PARIS: THE CITY WHERE DREAMS ARE MADE

 

The Eiffel Tower

The Louvre Museum

PARIS: THE CITY WHERE DREAMS ARE MADE

What are dreams made of?

Well, You will find out when you get to Paris.

I am here to inform you that if you have never dreamt of going to Paris, YOU ARE ALONE! The rest of the world aspires to at least one day see the lights glow on the Eiffel tower and walk through the city where dreams are made. Through the centuries, Paris has been known to be the city of enlightenment, fun, fashion, worldly pleasures, the home of luxury. People went to Paris to find love, establish their business, become wealthy, meet with the wealthy, have fun and experience the insatiable pursuit of worldly desires. French fashion remains till date a statement of proper, classy, expensive and refined clothing taste.

There have been many movies and books that have mentioned the need to go to Paris which changes the narrative or is a major step in the plot development and character development. Going to Paris was the dream for many and became the fulfillment of the dream for more. Paris is presented as colourful, extravagant, pleasure-filled, a bubbling mixture of lust and love, a place for lovers to meet or reconnect, a place for soul searching and again, a place where dreams are made.

La Ville Lumiere

Paris is popularly known as the capital of France. Paris today is located in Europe and is said to be the most populated city in France. Since the dawn of the 17^th century, Paris has been referred to as a major center for arts, finance, luxury, fashion, architecture, commerce and even science. However, Paris built itself over the years to become this city of grand splendor where the rest of the world longs to visit at least once in their lifetime. The word Paris as a city was first recorded by Julius Ceasar in the first century BC as “Luteciam Parisiorum” which is “Lutetia of the Parisii”.  The original inhabitants of where is today known as Paris were a Gallic tribe living by the Seine River during the iron ages and Roman empire days. It is important to note that the city’s name is not derived from Paris in the Greek mythology. Paris is also referred to as La Ville Lumiere meaning ‘the city of light.’ This is for two reasons, the first is that it was one of the first large European cities to begin to use gas lamps on the streets creating what is today know as street lights. The second reason which will explain the reason Paris is considered a grand city today is because of its leading role in bringing in the Age of Enlightenment. The Age of enlightenment was a period where the church was separated from the state and people began to pursue happiness and knowledge through reason.

Paris as a City Where Dreams are Made

-          Fashion: The term ‘French fashion’ has come to represent upper class fashion, beauty, and elegance. With leading fashion brands born in France, it does not come as a surprise that the city will be fashion forward. Paris is the birth place of haute couture. Some of these grand haute couture maisons are Givenchy, Dior, Chanel, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Chloe, etc. The origin of the Haute Couture is traced to Charles Frederick Worth in 1858 who established the first true Couture maison at number 7, rue de la Paix in Paris.

-          Luxury: From time immemorial, Paris has been associated with luxury. This place is home to luxury brands like Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Celine, Lanvin, Yves Saint-Laurent etc. It is not strange to walk down a street in Paris and see a woman carrying an item from any of these luxury brands.

-          Wealth: Paris is known to be a strong economic center. In the past, many traveled from other locations to Paris in search of greener pastures. Today Paris is still a strong economic front and with all the tourism, luxury and fashion and pleasure it provides, it is understandable why this place should be a place of wealth creation.

-          Fame: With wealth comes fame. A lot of people achieved fame in Paris due to their works which might have never been recognized if created outside Paris.

-          Cabaret:  Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment which features performances such as songs, dance, poems, recitations, music and drama. It is performed in venues which have stages for performances. Cabarets brought together the wealthy and famous of Paris and cities around Paris. Cabarets were meeting places for writers, actors, artists and people who enjoyed arts as it combined entertainment with satire and political commentary.   Josephine baker became famous for her cabaret performances.

