Chapter 7 Paris Gothic AD 1137

This is our first visit to Paris in history, a Paris you don't know. Paris is an ancient city.Long before Left Bank chanson, long before existentialism in cafés, long before Chopin, Hugo, Dumas, Monet, Napoleon and the Revolution, all the romance we've heard about Paris Paris had been an important city before.We were not familiar with Paris at that time, and it was not exquisite and romantic, but to a certain extent, the influence of that Paris on the whole of Europe and the world was even higher than the exquisite romance we knew later. If you go to Paris today, you will probably follow the tour guide's footsteps and walk through the magnificent buildings that the French are extremely proud of: the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, and Versailles.These are the buildings of the revolutionary era from the 16th to the 19th century, including Renaissance styles, neoclassicism, modernity and metal aesthetics, which are amazing.However, when you marvel at these beauties, did you ever think that Hugo would make a mockery of all this in the movie?And why is it set in the 15th century instead of the 19th century where Hugo lived?

What kind of Paris was that once Paris? We walked out of the Roman Empire and entered the fallen millennium. The late Roman Empire fell into a predicament peculiar to empires.Conquest brought territory, but the empire was too large and complex for the political establishment to control.In order to exercise the power of jurisdiction, the empire was divided into two, and the Western Roman Empire was further divided, half ruled by Romans, half ruled by barbarians, and the area ruled by barbarians was divided into smaller areas. This trend continued, bringing The consequence is that the entire empire is out of control and unable to function.What followed was the decline of the public spirit. The political virtues advocated by Aristotle and the republican spirit promoted by Plutarch have disappeared. The common people spend their time on festivals and the Colosseum, and are full of enthusiasm for entertainment. , have no interest in politics and public affairs, and over time, there are fewer and fewer powerful figures who have made unique achievements in politics.

Like all grand declines in history, overall decline is inevitable when there are both top and bottom declines.All this gave the barbarians an opportunity. "Barbarians" is Rome's name for the Germanic nomadic tribes living in eastern Europe.This derogatory title is used to show that they cannot be compared with Rome in terms of cultural system.This word was first used by the ancient Greeks to describe all people except Greece. At first, it only expressed the difference in language, without praise or criticism. It was only used to refer to the Persians after the Hippocratic War, and it was only in the Hellenistic era that it became a fixed term. Concept: A barbarian is an alien who lacks reason, understanding, self-control, and culture.Rome continued this tradition, at first it only ruled the barbarians.Greece and Rome had the capital to look down on others, but in the end they were all ended by the barbarians.

The fall of Rome left Europe fragmented for 10 centuries.In this millennium of division, countless masters have changed on the European continent.If you are like me and can't remember various years and names, then this period of time must be a black box that daunts you.It's like standing in front of a big screen in a movie where all kinds of data fragments fly by, and the eyes slide over countless names, which makes people feel at a loss for a while.The barbarians flowed down from the eastern highlands like a flood.Vandals, Goths, Saxons, Celts, Aryans, Franks, each nation established its own kingdom in the land that was originally conquered by the empire.All of Europe fell into pieces.

Beginning in the 3rd century, the barbarian invasion became the most important force to disintegrate the Roman Empire.No one knows exactly what caused the barbarians to migrate, only the general process and context.In the 4th century AD, the Goths established a huge empire, although loose, it spanned a wide range.At the same time, the Huns began to rush from east to west and rose rapidly.The Huns have been living in the grasslands of Central Asia, constantly at war with the Chinese nation. The Qin Dynasty built the Great Wall for this purpose, mobilized horses and vigorously armed forces, and emigrated people to guard the border.The powerful Han Dynasty fought against the Xiongnu. Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, and Zhang Qian gradually expanded the territory of the Han Empire westward.The Northern Huns migrated away.Some people think that it was this Northern Huns who later rose up, attacked westward, and penetrated deep into the hinterland of Europe, forcing the Germans to invade the Roman Empire.The Huns broke the Gothic Empire, and the Goths were forced to migrate westward to fight Rome.

