Tour Overview
The purpose of this anti-walk is to help you become a flâneur (or flâneuse, in the feminine): a person who will stroll through the city the way a nature lover takes a walk in the woods. The art of flânerie, first theorized by nineteenth-century poet Charles Baudelaire, is to stroll aimlessly amid the sea of people (prendre un bain de foule), to be at once part of the multitude and in complete solitude. The flâneur should be aimless. If you are a lover of checklists, this will be hard for you. As writer Edmund White asserted, “Americans are particularly ill-suited to be flâneurs. They’re good at following books outlining architectural tours of Montparnasse or at visiting scenic spots outside Paris. . . . They are always driven by the urge toward self-improvement.”1 Being a flâneur is not about learning historical facts, purchasing souvenirs, taking photos, or most other things we associate with travel. In White’s words, we should be “in search of a private moment, not a lesson.”2
Perhaps a few examples will help put you in the right frame of mind: A flâneur might window shop but does not go into stores. A flâneur listens to ambient sounds—not to an iPod. Rather than take photos, the flâneur writes down impressions after (or even during?) the day’s walk. The flâneur is detached from and yet attentive to all surroundings (people, places, etc.). A flâneur reads the city—not a book or a magazine. In other words, don’t bring along your own distractions—trust that the city will fascinate you. Let yourself dream, observe, think, wander . . .
Marc Olivier
NOTES
1. White, Edmund. The Flâneur, Bloomsbury Publishing, NY, 2001, p. 40.
2. Ibid., p. 47.
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