-          Moulin rouge: Moulin Rouge is a popular place in Paris. It was founded in 1889 by Catalan Joseph Oller. The Moulin Rouge is the home of the Can-can dance. The Can-can dance though first a seductive dance used by courtesans to entertain has today evolved into an expression of art. The Moulin Rouge is a tourist attraction and even has a popular hit song and movie to celebrate its existence.  

-          The Palace of Versailles: This beautiful tourist attraction located 12 miles west of Paris is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world. Known as Chateau de Versailles in French, the palace was a former royal residence built by Louis xiii between 1623 and 1634 and expanded by Louis xiv from 1661 to 1715.  This Palace is better visited than explained and is where the famous ‘Hall of Mirrors’ is located.

-          Love: It is a popular concept in movies and books that to find love, to reconnect with love, one must go to Paris. Even music videos have popularized this concept. Paris is often associated with romance and love, beauty and pleasure, loss and reconnection.

-          The Louvre: The Musee de Louvre is located in Paris, France and is said to be the world’s most visited museum. This museum holds some of the most popular works of arts including the Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa. The museum holds about 615,747 objects and displays about 35, 000 works of art.

-          Arc de Triomphe: known as the Arc de Triomphe de l’Etoile is a very famous monument in Paris. It is a triumphal arch. It is located at the western end of the Champs-Elysees at the center of Place Charles de Gaulle. This monument honours the soldiers who died in the French revolution and Napoleonic wars. Beneath this monument is the grave of the unknown soldier from World War 1.

The legendary Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel tower is a testament of the magnificence of the French architecture. It was built in 1889 by Gustave Eiffel’s company which designed and constructed the wrought iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris. It is the tallest structure in Paris reaching heights of 324 meters (1,063 ft). The structure has become a landmark of Paris. When it is featured, everyone around the world recognizes it symbolizes Paris. It has been featured in many movies, music videos, photographs and literary texts.

Paris as portrayed in Movies

There have been many movies produced which present Paris usually as a city where love is found and dreams are made. Paris as come to represent love and reconnection in most movies produced. It is also the city where dreams come true. Some of these movies are:

-          The Last Time I Saw Paris: Paris becomes a place where love is found and lost; a place of reconnection for a family.

-          Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: Paris is a place where two best friends travel to and find love on this journey, lose this love on getting to Paris and reconnect with their lovers for a happily ever after in Paris.

-          Charades: This 1963 movie portrays Paris as a place of crime, conspiracy, justice and love.

-          Ballerina:  This 2016 3D computer animated musical comedy movie presents Paris as a city where dreams come true.

-          Midnight in Paris: A 2011 film set in Paris. Paris is where love is found and dreams are made realities.

-          Emily in Paris: This comedy drama presents Paris as a city of romance and actualization of dreams.

Paris in Literature

The setting of a literary work is very important in a literary work. It reveals the geographical location and explains the language, culture, architecture and even guides the storyline. Paris is a place of timeless and ageless tales. Works of art coming out refined as gold from the fire of time with each passing year.  Paris as a setting has been used to portray a bustling city, a city evolving, a place of history, a land of crime including murder mysteries, a place of victory and defeat, a place of politics and revolutions, a place of reconnection, a place of whirlwind romance and long-lasting love, a place of dreams, a place of wine and courtesans, a city of jewels and luxury, a place of dance and beauty. Some of the books set in Paris which will be great reads and readers can check out are:

-          A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

-          Paris Was the Place by Susan Conley

-          All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

-          The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo

-          Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller

-          The Flaneur by Edmund White

-          Cheri by Colette

-          Nana by Emile Zola

-          Bel Ami by Guy de Maupassant

-          A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemmingway

-          The Sun Always Rises by Ernest Hemmingway

-          Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

-          The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah

-          We’ll Always Have Paris by Ray Bradbury

-          Paris by Edward Rutherford

-          Murder on the Eiffel Tower by Claude Izner

-          Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris by Graham Robb.

Have you been to Paris? What do you know about Paris? Do you ever plan to go to Paris? Which French writer do you know? Which literary works have you read that are set in Paris?