The horseshoes of the Goths finally got past the Roman defenses.It was not an easy victory, and the last few emperors of Rome fought and maintained their victories against the barbarians for nearly a century.It wasn't until 395, when Rome was officially divided into two empires, the East and the West, that the Goths had hope of victory.In 405 AD, the Rhine River was breached by the army of the Gothic leader Alaric. In 410, the city of Rome fell. In 418, the first barbarian kingdom, the Visigothic Kingdom, was established.Since then, the barbarian victory has been out of control. In 439, Carthage was established as the capital of the Vandal Kingdom. In 451, Attila the Hun led the Huns to invade. In 476, the Western Roman Empire officially fell.Henceforth, the ancient world came to an end.Western Europe was divided into 10 kingdoms, and the barbarians settled down on the Apennine Peninsula and the Gaul Plain.

Amid all these chaos, a tribe came into view.They come from the Rhine River, live as nomads, and fight on horseback. They are one of the Germanic tribes, and they have expanded their territory while sticking to their homeland from the Rhine River Valley.One of them occupied northern Gaul, defeated Agrius, the last ruler of Rome in Gaul, in 486, and established their own kingdom. This is the Franks-the people who conquered Paris. The leader of this tribe, named Clovis, chose Paris to settle down.He established the Kingdom of the Franks, named the dynasty the Merovingian Dynasty after his grandfather, and then continued to conquer, not only conquering most of Gaul, but also conquering the original territory of other Franks in the Rhine Valley.These territories became the embryonic form of France, and Paris became the capital of the country for the first time in history.

This was a turning point in the fate of Paris. Paris was born on the island, like a fisherman's child, seeing the water before seeing the sky.Geographers once had such a motto: "Paris is a gift on the Seine." The city island on the Seine was the earliest settlement of Parisians.Looking down from today's map, the center of Paris still seems to have two eyes, the Ile de la Cité and Ile Saint-Louis, clear and quiet, watching the sky in the middle of the meandering river.Compared with the city, the two small islands are small and submerged by the surrounding buildings, but they mark the zero point of the center of Paris.They are the origin of Paris, where it originated before it became the capital.

Paris was inhabited very early, with the first humans appearing around 700,000 years ago.Canoes appeared in 5000 BC, confirming the life of early hunters hunting fish and waterfowl.During the Bronze Age, trade along the river made it a commercial center.The earliest inhabitants left no traces, and the nations conquered by Caesar migrated here and became the ancestors of Gaul.One of them is called "Paris", which is the source of Paris' name.Caesar himself liked it too, and sent his generals to capture Paris in 53 BC.Since then, Paris has been incorporated into the territory of the Roman Empire, where classically styled streets were built and Emperor Julian was crowned.

In ancient Paris, although the city of Rome was not comprehensive, it still built the Colosseum, colonnaded buildings and three public baths. Emperor Julian of the 4th century was particularly fond of it, saying: "My lovely Lutetia is the capital of the people of Paris... The Seine is crystal clear... and quite wet even in winter." During that period, Rome The rulers dug a quarry for construction on the island in the center of the city, built temples to commemorate the Roman gods outside the city, and there were boatman's stone pillars dedicated to Jupiter for blessings by the Seine River.As a province, Gaul left many traces of Rome.

