Featured article: “Centers of Progress, Pt. 17: Paris (Enlightenment)” by Chelsea Follett

Chelsea Follett writes, “As Paris became a global capital of philosophy known for its intellectuals’ challenging of traditional beliefs, it earned the nickname ‘the City of Light’ (‘la Ville Lumière’). It is undeniable that the city’s thinkers and the broader Enlightenment movement altered history.”

In this lesson, you will learn how Paris became a hub of intellectual and cultural activity during the Enlightenment, which profoundly influenced Western thought and society.

1. Paris Background Building

Respond to this question on paper: “When you think of Paris, what comes to mind?” List as many ideas as you can in 2 minutes. Share your ideas with the class. Your teacher will write them on the board.

Look at photos of the 2024 Summer Olympics and look at the Paris Wikipedia page. Then review these important locations:

• The Bibliothèque Nationale de France (National Library of France): a place for scholars to do research

• The Pantheón: originally built as a church by the French king during the Revolution, it became a mausoleum for great French thinkers

• The Palais Royal: a cultural and political center where Enlightenment ideas were debated

In 2–3 sentences, answer this question, “Why do you think Paris was an important center for Enlightenment ideas? How do you think these ideas influenced the world?”

2. Paris Map and Landmark Exploration

Explore this intricate 18th‐​century map of Paris. In the middle of the page, look at plates 1–20 of the atlas.

Then locate the following landmarks on the modern‐​day map of Paris on Google Earth.

• Eiffel Tower

• Notre‐​Dame Cathedral

• Sacré‐​Cœur

• Panthéon

• Arc de Triomphe

• Palais Garnier (Paris Opera)

• The Louvre

Read the article and then answer the following questions:

1. The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement that promoted humanistic values. Write a short explanation for each term in the right column.

2. Modern‐​day scholars—usually college professors—publish research, write reviews, and critique each other’s work in academic journals. These journals are similar to the “Republic of Letters” of the Enlightenment.

Choose 1 academic journal in a field in which you are interested and answer the questions below:

• What is the journal’s specific field?

• What types of articles are published in the journal?

• Who is its audience?

• Did the academic journal’s field of inquiry exist during the Enlightenment? If not, what area of knowledge was similar to this field during the 17th and 18th centuries?

3. Follett mentions 4 Enlightenment thinkers who have had a lasting impact on our lives. In the chart below, write the name of each author’s most famous work and at least 1 of their ideas. You may have to make an inference (an educated guess) about the scholar’s idea.

4. In addition to the French and American revolutions, name 3 other major political movements that were inspired by Enlightenment ideals.

5. According to Follett, how was the Enlightenment connected to the Industrial Revolution?

6. Why were some French intellectuals more welcome in salons and cafés than in academic institutions during the Enlightenment?

7. Using your newly acquired knowledge about the history of Paris, answer these questions:

• Why do you think Paris was an important center for Enlightenment ideas?

• How do you think these ideas influenced the world?

8. After reading the article, why do you think Paris was called “the City of Light?” Use 2–3 examples from the article to support your opinion.

1. Analyze a Quote

Form a small group. Your teacher will give you 4 quotes from famous Enlightenment thinkers. After reading the quotes, discuss the questions with your group and answer them in your own words:

• What is the main idea of the quote?

• How might this idea have challenged the status quo in 18th‐​century Paris?

Montesquieu: “There is no greater tyranny than that which is perpetrated under the shield of the law and in the name of justice.”

Diderot: “Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.”

Voltaire: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

Rousseau: “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.”

2. Profile a Salonnière

During the Enlightenment, salons were​informal gatherings hosted by influential women in their private homes. At these gatherings, philosophers, writers, artists, and scientists discussed literature, politics, philosophy, and the arts. The salonnières (hostesses) were wealthy, well‐​connected ladies who wielded considerable influence in the social and intellectual life of Paris at the time.

Research and write a 100‐​word profile of one of the following salonnières:

• Marie Thérèse Geoffrin

• Jeanne Julie Éléonore de Lespinasse

• Suzanne Necker

• Germaine de Staël

• Marie Anne de Vichy‐​Chamrond

3. Become an Art Critic

In the article, Follett writes that Paris became the world’s art mecca in the 19th century. The beautiful and inspiring work of French painters of this era continually draws huge crowds to museums and special exhibits.

Choose 2 of the following French or France‐​based artists of the 1800s and early 1900s. Create a Google Slides presentation in which you compare 2 of their major paintings.

Step 1: Choose 2 Artists to Compare

• Claude Monet

• Paul Cézanne

• Edgar Degas

• Paul Gauguin

• Édouard Manet

• Pierre‐​Auguste Renoir

• Camille Pissarro

• Henri Rousseau

• Georges‐​Pierre Seurat

• Alfred Sisley

• Henri de Toulouse‐​Lautrec

• Vincent Van Gogh

Step 2: Choose 2 Paintings

Choose 1 painting by each of the two artists. You may select any painting they created, but it is recommended that the works be detailed enough to make a nuanced comparison.

Step 3: Compare the Paintings

Create a new deck of Google Slides. On the first slide, put images of each painting side by side. On subsequent slides, keep the images and do the following:

• Slide 2: Write the title, artist, and date.

• Slide 3: Note the medium (oil, watercolor, etc.) and dimensions.

• Slide 4: Describe the painting’s content (figures, landscape, etc.).

• Slide 5: Identify any themes evident in the painting.

• Slide 6: Analyze the arrangement of elements and the focal point of the painting.

• Slide 7: Note the color palette and the artistic style (Impressionism, Realism, Abstract, etc.).

• Consider the mood of the painting. How does it make you feel?

Note to the teacher: To extend this task further, you may want to have students present their slideshows orally to the class.