| Authorship Notes |
Although it features in one of the absolute best-sellers of its time, the 'Spectacle de la nature', Pluche's essay on travels was seldom referred to in its time. The text appears as the transcription of a dialogue: a nobleman father asks advice for the travels of his youngest son from a merchant father. The merchant sketches an ideal practice for the nobleman's Grand Tour, with traditional elements - among them, in order to protect the young men from the dangers that arrogant 'Reason' represents, he suggests carrying a copy of Thomas à Kempis' 'Imitation of Jesus'. But the nobleman father is dissatisfied with this answer, as he hoped for advice on how to turn his son into a merchant - the text becomes a praise of the 'noblesse commerçante' and of the mercantile profession. This reflects Pluche's vision of society: while he never questions the established order, he praises those who provide active contribution to the nation's wealth: merchants, craftsmen and peasants.
Pluche’s essay occurs in vol. 7 (1746, book 8), pp. 448-486. |