All of this is hard to see today.Walking on the city center island today, the first thing that catches the eye is the Notre Dame de Paris. There are many tourists, gathered in the square of Notre Dame.On the banks of the river on both sides of the island in the center of the city, you can see the dignified and square city hall, the magnificent and magnificent Luxembourg Palace, stone bridges and iron bridges of various shapes on the river, and the Louvre, the Grand Palace and the Small Palace in the distance. Invalides.Walking on the street, you will feel the rigor of classical architecture. The streets are narrow and dense, and the stone-carved buildings are closely connected. The outer walls are straight and neat, which is very different from the roundness and thickness of the Romans.All this is the world of the Franks, the world of prehistoric inhabitants and Roman conquerors, obliterated by time. Paris today is a conquest after a conquest. The history of Paris is divided into three stages: early inhabitants - Roman conquest - Frankish conquest.The history we can visit begins with the Franks, or in other words, the history of the Franks. Under the rule of the Roman Empire, Paris has always been a second-rate city.By the 12th century, Paris had become the largest city in the Christian world, a center of culture and thought.The leap in between was huge, and not easy in the unique setting of the Middle Ages. Clovis' entry was its first twist.Clovis made Paris his capital, and it has remained so ever since.Clovis was the most successful king of the Merovingian dynasty.He was a fighting king who reigned from 481 to 511, expanding in Gaul, Germany, and Italy.He was also a king who judged the situation. Under the influence of his Catholic wife, he converted to Christ after a battle. Clovis became the first barbarian Christian king.He accepted the system of the Roman Empire, the Christian system, and the Latin language, and worked hard to shape the Frankish Kingdom as a continuation of the Roman Empire. After Clovis died, his four sons divided up the kingdom.They each occupy a part of the territory, Paris only retains the status of the capital.After that, the descendants of Merovingian continued to compete and carve up. In three out of four years, the ruler changed positions, and the political center often rotated. In such a rotation, the Merovingian kings became weaker and weaker. They liked to hunt and lived in the palace, and the ruling power slowly slipped to the hands of the palace ministers who handled affairs for them. In 751, a promising palace minister Pepin simply abolished the king, usurped the throne, ascended the throne with the support of the pope, and opened up his own Carolingian dynasty. The Carolingian dynasty was an expanding dynasty.Pepin's son, Charlemagne, was the most successful king in the millennium in the European Middle Ages. He conquered most of the territory from the Atlantic coast to the Hungarian plain, from the Baltic Sea to Italy, and Europe almost became an empire again.Charlemagne also created the "Renaissance" of the Middle Ages, trying to restore ancient cultures damaged by war.But after Charlemagne's death, his empire repeated the mistakes of Merovingian, failing to solve the problem of succession, the empire was divided again, and the three sons inherited the East, West and Central respectively.The empire thus disintegrated, and the three kingdoms gradually developed into modern Germany, Italy and France. Charlemagne's capital was at Aachen, and Paris was obscured by the Carolingians.Centuries later, a rising lord family in West Francia was crowned king by the princes, and Paris ushered in a second turning point: the rise of the Capetian dynasty. The Capet dynasty was a rising dynasty in Paris. It ruled France for four centuries, and Paris achieved unparalleled development.Paris transformed from a small town into a metropolis in one leap. In 1100, the population of Paris was only a few thousand; by 1300, its population was about 200,000. Such a city is not surprising in the early and late periods of history, but it was unusual in the Middle Ages.The city-states in the early history were countries. There were 250,000 people living in Rome itself. The modern metropolis after the Renaissance was a gathering of all activities. Cities with more than a million people abounded. However, in the Middle Ages, the state of the entire society was scattered. Yes, it is extremely rare to have such a dense city.In the mid-fourteenth century, no other city in France had more than 50,000 people, and several other large cities in Europe barely reached 100,000.Political segregation, the economy is often concentrated only in the lord's territory, and the transportation is underdeveloped. Except for Flanders, there is no such concentration in Europe as Paris. One important factor that cannot be ignored is the medieval church.The earliest rulers of the Capetian dynasty did not live in Paris. They often lived in Orleans, and Paris had its earls and church territories.The territory of the church is as large as that of the king's family, and the scope of exercising power is even wider than that of the king.The king repeatedly tried to bring the church under his jurisdiction, and the