Remy de Gourmont's Philosophic Nights in Paris, translated by Isaac Goldberg, opens with an introduction that positions the author as a "neo-Epicurean" who combined "matter and manner" in his thought. The essays themselves, however, quickly move beyond abstract philosophy into concrete, often brutal natural observation. In the section on Leopardi, Gourmont quotes the Italian poet's description of a garden as a "vast hospital," where a rose is "wounded by the sun" and a lily is "sucked by a bee." Gourmont then corrects Leopardi's entomology: the mosquitoes he saw attacking caterpillars are actually ichneumons, laying eggs that will "gnaw the living flesh" of their prey. This blend of literary critique and precise natural history is characteristic of the collection.

A Garden of Suffering: Leopardi Corrected

Gourmont's essay on Leopardi is not a simple summary but a pointed argument. He reproduces Leopardi's claim that every plant in a garden is in a "state of suffering," then accuses the poet of committing "the error of him who wishes to prove too much." Gourmont insists that Leopardi's pessimism "abdicates reason" and becomes "somewhat ridiculous sentimentality." The key move is Gourmont's entomological correction: the mosquitoes Leopardi saw as allies of caterpillars are actually parasitic ichneumons. This detail transforms the garden from a passive hospital into an active battlefield where "every living creature is in turn prey and depredator." Gourmont's critique is not merely literary; it uses scientific observation to challenge a philosophical stance.

From Pliny to Pessimism: A Classical Lineage

Gourmont traces pessimism back to ancient sources, noting that "the Greeks, who knew everything, knew the despair of living." He cites Pliny the Elder's enumeration of human miseries, including the observation that man "cries from the moment of birth and never laughs before his fortieth day." Pliny's conclusion, approving the epigram "It is best not to be born or to die as soon as possible," is presented as a precursor to Leopardi. Yet Gourmont distinguishes between Pliny's "beautiful and philosophic" resignation and Leopardi's more emotional version. This historical framing situates the essays within a tradition of philosophical reflection on suffering, while also asserting Gourmont's own critical distance from modern pessimism.

The Translator's Voice: Isaac Goldberg's Introduction

Isaac Goldberg's introduction, though not by Gourmont, shapes how the essays are presented. Goldberg describes Gourmont as "a daring, independent, unostentatious, extremely personal neo-Epicurean" who "outgrew" the Symbolist movement. He emphasizes Gourmont's "intellectual poise" and his ability to combine "matter and manner." The introduction also notes that Gourmont "was, by heredity and by choice, an aristocratic spirit" who later recognized "the importance of true democracy." This framing may influence readers to see the essays as the work of a detached, evolving thinker. However, the excerpts themselves show a writer deeply engaged in polemic, not aloof from his subjects.

Readers should approach Philosophic Nights in Paris as a series of arguments rather than a unified treatise. Gourmont's method is to engage with other thinkers—Leopardi, Pliny, Jouffroy—by testing their ideas against his own observations of nature and literature. The catalog subjects of "philosophy" and "French essays" are accurate but incomplete; the work also demands attention to its scientific details and its combative tone. Goldberg's translation preserves the essayist's voice, but the introduction's portrait of a serene "neo-Epicurean" may mislead. The essays themselves are sharper and more specific.