of a French in the of made a the and for French The made to the American not made the a more more in North America in in and was its in a the every in In made the a of the that the French as the of to his own he have about the nation he his French to the of can the of how his and to the that in the of French and in one of the of the French of the his a in and of an Americanist and for the French a of and with the American a of for for the The to the success of the American to the a for the French who would the in the this he was He the with a generation of American like and the of was the and that to the work of a that was still the political this work in the not the but the of of and of the American and the French the of these the work of the and that a generation of citizens was to the this the of to the work of as the that the for that could was in fact the of a foreign as an in own the liberal that the work of most in the of with the Americans, more other that all and he to this of of the made for their that their for Having the success of this on the he that the of was and And was not a that he could and this the he the to so and that he his to the nation from into political and he was of the of the and to on the to America And not just but and the and that made American a of in its and and an nation and to its was a and an to most to and most was not the of He his most and to the of American he of the In not The commentator who could the of a made to the of and in A travel to was equally useful for the fact that with into an for their the The and of in other was not with the narrative of that an but of the which the of the in his of to his narrative and the that his Brillat-Savarin so and he noted with in to the an equally he the of American like the the of French virtual the and the of all he the of the of the of the and his own known to the and of the In his as a gourmand, could an to the most as like to so for the he to an that many from and a of who their in the of the the of a of and and an of and the of the was the of and a of and with a to He employed a vocabulary that at from French and from he on the of North America its And was his own he to his vocation as to the of American and American was at other one on of French in American in to of and a to the of a he a of these a of to the gourmand but to the who the of in the of a and political the of the American on the French and the of French on the of the on the that to his travel narrative the of at of the of good French and the of He was that a in the of the was the of and the from with and the of the And so in the of and he a Franco-American in the pleasures of the French one would have to that from its was still an in its taste and with providing the and the for the the the arrival of from and would with for the French to the and to French like roasted and In this of a for as and a for French the venerable of the and took the French of to to from this cultural from for the French He was a Franco-American as the and of so he his American to the of the this was the for a his and foreign to to the of French to American and the the that the of and this of for the of but for French like a Franco-American that would and in the was a that the of the of and the of the In the moment of the the of on that would the American this the comically gourmand was was a place for the of taste in this In into could not and could not good and he them a of like and this not an to to which so he In the that he as a to his travel narrative, The of America with with in a political that would all to The the of to for the of and the of French and Americans, who their for with the of a a that with which to to his that would the and of as well as the of with he to the of that this generation of would not their their national The of an and the of from and that could them into yet, American French just as as French American as and of this to the cultural of French and the of taste for the of the American In a French served not as the of but as the of in the the to American of was better to the of and but could have to The would the pleasures of taste so that but the as the of the of a of and political that would not just the pleasures of the but to the of the his into priorities that would the of the French the his to he of the party, a that would to for the and His as of the was to to the prize of from and foreign French citizenship to the of of the of he the of the of the old and of the so in is and the of was to the French the of the in the of the of the the of and as and made that the of de the and was as a civil for French as a of their own from a and that the their into every articulation of from the of the to the a political and in the most of the the his fellow citizenship not just as a to the of but as the of of its most these that to the and of the and to the the more of who would to and the with the to the of of the in that can to American travel narrative and to his interest in the American In The of America with made the of of the French like and in the of the as of their as of and so he was an as a Franco-American an of that was to in for and a of The of his was a of that the of not just to a system but to the of In the other of his Americanist in the this in for the cultural of on the US. and of he the of and the of and more was a for interest in the of that beyond the and political of their French a of that the pleasures of the in a of has the in fact and as a of a that formalized for The that as of the American of the French most as gourmand thus the of in the US. The of is in which the of the and to a American can to have politics in this a discourse of for the of his American He to the of the he like American French the of and which to he was in his own of the the of a that underwrote the and and the of was not just a method a means to a political but an so that could a of the and to an of and and not at of in and in In of the was not to on the of this so that these and the His of an his to the of all its its and most its to of in the of a the of the of an of for has of a theory of that made the for civil the and for the and that was to The travel who to as the for his own of the and his as the for his interest in in this sense was a that every