church tried to establish its own independent influence in various fields. From the 11th century onwards, the church played an important role in the development of Paris.The Saint-Germain-Price Abbey used its own land to attract residents to come to cultivate, and the homeless and troubadours also came to seek refuge. Responsible for maintaining regular fairs and using agricultural and commercial income to finance the development of handicrafts.The Church needed to build churches and decorate classics, and was therefore the patron of architects, sculptors, glass experts, jewelers and floral painters.The Catholic Church issued theological licenses, which attracted a large number of monks to come to study. St. Victor's Abbey developed into an authoritative academic center. In the middle of the 12th century, Paris established the oldest university in Europe and became a famous holy place for religious education in Europe. During this process, the relationship between the king and the church is extremely delicate. Although there is a power struggle, it is more about cooperation.The king consciously cooperated with the church, using the church as a tool to cultivate a sense of royal power.This started from the Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties, and the Capetian dynasty developed to the extreme.The priests were responsible for sanctifying the idea of ​​dynasticity, describing the king as the son of heaven.Legend has it that Robert the Pious King has magical powers, and he can cure the chronic lymphatic tuberculosis through touching, so this disease is called "King's Disease".In later generations, believers continued to kneel in the Tao, begging the king's touch.On the other hand, the king supported the church, expressed his piety to religion, led the people to launch religious wars, and used financial resources to support the development of church buildings. Churches are a great place to stay close to history, especially medieval history. In Paris we were able to visit churches.There are various churches in Paris, many of which have a long history.Saint-Germain-des-Prés Church is a 6th-century building that continues the quaint style of Rome. Later Descartes was buried here. Hugo liked its architecture very much. The cafes around the church were once famous for Hemingway and other romantic figures.The Saint-Germain Auxerre Church was once the church of the Louvre Museum. It was built in the 7th century and the main part was built in the 12th century. It has the only remaining Romanesque bell tower.More importantly, the Abbey of St. Denis is the best way to get in touch with the history of the Frankish Kingdom. Saint-Denis is a small city in the north of Paris. Since ancient times, Saint-Denis and Paris have grown up like twin sisters.The small town is picturesque, quiet and peaceful.It is named after Saint-Denis, the first bishop of Paris, and is famous all over the world for the Saint-Denis Abbey.The monastery is the burial place of the French royal family. From the 10th century to before the Great Revolution, only three of the French kings were not buried here. Clovis was originally buried elsewhere after his death, but his remains were also transported here.Since the 13th century, the royal tombs have been refurbished to allow pilgrimage and visits, strengthening the sanctity of the king's rule.Today, you can still enter the royal tomb in the monastery, and you can also see the utensils and clothing of the monarchs in the kingdom era in the church.Such a status endows Saint-Denis Abbey with a distinctive temperament, and its tranquility has a huge tension. When you look at that quiet corner, you may not think that all the classical splendor of France is buried in it. In addition, and more importantly, Saint-Denis Abbey is a place where architectural art was born. What can be the result of the union of Christianity and barbarism?Christianity was born in the Middle East and spread tolerantly in the Roman Empire. Barbarians grew in the forest and gained a world galloping on horseback.What kind of flowers can they both produce? The answer is goth. Gothic art is the answer and collection of our original set of questions.Gothic art is the source of the first pivotal position of Paris in the entire history of European civilization, and Gothic Paris is the magnificent city that Hugo constantly praises and misses. The most typical representative of Gothic art is the Gothic church.This is another milestone architectural style in the history of architecture.Similar to literature and art, from ancient times, European architectural styles can also be divided into several major stages: Greco-Roman architecture, Gothic architecture, Renaissance and later neoclassical architecture, and mechanical aesthetics and other modern styles after industrialization architecture.Gothic architecture, as the main architectural style in the Middle Ages, is the most prominent feature of all these architectural styles: it is clearly recognizable, it gives people a strong shock, it is not only known in the field of architecture, but also affects life for hundreds of years and the arts, including literature, music and painting. The origin of Gothic architecture is in Paris, where we meet the soul of the Middle