April29,2014

TheStrangeTriumphofTheLittlePrince
PostedbyAdamGopnik

OfallthebookswritteninFrenchoverthepastcentury,Antoine
deSaintExuprysLePetitPrinceissurelythebestlovedin
themosttongues.Thisisverystrange,becausethebooks
meaningsitspurposeandintentandmoralstillseemfarfrom
transparent,evenseventyfiveplusyearsafteritsfirst
appearance.Indeed,thestartlingthing,lookingagainatthefirst
reviewsofthebook,isthat,farfrombeingwelcomedasa
necessaryandbeautifulparable,itbewilderedandpuzzledits
readers.Amongtheearlyreviewers,onlyP.L.Traverswho
had,withasymmetrythatmakesthenonbelievershiver,written
anequivalentmythforEnglandinherMaryPoppinsbooks
reallygraspedthebooksdimensions,oritsimportance.
Overtime,thesuffrageofreadershasalteredthatconclusion,of
course:aclassicisaclassic.Butithasalteredtheconclusion
withoutreallychangingthepoint.Thisyearmarksan
efflorescenceofattention,includingafullscaleexhibitionof
SaintExuprysoriginalartworkattheMorganLibrary&
Museum,inNewYork.Butwearenoclosertopenetratingthe
centralriddle:WhatisTheLittlePrinceabout?
Everyoneknowsthebasicbonesofthestory:anaviator,downed
inthedesertandfacinglongoddsofsurvival,encountersa
strangeyoungperson,neithermannorreallyboy,who,itemergesovertime,hastravelledfromhissolitaryhomeona
distantasteroid,wherehelivesalonewithasinglerose.Therosehasmadehimsomiserablethat,intorment,hehas
takenadvantageofaflockofbirdstoconveyhimtootherplanets.Heisinstructedbyawiseifcautiousfox,andbya
sinisterangelofdeath,thesnake.

Ittookmanyyearsandmanyreadingsforthisreadertobegintounderstandthatthebookisawarstory.Notan
allegoryofwar,rather,afableofit,inwhichthecentralemotionsofconflictisolation,fear,anduncertaintyare
alleviatedonlybyintimatespeechandlove.ButthePetitPrinceisawarstoryinaveryliteralsense,tooeverything
aboutitsmakinghastodonotjustwiththeonsetofwarbutwiththestrangedefeatofFrance,withtheexperienceof
VichyandtheOccupation.SaintExupryssenseofshameandconfusionatthedevasationledhimtomakeafableof
abstractideassetagainstspecificloves.Inthisenterprise,hesanginunconsciousharmonywiththeothergreatpoetsof
thewarsloss,fromJ.D.Salingerwhosegreatpostwarstory,ForEsmwithLoveandSqualorshowsusmoral
breakdowneasedonlybythespeechofalucidchildtohiscontemporaryAlbertCamus,whoalsotookfromthewar
theneedtoengageinaperpetualbattlebetweeneachmanshappinessandtheillnessofabstraction,meaningtheact
ofdistancingrealemotionfromnormallife.
***
WeknowthecircumstancesofthecompositionofTheLittlePrinceindetailnow,courtesyofStacySchiffsfine
biography,SaintExupry.EscapedfromEuropetoanunhappy,monolingualexileinNorthAmerica,engagedin
pettybutheatedinternecinewarfarewiththeotherexileandresistinggroups(hehadapooropinionofDeGaulle,who,
hewronglythought,wassettingtheFrenchagainsttheFrench,ratherthanagainsttheGermans),SaintExuprywrote
thismostFrenchoffablesinManhattanandLongIsland.ThebooksdesertsettingderivesfromtheaviatorSaint
Exuprys1935experienceofhavingbeenlostforalmostaweekintheArabiandesert,withhismemoriesof
loneliness,hallucination,impendingdeath(andenvelopingbeauty)inthedesertrealizedonthepage.Thecentrallove
storyofthePrinceandRosederivesfromhisstormyloveaffairwithhiswife,Consuelo,fromwhomtherosetakesher
coughandherflightinessandherimperiousnessandhersuddenswoons.(Whilehehadbeenlostinthedesertin35,
Schifftellsus,shehadbeenpubliclymourninghislossonherownasteroid,hertableattheBrasserieLipp.)The
desertandtherosehislifeasanintrepidaviatorandhislifeasabaffledloverwerehisinspiration.Butbetween
thosetwoexperiences,skeweringthem,dividingthemwithaline,wasthewar.
Inthedeepestpartsofhispsyche,hehadfeltthelossofFrancenotjustasalossofbattlebutalsoasalossofmeaning.
ThedesertofthestrangedefeatwasmorebewilderingthanthedesertofLibyahadbeennothinganylongermade
sense.SaintExsownwarwashonorable:heflewwiththeGRII/33reconnaissancesquadronoftheArmedelAir.
And,afterthebitterdefeat,hefledEuropelikesomanyotherpatrioticFrenchmen,travellingthroughPortugaland
arrivinginNewYorkonthelastdayof1940.But,asanyonewholivedthroughitknew,whatmadethelossso
traumaticwasthesensethattheentireunderpinningofFrenchcivilization,notmerelyitsarmies,hadcome,soto
speak,underthescrutinyofthegodsand,withremarkablespeed,collapsed.
Searchingforthecausesofthatcollapse,themosthonesthonorablemindsMarcBlochandCamusamongthem
thoughtthattherealfaultlayintheFrenchhabitofabstraction.TheFrenchtraditionthatmoved,andstillmoves,
pragmaticquestionsaboutspecificinstancesintoaparallelpaperuniverseinwhichthegeneraltheoreticalquestion
themodeliswhatmattersmosthadfaileditsmakers.Certainly,onewayofrespondingtothedisasterwastosearch
outsomenewsetofabstractions,ofoverarchingcategoriestoreplacethoselost.Butamorehumaneresponsewasto
engageinaceaselessbattleagainstallthoseabstractionsthatkeepusfromlifeasitis.Nooneputthisbetterthanthe
heroicBlochhimself:
Thefirsttaskofmytrade(i.e.ofthehistorian,butmorebroadlythehumanistproperlysocalled)
consistsinavoidingbigsoundingabstractterms.Thosewhoteachhistoryshouldbecontinually
concernedwiththetaskofseekingthesolidandconcretebehindtheemptyandabstract.Inotherwords,
itisonmenratherthanfunctionsthattheyshouldconcentratealltheirattention.
Thismightseemlikeaveryoddmoraltotakefromtheexperienceofsomethingasdevastatingasthewar.Butit
wasntmerelyintellectual,anamateursnoncombatantepiphany.Atapurelytactical,militarylevel,theurgeto
abstractionhadmeanttheurgetofetishizefixed,systematicsolutionsattheexpenseoftacticalfluidityand
resourcefulness.TheMaginotlinewasanabstractideathathadbeenallowedtoreplaceflexiblestrategyandcommon
sense.(OnerecallsPicassoscommenttoMatisse,whenthetroubledFrenchpainteraskedhim,in1940,Butwhat
aboutourgenerals,whataretheydoing?:Ourgenerals?TheyrethemastersattheEcoledesBeauxArts!Picasso

