Oldal 40 [40]
OCR
Icon Animorum by John Barclay and the Origins of the Characterization of European Nations deserve a special study.'° In my essay I wanted only to call attention to an important early modern Latin work, which fits very well into our actual interests during the early years of the extended European Union. It is an interesting fact that one of the early builders of the “New Europe” af ter World War II, Julian Huxley gave a short but positive evaluation of Barclay’s book, placing him more favorably above than the modern idea of innate inferiority of certain “races” in the work of the French Count Joseph de Gobineau (Essai sur Vinégalité des races humaines 1853-1855). Huxley quotes some passages from Barclay’s derogatory remarks about the English and the Germans." They are very similar to some ethnic stereotypes of today. Barclay being part Scot and part French naturally distributes his favours between these two peoples, who fairly divide the virtues, and leave few over for the others. Thus, according to him, the English are gluttons and their lower classes puffed up with pride and, horribile dictu!, even with wealth. ... As for the Germans, they are one and all “infected with a wonderful love of drinking,” a habit which impressed Barclay immensely. Moreover, they “hate all kinds of subtlety, either because they themselves, loosened by drink, cannot firmly keep a secret in, or because their minds in such coarse bodies know themselves to be dull and are ever suspicious of the subtleties of others as bent against them and aiming to overreach them.” ... As for learning among the Germans, Barclay assures us that “they write more than they read; and value their reputations by the number and greatness of the volumes which they publish in print. Their wits, as they are dark and dull, so are they strong to endure endless toil.” He generously allows, however, that Germans are less given to treachery, deceitful cunning, or lust than some that he could name and that they possess also some positive virtues. I hope the recent French edition of Barclay’s work: Jean Barclay Le Tableau des esprits (Edition, annotation et introduction par Paulette Choné et Sylvia Taussig, Turnhout 2010) may revitalize the interest in his book. The main topic of our conference was “representation of east-central and southeastern Europeans in the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century,” Barclay’s book differs from it in two respects. Firstly his geographic horizon is broader: including western Europe. But he speaks about central and eastern Europeans as well. Secondly as regards the time period, Barclay’s book is today 400 years old, representing seventeenth century absolutism.'? But if we want to understand the ethnic/national stereotypes of yesterday and today, we should look back to earlier sources as well. Barclay’s book does not contain illustrations. It could be 10 Summarizing work of the psychological approach to ethnic character: Grieger 1961. u Huxley, Haddon, Carr-Saunders 1935: 57-8 (I used the 1939 edition in Pelican Books series). 12 Tt is superfluous to mention that during his lifetime Barclay was accepted by the “highest” circles in philology, philosophy, and other social sciences—in spite of the fact that he was never a university professor or diplomat. 37