Ages. In 1147, when Louis VI of the Frankish Kingdom set off for the Second Crusade, he chose Sugi as his regent.Sugi was the most accomplished abbot, historian, and architect of his time.He practiced in the Saint-Denis Abbey at the time from the age of 10, and later studied in Normandy and Lyon. In 1127, he became the elder of Saint-Denis.He suggested that Louis VI build a new monastery in Saint-Denis, which he personally presided over.It was here that he first created this new style of architecture: steeples, ribbed arches, flying buttresses, enlarged glass were born here, all of which were a great innovation over antiquity. To understand what is unusual about this new style of architecture, it is necessary to know what characterizes the buildings of antiquity.The churches of ancient Rome originated from the public halls of the Republic period.This kind of public hall is a comprehensive building, which can not only offer sacrifices and worship gods, but also hold discussions and public gatherings, and even carry out commercial transactions.The shape can have many styles, but most of them are rectangular, with thick walls and columns. Although they are wide, they are relatively short, and there are small windows for light transmission, but they give people a gloomy feeling.Suji’s innovation started from this roughness. He changed the structure of the building’s force, using thin and tall columns to collect the force at the tip, and the outside of the building is supported by inclined flying buttresses. The whole is changed from surface support to skeleton. The support relieves the burden of the wall, and the height of the building can be greatly improved.This is a huge change, which not only brings about a leap in height and width, but also reduces the area of ​​the wall because the wall is no longer necessary in terms of force. At the same time, a large area of ​​transparent glass is added to make the indoor light become more Sufficient, in the 12th century when the glass technology became more and more mature, the large-scale use of stained glass made the light inside the church have rich changes.Gothic cathedrals are the art of light. Hegel once discussed this in his "Aesthetics".He separated Gothic churches from all other architectural arts as Romantic architecture.The reason is that it transcends the subordination of general architecture to serve other purposes, and becomes the purpose of free existence itself.The beauty of the Gothic church is the reason for its existence. Its infinitely rising lines allow people to fully raise their attention and gather at a very high place, just like entering the kingdom of heaven, while its huge stained glass penetrates into the sun, Holy and light, it symbolizes the light of God descending from heaven.At the same time, it creates a solemn atmosphere isolated from the world, completely draws a line from the world, isolates a piece of silence, and allows everyone to enter into their own meditation involuntarily in the silence.It is both gloomy and detached, creating beauty in two extreme directions, the highest towering into the sky, and the deepest in the heart. Where is the charm of Gothic art, you can go to the Architecture Museum in Paris to understand.There are not only extremely exquisite architectural models, but also section displays and explanations, which show the craftsmanship and style of Gothic churches in detail, and can be operated by hands.The Architecture Museum also has the best viewing platform to watch the Eiffel Tower. Standing on the platform, watching ancient and modern technology, the wilderness of the stone city and the vigorous and upright steel skeleton blend face to face, which is very emotional. The characteristics of Gothic architecture, we can use Hugo's words to illustrate: "In the grandeur of the whole, each is coordinated, and it is divided into five layers in turn, which are displayed in front of your eyes. Although it is crowded, it is not chaotic. Together with countless sculptures, The statues and carved decorations are very suitable for its overall grandeur. It can be said to be a stone symphony on a grand scale." Symphony of stone.I am afraid there is no better description than this.The biggest feature of Gothic churches is their grandeur, towering and majestic grandeur, which far surpasses the grandeur of ordinary temples.It is towering and vast, with majestic walls built of huge stones, roofs and minarets more than 100 meters high, a criss-cross spatial structure, and interior and exterior carvings with infinite details.And more importantly, in this grandeur, there is not a single bit of roughness, no trace of pyramid-like primitive heaviness, and no trace of Roman bath-like extravagance. Every detail is rigorous, rational, rich, and finely crafted. cut, and the relationship between structure and structure is like a symphony that cooperates with each other, rotating and rising.In the sculptures of many Gothic churches, you can recognize all kinds of monsters and demons, which are unique cultural decorations of barbarians, but they are finally unified in the overall silence, which is unique to Christian culture. The artistic characteristics of strict order. In Europe today, you can see a beautiful Gothic cathedral or