of as for a Franco-American a interest in the of American citizens with the of as the of and as of the French he an interest in the of the so that could this His narrative of Philadelphia a of in that was more with the of and the of of taste and that on the of and A Franco-American that would the pleasures of taste to a system and the for the of thus would a of to the of was of that and so as to the of Having his American to this would its for he an of many have the was not for the of its for the for all but a in the for its system of has the of and the to the of a discourse of In a of his of his Americanist into a that would and its into the The interest which he and the in de in fact with their interest in of so that the of these would the and civic to the of every in was of its with could the most of the the a on an of to an and the and of within the nation could this was the with their for was a liberal of that could and but could not the which is to the which for their a the could the of the in this In them as and not to the pleasures of civil to which their their and with their could generate but more And so the the and their with a more of their with a that not just most but his most of an a from and the of the and in the in as of so as in a with the of of the most of this on and the in of the two of the French the to the of in for its of the and to the of his The on in the even more to the of this on an the great of American one of the most in the of his and to next to in one The of of and gave to the that was to a and as the in the and of their to the in their the of still a and its as of and of the of was to with and as a for at like the of and the of of which was a their their on as the to the the of their the of these to and for of the in their for as the and most liberal and thus to America in as of a of de proved for on the of and In Democracy in a to so that an would not more but of a the and the of the of the is a the American to the not for the for and its for the of and into the of his of the of the and his as of a French order in civil as that could the system and a from on the other was for the of in the of and in the French of and of the an Franco-American and cultural but which the of in the to he was the of of and French to not just for the but for the a voyage to the was an to a French that not the of the of that not the liberal of the of the French most that not to the of an He this North America for its and of French all of whom a from the on the to the of and In of this his travel narrative in its the of and to an an whom he in the of a In his to his he as an of the of the which he means and he the most of American in the cultural of the the is a for the that a French would and of the US. this he as a his to the of the of with the of interest and that he the in the The of the French thus and from the French to the the French travel who can the of into a of In of the in the his travel narrative and into the about American In he the political of de with the politics of He his more “I place he so that the he He this to his a fellow liberal but in the of the that its as a on of as that which the of and his Americanist commentary with a interest and He the of his to for their and he for the of on of their He a political commentary he the of American and French but he just in to the of the for The American to on the he in a French the to the the of and American from pleasures to the of the an which of In the of in the took to this commentary with the and that would not just for the of discourse but for the of the He to in the fact that the and the for this commentary to American he the the for he is in his he wishes to And so in order to indicate the and the of an he his on the of American with an that would to that not the American in he not the of at the the of but in the of Franco-American travel narratives the of the comically incongruous encounter the French and the a the in the as Mr. Bulow with a of American and with a like was the of the the most in the the the most in the He is just as in his of an for his host to to with in the in which America was of all the to the of the not he of he more the the who is from conversation civic nationalist is the the of an from his in is a of the cultural and that of and the civic of de would the US. And so in order to French foreign priorities into the politics of a of on the and of his American the of the and of American this the that the American citizen would in the national but even more he the of the in this operates like the exhibition of taste and the and privileged foreign from the of the American citizen. The in the political for the and of and for and of into the of national In to to the of their and The which the for that travel the to the can a the narrative for his in is to the and which other in order to the of in the of the to the of civic as not just but to the of of the citizen in he in other the for at the a order that the of to an that its of place and even in the of to and Tocqueville, American was the political but for these to the of into the American he was not a at all but a system that American citizens to on in their and to as a of the of and with the of The he its civil and citizenship with of to an that could known its The of the nation to a so that that to like the of political the vitality of civil was would as the of the of de to leave that he and in the of a the so he his the which into civil and the of In the of the of his have a in the and a the which their for a the to the who to the of and and them all the to the of the of In the that the French in that he was priorities that foreign to and incongruous with the American The I have to the and of citizenship into of And yet, the comically incongruous French travel who would the of in a and the of to conversation was the who the political which America in the as well as the cultural for The indeed made the American to the foreign of an that made the of the of a political and cultural the of political and could all the of its the of this its the of to American to this in the of his to an of the
Source: American Literary History
DOI: 10.1093/alh/ajm025
Author: R. Fanuzzi
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,605
OpenAlex ID: W2139763119