Why Is Paris The City of Light?

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  • Опубликовано: 26 авг 2024

Комментарии • 96

  • @ThankfullyRedeemed3
    @ThankfullyRedeemed3 6 месяцев назад +18

    Not only the gas lights of yesteryear, but also the Lutetian limestone used by Haussmann reflects light & gives Paris an ethereal quality that I've never seen anywhere else before. It's absolutely breathtaking.

    • @subakdubu1046
      @subakdubu1046 6 месяцев назад +2

      Going to Paris was crazy because the places actually had the same quality of light and colors as the paintings I’ve seen, it was partially like I was in an impressionist painting, they really just painted what they saw. I heard some art historian talk about places with special light and he also mentioned Paris, and you can really spot it , when I returned home I missed the light there a lot

    • @ThankfullyRedeemed3
      @ThankfullyRedeemed3 6 месяцев назад

      I understand completely. I saw it immediately and couldn't understand how a city that has seen as much bloodshed & horror as Paris could feel so effervescent and lovely, but it does & the light really contributes to that immensely. @@subakdubu1046

  • @thedavidguy01
    @thedavidguy01 6 месяцев назад +16

    If you want to learn about the history of the department stores in Paris, I would highly recommend "Au Bonheur des Dames" by Zola. It's a novel, not history, but in his typical journalistic fashion, Zola includes an enormous amount of detail based on the real history of Le Bon Marché and a bit about its competitors. The novel also shows the effect of the department store on the small shops in the area. One of the fascinating things in the novel is discovering how the founder of Le Bon Marché invented almost every kind of merchandising which we see everywhere now. The store was basically the Amazon of its time.

    • @JaySwanson
      @JaySwanson  6 месяцев назад +4

      Zola deserves more of my attention, I'm quickly realizing

    • @agyos
      @agyos 6 месяцев назад +2

      Wow, that is a really good lead! Thank you!

    • @ac8907
      @ac8907 6 месяцев назад +2

      @@JaySwanson
      Les Halles de Paris.
      Germinal.

    • @pokeyjeanne
      @pokeyjeanne 6 месяцев назад +1

      Some 20 years ago I stayed in a tiny ground floor flat in Villa Poissonniere in La Goutte d'Or for two months. It was dark, cold and moldy because we tried to save money by not turning up the heat! Only recently I discovered that this location figured heavily into Zola's writing. Still researching Zola...apparently endless leads into the Past.

    • @thistlenstar
      @thistlenstar 6 месяцев назад +1

      Thank you for the tip! I had read a French history magazine dedicated to the history of Paris. There was a chapter of Le Bon Marché The last two sentences of your comment sum it up perfectly! For the past few years, I've been doing nearly all my reading in French. For Zola, I had to start with "Germinal," but, "Au Bonheur des Dames" sounds like a good next step.

  • @user-no8ol4rl4w
    @user-no8ol4rl4w 6 месяцев назад +4

    Cooper is one happy 😁 and lucky dog 🐶

  • @barrykirsch4534
    @barrykirsch4534 6 месяцев назад +3

    Jay. I could listen to you talk for hours. True story

  • @karenhurtado604
    @karenhurtado604 6 месяцев назад +4

    Speaking of “enlightenment” thank you for the illuminating historical and hysterical lesson. You certainly entertained and educated us all. Merci beacoup Jay!

  • @williamfahey6066
    @williamfahey6066 6 месяцев назад +3

    Nice video. The Dog is so cute. he was really watching you
    eat that food. lol
    Jeff❤

  • @karentozer1871
    @karentozer1871 6 месяцев назад

    I love how Cooper just fits into your life, he also had his eyes on that tasty nacho you ate 😂😂

  • @aairsick
    @aairsick 6 месяцев назад

    The Cooper selfies at the end -- it’s everything

  • @Rich-zb7vc
    @Rich-zb7vc 6 месяцев назад +4

    check this on Napolean 3 and how he did urban planning for the city. Legendary Megastructures | The Gigantic Architectural Transformation of Paris | FD Engineering- Free Documentary - Engineering

    • @JaySwanson
      @JaySwanson  6 месяцев назад

      Intéressant

    • @BrianSiano
      @BrianSiano 6 месяцев назад

      Great video!