two in almost every major city of importance.The most famous ones include Chartres Church and Amiens Cathedral in France, Canterbury Church and Salisbury Church in England, Cologne Church and Ulm Cathedral in Germany, and the Milan Cathedral we have visited in Italy.These majestic and jaw-dropping buildings often leave the deepest impression on tourists from foreign countries during their journey. In Paris, you can see many different types of Gothic churches.Many people do not know that Gothic architecture was born in Paris, and even in modern Germany, some thinkers including Hegel attributed the birth of Gothic to Germany. In addition to the Abbey of Saint-Denis, the earliest Gothic church, there are many beautiful churches in Paris worth seeing.Notre Dame de Paris is the most famous, it has very light and beautiful flying buttresses, Hugo is full of praise for it, and once devoted a whole chapter to its architecture in the book.On Sundays and festivals, you can climb to the top of Notre Dame Cathedral, overlooking the panoramic view of Paris in the sun, and imagining the spectacular scene of Hong Zhongqi described by Hugo.Not far from Notre Dame, the chapel is famous for its lightest structure. Its walls are almost completely hollowed out, leaving only the skeleton of the columns, and the windows are extremely exquisite.The Chartres Cathedral on the outskirts has a beautiful rose window that is second to none; the St. Javier St. Butterfly Church is one of the oldest churches in Paris. The combination of white columns and stained glass is very holy, and the front of the St. Paul St. Louis Church follows Its style, with its interior blending Romanesque domes with Gothic heights, feels regal.All these churches taken together are already a silent medieval museum. Paris was chosen for this historical stop, not only because of the prosperity of Paris in the 12th century, but also because of the unique status of the Frankish Kingdom in the history of the Middle Ages.From the experience of Frank we can see the experience of Europe, and from the fate of Frank we can see the fate of Europe. After the Capetian dynasty, the Frankish Kingdom experienced the Bourbon dynasty, the Bonaparte dynasty and the Republic founded by Napoleon, step by step from ancient times to today's France. In the story of the development of the Frankish Kingdom, we can see many of the most important features of medieval Europe: the military exploits of the monarch determine the strength of the country, the division of the throne by the heirs divides the territory, the monarch competes with the church for control, and the monarch relies on the church to establish sanctity. The church also relied on the monarch for development.All these are universal features of the European Middle Ages.The Frankish Kingdom was much more powerful than the scattered small countries. At the end of the Middle Ages, it was the most powerful country to centralize state power.In the cultural desert of the Middle Ages, Paris was once the place where philosophy and art bloomed. The Middle Ages was a strange period. On the one hand, civilization degenerated greatly, writing could not be popularized at all, and science and art regressed to a very crude stage.But on the other hand, it has created a civilization of belief that we cannot fully understand today. The people's hearts are pious and peaceful, yearning for sacrifice and contemplation, and they are devoted to the art of expressing truth and virtue.The Middle Ages was the birthplace of the modern age. Without its contractual obligations, its chivalry, and its yearning for the universe, it would be absolutely impossible for us to reap the rich fruits of modern society today. All of these, we will see one after another. Paris has two main airports - Charles de Gaulle and Orly, with many routes.There are four railway stations, the railways are divided into French high-speed rail TGV and ordinary trains, and the fares are divided into different classes.The subway in the city is the most convenient way to travel, extending in all directions.A day ticket is 5.5 euros, and a 10-time ticket is equivalent to 1.5 euros, which are more cost-effective. 1.The Chapel of Saint-Denis: Denis is one of a series of small towns located between the old city of Paris and the border of the Greater Paris district - Ile-de-France.The historical status of the Saint-Denis Church is that it is the first verifiable Gothic church, built by the Parisian designer Sugui.Compared with many of its younger generations, the Saint-Denis Chapel is not majestic, but the beautiful spire and glass still leave a deep impression on people.The tombs of many kings of the Frankish Kingdom. 2.Notre Dame de Paris: The most famous Gothic cathedral in the world.Plain and heavy, there are often concerts at night, ethereal and holy.Many people don't think Notre Dame is very beautiful, but it entrusts the feelings of Parisians.Notre Dame is the veritable center of Paris. It is the zero point of Paris. The administrative area is divided outwards from Notre Dame, and the distance is calculated from it. 3.Chartres Cathedral: one of the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals.Together with Reims Cathedral, Amiens Cathedral and Beauvais Cathedral, it is listed as the four largest Gothic churches in France.From Paris you can take a suburban train.There are famous beautiful rose windows. 