Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Jus for the goose

Agnès Poirier writing in today's Guardian:

Let us be clear: there may be intellectuals in Britain, but there are no British intellectuals
and

To say, for instance, Paris hasn't bred any worthy intellectuals since Camus ... is at best terribly short-sighted, at worst profoundly ill-informed.
So it is fine to make absurd generalisations about the British, but "profoundly ill-informed" to do it about the French? A little consistency please, Madame.

Still, many Guardian readers will love it.

4 comments:

  1. I don't think Camus was bred in Paris either

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  2. I tried reading some Camus once. It seemed laboriously confused.

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  3. The first is not an absurd generalisation, just a statement along the lines that Britain attracts foreign intellectuals, but cannot grow her own.

    I'm far too ill-informed to comment on the second.

    Sorry to add though, I can't stand the Guardian. I can spot poor logic when I see it though...

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  4. Well the Camus novels are great.

    I have to admit that with a front row of Foucault, Levi-Straus and Barthes the French can field a pretty formidable pack.

    Peter

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