THE FRENCH INTELLECTUAL
493
A few conclusions and a few ambiguities
Clearly, the word
intellectual
carries, from the moment of
its birth, the stigma of derision, contempt, suspicion, and even
hatred. Thrown into circulation during the winter 1897-1898,
the term implies the intervention in public affairs of supposedly
incompetent scholars without a mandate, and suggests a mental–
ity hostile to the mystique of tradition. Intellectuals are held
responsiblt, retrospectively, for all the ills since the French
Revolution- and for the worse ills that lie ahead. Hardly a
single expression of disparagement or of sarcasm is spared them:
envious bookworms, bitter
rates,
histrionic anarchists, the dregs
of society- these are only a few of the colorful expressions used
to designate the "impotent" and "cowardly" mandarins! A few
nostalgic souls even went so far as to regret the good old days
of Sparta when teachers were shwes and kept in a permanent
state of inebriety to serve as a lesson to the aristocratic youth.
Occasionally, the "intellectuals" of 1898 themselves dis–
playa definite distaste for the term. At the
Revue Blanche–
one of their headquarters-there seems to be some doubt as to
whether to rejoice over the appellation. Pierre Guillard, in a
pungent reply to one of Brunetiere's articles, protests against
this "ridiculous title." Leon Blum, reviewing a novel by Paul
Adam, establishes an implicit equation between "intellectual"
and mental unbalance.
As
for Zola, he does not hesitate to de–
ride the hairsplitting "silly intellectuals." It is true that Zola
especially detested the
Ecole Ncrmale Superieure
which he
sarcastically termed "the school where one knows everything."
But on the whole-and overwhelmingly so-the intellec–
tuals take up the term with pride. Brunetiere's accusations do not
go unchallenged during that evening in the salon of Mme.
Aubernon. Hervieu, Seailles, Larroumet, Brochard-all react
with fire, pointing out that it is the intellectuals (they are not
ashamed of the word) who today incarnate the true traditions
of the French conscience. Elsewhere, Emile Duclaux proudly
glories in the very accusation: "Yes indeed, it's the intellectuals