responded,meaningmenpossessedbythesameroteformulaeandabsenceofobservationandobsessivetraditionalism
astheacademicartists.
Fromanexperiencethatwassodehumanizingandoverwhelminganexperiencethatturnsanentirehumanbeingwith
acomplicatedlifehistoryanddestinyfirstintoacipherandthenintoacasualtySaintExuprywantedtorescuethe
person,notthestatistic.Thestatisticscouldbeanyofthosethemenontheplanetsareobsessedwith,thecounting
fetishthatmighttakeinstarsifoneisanastronomerorprofitsforbusinessmen.TherichestwaytoseeLePetit
Princeisasanextendedparableofthekindsandfolliesofabstractionandthespecialintensityandpoignanceofthe
storyisthatSaintExuprydramatizesthestruggleagainstabstractionnotasaphilosophicalsubjectbutasalifeand
deathstory.Thebookmovesfromasteroidtodesert,fromfableandcomedytoenigmatictragedy,inordertomake
onerecurrentpoint:Youcantloveroses.Youcanonlylovearose.
ForallofthePrincesjourneyisajourneyofexile,likeSaintExuprys,awayfromgenericexperiencetowardsthe
eroticismoftheparticularflower.Toberesponsibleforhisrose,thePrincelearns,istoseeitasitreallyis,inallits
fragilityandvanityindeed,inallitsuttercommonness!withoutlovingitlessforbeingsofragile.Thepersistent
triumphofspecificexperiencecanbefoundinsomethingasidiosyncraticandbizarreastheopeningimageofaboa
constrictorswallowinganelephant,which,thenarratortellsus,thegrownupscanonlyseeasagenericobject.(Thisis
whereSaintExandtheSurrealistswhoadmiredhimatracingofhishandappearsinoneoftheissuesofthe
SurrealistjournalMinotaurtouch.ReneMagrittespaintings,withtheirverysimilarobsessionwithmiddleclasshats,
suggestthateverytimeyouseeabourgeoisderbytheremaybeaboaconstrictorinside.TheXrayofeveryhatreveals
aboaconstrictorineveryhead.ThatcouldbethemottoofeverySurrealistexhibition.)
ThementhePrincemeetsonhisjourneytoEarthareallmenwhohave,inBlochssense,beenreducedtofunctions.
TheBusinessman,theAstronomer,eventhepoorLamplighter,havebecometheiroccupations,andgoneblindtothe
stars.Itis,again,theessentialmovementwefindinCamus,onlyinTheLittlePrinceitisshowntousascomicfable
ratherthanrealisticnovel.Theworldconspirestomakeusblindtoitsownworkingsourrealworkistoseetheworld
again.
Aversionofthisessayfirstappeared,inFrench,inthemagazineFranceAmeriqueitwasalsothesubjectofalecture
attheMorganLibrary&Museum.
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