4.Chapel: Near Notre Dame de Paris, the building is known for its ethereal lightness, and the columns almost remove the burden of the walls. 5.Architecture Museum: Facing the Invalides Square and the Eiffel Tower across the Seine River, the view from the high platform is very beautiful.The three-story museum tells the ancient, modern and contemporary aspects of Parisian architecture, both technology and art, as well as the history of people. [Method] Hugo (1802～1885) translated by Zhu Guangqian It was Hugo's work when he was very young. He was only twenty-five or six years old when he wrote it. It is hard to imagine that such a young writer can write so deeply about so many characters.In, Paris and Notre Dame are the real protagonists.From now on, Hugo already has that iconic pride. He uses the most gorgeous and rich words and knowledge to proudly laugh at all kinds of gods and demons in the world. The hunchback being used by others, the mad priest, or the masses who speak without thinking, all show the most regrettable faces in Hugo's works.Only the silent towering megalithic building retains the most majestic standing. Hugo was born in Besançon, a small town in eastern France, but not many people know this.Hugo always connected himself with Paris. From the first day he wrote, this was the only real city in his writing. "Paris's most historic architecture is disappearing every day, and its monuments are diminishing, as if to see them drowned in a sea of ​​houses, gradually being swallowed up. Our ancestors built a Paris of solid stone, and our descendants , it will become a plaster Paris." "aesthetics" [Germany] Hegel (1689～1755) Translated by Zhu Guangqian "Aesthetics" is fully in line with the overall framework of Hegel's philosophy: history is regarded as the unfolding of the spirit of the world, and there are different spiritual entities in different historical stages, which are reflected as embodied human art.From architecture to sculpture, from fine arts to poetry and music, the degree of abstraction in human art is getting higher and higher, and in every category, the trend of complexity and abstraction is the rising development of spirit.Whether you like Hegel or not, this grand description from the whole to the concrete is very touching. History seems to have a definite logic. The birth of everything is in the chain of historical spiritual destiny, which is magnificent because of its inevitability. Gothic architecture is an art that Hegel particularly likes. He uses Christianity's unique purpose of exploring the inner spiritual world to explain the shape of Gothic architecture, making the majestic and solemn buildings appear full of spirituality. "The impression that art now wants to produce is, on the one hand, different from the sudden enlightenment of Greek temples, a calm atmosphere of mind, isolated from external nature and ordinary secular life; on the other hand, it strives to transcend all appeals to knowledge. So if the Greek architecture generally shows its breadth in the horizontal direction, the romantic style of the Christian temple that is opposite to it is to soar into the sky. "In this vast building, this variety of situations seems to be lost in the constant flow of coming and going; When it appears, it disappears and turns into a fleeting cloud. In such a huge space, temporary things can only be seen in the process of disappearing. However, this huge infinite space itself transcends everything and is always in the same shape. And the structure stands there majestically." History of the City of Paris [English] Translated by Colin Jones and Dong Xiaochuan Professor Colin Jones is the author of The Cambridge Illustrated History of France. "The History of the City of Paris" is a unique four-dimensional print that he outlined for Paris. Different from the textbook-style history, this book does not just record the age and historical events, nor does it just describe the personal biographies of princes and generals, but writes about people, real Parisians.He wrote of a Parisian child discovered by archaeology, of Christians who became saints against foreign enemies, of the construction of the fortifications of the city, of the guilds of commerce and the life of shoemakers.This is the perspective of overall historiography that is in line with Bloch and Braudel. I don’t know when someone will write such a history for ancient Chinese cities. "If it is true that cultural memory is stored or imprinted in the built environment of the city, it must be known that the environment is inhabited. All in all, it is in any case unacceptable to talk about the history of Paris without regard for the Parisians. "From another perspective, the 'typical Parisian' is also a myth. A 'he' or a 'she' living in Paris is almost certainly born outside Paris, or is a descendant of a population outside Paris. "Land, water and humidity are as much associated with the history of the city of Paris as dramatically as they are with the modern age. Geographers once had the adage: 'Paris is a gift from the Seine.' "A lot of the mythology of Paris is of its own making."