    • @ac8907
      @ac8907 6 месяцев назад

      @Rich-zb7vc.
      It was not at the time of Napoleon but at the time of Louis 14 that the city had been called like that.

  • @PokhrajRoy.
    @PokhrajRoy. 6 месяцев назад +1

    1:04 Finally, I know the etymology of bourgeois. Also, in Mumbai, people who live in a certain area are called ‘Townies’.

    • @ajs41
      @ajs41 6 месяцев назад +1

      Townies was the name a lot of people used at my school for people who lived in the nearest town, Burton-on-Trent, in England. Haven't heard that word for a long time. Interesting to hear that it's being used in Mumbai.

    • @PokhrajRoy.
      @PokhrajRoy. 6 месяцев назад

      @@ajs41 There’s an area called Town actually. Idk if it’s official though

  • @PokhrajRoy.
    @PokhrajRoy. 6 месяцев назад +4

    In a room full of tour guides on pints, I had the correct answer lol

  • @agyos
    @agyos 6 месяцев назад

    Wonderful tidbits of history! More is great! Thank you!

  • @BrianSiano
    @BrianSiano 6 месяцев назад +1

    Couple of other books about Paris that might be of interest. The two best histories I've read are _Paris_ by Colin Jones, and _Paris: the secret History_ by Andrew Hussey. More esoteric, culture-related books are _The Other Paris_ by Lucy Sante, _Paris: Capital of the World_ by Patrice Higonnet_, and _The Invention of Paris_ by Eric Hazan. _Paris Reborn_ by Stephanie Kirkland_ is a light read about how Napoleon III and Georges Haussman rebuilt Paris. Marxist scholar and geographer David Harvey's _Paris: Capital of Modernity_ is demanding, but it's really worth reading if you read the standard histories and want more.

    • @ADAtrips
      @ADAtrips 6 месяцев назад

      I appreciate your take on books. I appreciate books and I like to read books about wherever I am landing. Paris is one my future landing in the spring. I will wait until blue sky and warm. Which one book do you suggest ? (Already have Jay’s 😂). 🌴🌴Aloha

  • @cherubicanh7027
    @cherubicanh7027 5 месяцев назад

    Hey! What remix of zou bisou bisou is that in the beginning. Love it!

  • @vickialschuler816
    @vickialschuler816 6 месяцев назад

    My understanding about the “City of Light” moniker relates to Haussmann as well although City of Enlightenment has a nice ring to it as well. I have been engaging in French History particularly the history of Paris in preparation for my trip there in June. Working on walking a whole lot plus hitting the museums. Your recommendations are helping with the planning (places to eat and patisseries for the most part).

  • @dougsinthailand7176
    @dougsinthailand7176 6 месяцев назад +1

    Maybe it’s proportions. City designers in the enlightenment period studied the Golden Mean; and I think the proportions of the streets and the older buildings are very beautiful naturally.

    • @JaySwanson
      @JaySwanson  6 месяцев назад

      They are really pleasing

  • @shinyshinythings
    @shinyshinythings 6 месяцев назад

    Yay I knew the City of Light(s) answer! Also Jay I love the shot of Cooper on the metro with the Eiffel Tower behind him. And … book Rex for you: Parisians by A.J. Robb. The audiobook especially.

  • @PokhrajRoy.
    @PokhrajRoy. 6 месяцев назад +1

    Discussing French history, fashion, etymology all in one video? Any more of that and I’ll be after a green card 😂

  • @jennifergross9008
    @jennifergross9008 6 месяцев назад

    Your videos always make me want to relocate to Paris! As a Speech Pathologist, I am looking for job opportunities and as a SWF I’m looking for a safe location to rent a living/work space. Any advice would be appreciate.

  • @andyshacks7812
    @andyshacks7812 6 месяцев назад

    That was an interesting fact. Now I know where the title comes from. Always good to learn! 👍

  • @mariafernandavasquez4273
    @mariafernandavasquez4273 6 месяцев назад

    I am so jelous you can take your pup everywhere , but glad he is allowed so he can keep showing up on your videos!

