Good news about Thermidor. Henri Meister visits Paris
Baczko Bronisław
The article is devoted to Jacques-Henri Meister, a native of the German lands, writer, journalist, and a prominent figure of the Enlightenment. Over the years he was publishing Correspondance littéraire that had been established by Grimm. He was acquainted with Voltaire and Rousseau. Diderot, Necker, and Madame de Stael were among his friends. In 1795 Meister visited Thermidorian Paris, that was still recovering after the terror. As a result of this voyage he wrote the book – «Souvenirs de mon dernier voyage à Paris». As an attentive observer, Meister described with pleasure the smallest details of life in Paris, simultaneously making global conclusions. He was astonished by the fact how quickly Paris returned to a normal life and forgot about all the wounds of the Revolution: lively streets, crowded theaters, victims and executioners, sitting beside each other in a café, amazed Meister. At the same time, he comes to the conclusion that, despite of the Revolution, the time is not out of joint there, and that there was so much left of the Ancien régime in Thermidorian Paris, as well as in the French national character.