  • @thistlenstar
    @thistlenstar 6 месяцев назад

    Many of us grew up with the hypercorrected American version of "bourgeois," which drops the "r" in a mistaken effort to sound more French.. Now, I think, "do they know that they're calling that guy a candlestick?"

  • @auntiemjo
    @auntiemjo 6 месяцев назад +2

    Good pub meet. Do this again with another question.

    • @JaySwanson
      @JaySwanson  6 месяцев назад

      I'm full of questions at least

  • @feddizon2789
    @feddizon2789 6 месяцев назад +1

    As expected, Another great video from you Jay but in the end little Cooper always steals the show. He's so cute and very well behaved. Jay, Just wondering if little Cooper gets to drink water when you two are out and about?

    • @JaySwanson
      @JaySwanson  6 месяцев назад

      Almost every establishment has a dog bowl somewhere. I have a portable one I carry with me just in case

    • @feddizon2789
      @feddizon2789 6 месяцев назад

      @@JaySwanson Cool. Please forgive me for asking, as a four legged daddy like yourself my paternal instinct kicks in automatically.

  • @patriciateague8677
    @patriciateague8677 6 месяцев назад

    I watched Versailles and learned about the City of Light.

  • @SethinBerlin
    @SethinBerlin 6 месяцев назад

    What is interesting is your story of France beginning in 1870 is also the beginning of the story of unified Germany after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. One could argue that the history of the 20th century arises out of that war and the treaty signed cementing French defeat in that war where? Versailles. After this humiliation, France made sure to have Germany sign the treaty ending World War 1 at Versailles, which lead Hitler to force the French to sign the capitulation in the same train car that the Treaty of Versailles was signed, then he had the train car destroyed.

    • @didierjacob250
      @didierjacob250 Месяц назад

      l' allemagne comme l' italie sont des pays très jeunes, l' histoire de la France ne commence pas en 1870 mais bien bien bien avant, beaucoup de guerres le plus grand nombre de victoires militaires, bien avant la prusse et hitler, et finalement la France s' en tire très bien , un grand pays, la 2eme puissance en territoire sous marin etc.etc etc.. humiliations ? mais , finalement , la prusse , hitler a gagné quoi ???

  • @ac8907
    @ac8907 6 месяцев назад

    Hi Jay,
    I recommend the books of René Rémond, a history professor, now dead but contemporary.
    he wrote several books on the period of the revolution until the present day.
    At the Points collection
    Easy to read.👍🏻

    • @ac8907
      @ac8907 6 месяцев назад

      You took a picture of Cooper in front of Notre Dame but not in front of The Eiffel Tower, miss it.🫥😬

  • @mlomarechal6877
    @mlomarechal6877 6 месяцев назад +2

    On appelle Paris "la ville lumière" parce que c’est à Paris qu’est né le premier éclairage public sous Louis XIV en 1665 avec la création du premier établissement de lanternes ! Paris is known as the "City of Light" because it was here that the first public lighting was created under Louis XIV in 1665, when the first lantern factory was set up!

    • @ac8907
      @ac8907 6 месяцев назад +1

      @mlomarechal6877
      Exact, c’est ce que j’ai trouvé aussi.
      D’aucun disent que c’est à partir de Napoleon 3 mais ce n’est pas ce que dit Wikipédia….
      Quant aux livres sur l’Histoire de la révolution à nos jours, je conseille les livres de René Rémond , collections Points.
      Il a été mon professeur d’Histoire à Nanterre.
      👆

    • @mlomarechal6877
      @mlomarechal6877 6 месяцев назад

      @@ac8907 Oui j'ai également regardé sur Wiki. car au départ j'étais partie sur les philosophes des lumières (comme appris au lycée), Catherine de Russie qui échangeait des lettres avec Voltaire .... mais absolument pas sur la ville de Paris et son éclairage. Comme quoi Jay m'a bien réorientée sur ce sujet. 🙃

    • @ac8907
      @ac8907 6 месяцев назад +1

      @@mlomarechal6877
      Les philosophes des Lumières.
      Les Lumieres , est un courant de pensée européen philosophique, littéraire et intellectuel qui émerge dans la seconde moitié du XVIIe siècle, influencé par des philosophes comme Descartes, Spinoza, Locke, Bayle et Newton, avant de se développer dans toute l'Europe, notamment en France, au xviiie siècle.
      Par extension, on a donné à cette période le nom de siècle des Lumières.
      Par leur engagement contre les oppressions religieuses et politiques, les membres de ce mouvement se voyaient comme une élite avancée œuvrant pour un progrès du monde. Combattant l’irrationnel, l’arbitraire, l’obscurantisme et la « superstition » des siècles passés, ils ont procédé au renouvellement du savoir, de l’éthique et de l’esthétique de leur temps. L’influence de leurs écrits a été déterminante dans les grands événements de la fin du xviiie siècle que sont la Déclaration d'indépendance des États-Unis et la Révolution française.
      Le mouvement de renouveau intellectuel et culturel des Lumières reste, au sens strict, européen avant tout, et il découle presque exclusivement d’un contexte spécifique de maturation des idées héritées de la Renaissance.
      La pensée des Lumières s’est étendue à l’Europe, quoique la traduction de ce terme dans les autres langues européennes ait toujours privilégié l'idée d'une « illumination » provenant de l’extérieur, alors que le terme français privilégie le fait que les Lumières viennent de soi-même. De manière très générale, sur les plans scientifique et philosophique, les Lumières voient le triomphe de la raison sur la foi et la croyance ; sur les plans politique et économique, le triomphe de la bourgeoisie sur la noblesse et le clergé.

    • @mlomarechal6877
      @mlomarechal6877 6 месяцев назад +2

      @@ac8907 ça me rappelle les cours d'histoire et de philo ("l'homme éclairé" / l'obscurantisme ...). Mais je pense également aux "salons parisiens". Et j'ai lu également le livre de Fumaroli "Quand l'Europe (des Lumières) parlait français". J'étais distraite en voyant le titre de Jay et me suis trompée entre la ville des lumières (ville éclairée par les lanternes) et le Siècle des Lumières (l'homme éclairé) ! Je vous remercie pour votre message.

  • @PokhrajRoy.
    @PokhrajRoy. 6 месяцев назад +1

    My theory is that the moniker of ‘City of Light’ was given in the post-Haussmann period.

    • @ac8907
      @ac8907 6 месяцев назад

      @PokhrajRoy.
      False.
      At the time of Louis XIV.

    • @PokhrajRoy.
      @PokhrajRoy. 6 месяцев назад

      @@ac8907 I said it’s a theory. Not an established fact with links to sources.

    • @ac8907
      @ac8907 6 месяцев назад

      @@PokhrajRoy.
      Ok, no pb.

  • @RandolphSouth
    @RandolphSouth 6 месяцев назад

    This is a great book about Paris in the 19th century. The Judgment of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade That Gave the World Impressionism.

  • @ADAtrips
    @ADAtrips 6 месяцев назад

    I must be a bourgeos 😂. Liked this one. You got me , in the mirror, I was just wondering is it a door?good on ya. I liked the sit down with the tour guides. (Do it again) I m sure they have great stories. 🌴🌴Aloha

  • @dccoulthard
    @dccoulthard 6 месяцев назад +1

    Liberty for Ladies. Sounds like the name of a 21st Century biography of Susan B. Anthony.

    • @JaySwanson
      @JaySwanson  6 месяцев назад +1

      Or a solid band name

  • @ac8907
    @ac8907 6 месяцев назад +1

    We call Paris "the city of lights" because it was in Paris that the first public lighting was born under Louis XIV in 1665 with the creation of the first lantern establishment!

    • @ac8907
      @ac8907 6 месяцев назад

      At this time, Louis XIV was in power. With his minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert, they try by all means to stem the crime which is plaguing the city. They then appointed Gilbert Nicolas de la Reynie lieutenant general of the police in 1667. This ingenious leader decided to highlight the less frequented corners. So, to prevent thugs from hiding in dark alleys, he installed lanterns and torches on most roads and asked residents to light their windows with candles and oil lamps.

  • @hildabrunski7400
    @hildabrunski7400 6 месяцев назад

    Hey Jay we're going to be at musee marmotton monet in 16th next month- any recommendations of a place for lunch in that area?

    • @JaySwanson
      @JaySwanson  6 месяцев назад +1

      I LOVE Homer in the 16th, definitely on the pricier side, but still delicious! And I have a few more recs in my guide as well!

  • @mikeodil7721
    @mikeodil7721 6 месяцев назад

    NOIR!!!!! I was early with my expectation. 😂
    Here’s a question I have regarding French history - why does it seem like public beheadings have been as common a theme as the croissant has been to breakfast and an afternoon snack?
    Just curious, Jay! Cheers! ☕️

    • @delphzouzou4520
      @delphzouzou4520 6 месяцев назад

      Public executions were a thing since at least the Middle-Age, not only in France. But I guess it's to show everyone what happens if you don't respect God/the king/the church, or if you commit a crime etc...
      What surprises me more is that lots of people would willingly come with all the family to these events where someone was tortured for hours by horrific methods and enjoy their afternoon before going back home for dinner.

    • @mikeodil7721
      @mikeodil7721 6 месяцев назад

      @@delphzouzou4520 I appreciate your reply, thank you. Yes, the fact that families would be a part of this, due to culture or sadistic intrigue, is definitely bizarre.

  • @flatironnewyork
    @flatironnewyork 6 месяцев назад

    i thought it was because paris was originally called lutèce, which sounds like it means light to me (but probably doesn't)

  • @PokhrajRoy.
    @PokhrajRoy. 6 месяцев назад

    Have you read or heard about ‘Writings on Cities’ by Henri Lefebvre?

  • @PokhrajRoy.
    @PokhrajRoy. 6 месяцев назад

    5:14 YOU DON’T SAY

  • @PokhrajRoy.
    @PokhrajRoy. 6 месяцев назад

    1:59 Aggressive Sniffing has started

  • @ac8907
    @ac8907 6 месяцев назад

    Les bourgeois sont des habitants d’un bourg.
    Un bourg is like a big village.

    • @ac8907
      @ac8907 6 месяцев назад

      True. The French Revolution is a Revolution made by the bourgeois, not the proletarian people.

  • @SanTM
    @SanTM 6 месяцев назад

    Great channel but friend zoned to the max

  • @rhuxley5130
    @rhuxley5130 6 месяцев назад

    ✊🏻u made it to the pub AND u made it a legitimate work visit as an excuse 🍻you are a master🧔🏻👍🏻

  • @yaowsers77
    @yaowsers77 6 месяцев назад

    i'm so glad you caught the male escort comment! 😂🤣

  • @PokhrajRoy.
    @PokhrajRoy. 6 месяцев назад

    2:44 Excuse me, it’s not ‘ridiculously pink’, it’s 💖Barbiecore💖

    • @mbrolfe7504
      @mbrolfe7504 6 месяцев назад +1

      Jay missed out on the Barbie marketing campaign not being in the States the summer of ‘23. Residual pink remains.

  • @mbrolfe7504
    @mbrolfe7504 6 месяцев назад

    No, Paris is not a draw because of a slight favoring of women during certain parts of its history. It’s the overall centuries of history played out on its streets, just like London or Rome or Istanbul.

  • @dutchbobson3183
    @dutchbobson3183 6 месяцев назад

    18th century marketing ploy

  • @LJ_nowandalways
    @LJ_nowandalways 4 месяца назад

    Karl Marx tells us that exact same story in the book that we are not allowed to read in America.

  • @RonFennakadas
    @RonFennakadas 6 месяцев назад +3

    Apologies to my wife. Now I’ll be buying even more history of Paris books. Jay, I both love and hate you right now. 💙🤍❤️

    • @JaySwanson
      @JaySwanson  6 месяцев назад

      😆😆😆

    • @BrianSiano
      @BrianSiano 6 месяцев назад

      I apologize for dumping a bibliography on you in another message here.