AFTERWORD

Chapter 14

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Sage: Philadelphia, 1785–1790

Overview

Franklin's later years in Paris (1778–1785) see him at the height of his social influence among French intellectuals and aristocratic women, while his relationship with fellow commissioner John Adams grows strained by contrasting temperaments and mutual jealousy. This chapter explores Franklin's famous friendships with Madame Brillon and Madame Helvétius, his literary output (the bagatelles), and the distant relationship he maintains with his daughter Sally and grandsons despite his emotional attachment to his new French circle.

Summary

John Adams arrives in Paris in 1778 to replace Silas Deane, creating friction with Franklin stemming from their opposing personalities: Adams rigid and argumentative, Franklin charming and socially fluid. Adams resents Franklin's monopoly on reputation and his leisurely work style, though both share patriotic commitment to American independence. Franklin's intellectual standing in France is cemented through his association with Voltaire—their celebrated embrace at the Académie Royale in April 1778 becomes legendary—and his membership in the radical Masonic Lodge of the Nine Sisters, where he eventually becomes Venerable. Franklin's romantic life centers on two "lady friends": Madame Brillon de Jouy, a talented musician and neighbor, with whom he conducts an intense but ultimately platonic amitié amoureuse, and the more vivacious Madame Helvétius of Auteuil, to whom he proposes marriage multiple times through witty tales like "The Elysian Fields," all gently refused. Both relationships inspire his bagatelles—whimsical fables and essays published on his private press—including "The Ephemera," "Dialogue between the Gout and Mr. Franklin," and satirical pieces on chess morality and fart perfume. Meanwhile, Franklin's actual family in Philadelphia receives cooler treatment: he rebukes his daughter Sally for requesting fashionable items, though he later praises her efforts sewing shirts for Washington's troops. His grandson Benny, sent to school in Geneva, endures years of loneliness and infrequent contact, receiving stern exhortations rather than visits. Temple, Franklin's other grandson, squanders his time in Paris on hunting and affairs rather than serious study, and Franklin's attempt to arrange his marriage to Cunégonde Brillon fails when the family objects to Temple's Protestant faith and lack of French legal knowledge.

Characters

  • Benjamin FranklinAging diplomat and intellectual celebrity navigating French salon society while conducting flirtations with aristocratic women and neglecting his distant American family
  • John AdamsFellow American commissioner whose rigid moralism and jealousy of Franklin's reputation create ongoing tension and mutual resentment
  • VoltaireElderly French philosophe and intellectual icon whose public embrace with Franklin at the Académie becomes a symbolic meeting of Enlightenment sages
  • Madame Brillon de JouyAccomplished musician and neighbor at Passy with whom Franklin conducts an intense but platonic amitié amoureuse, refusing his sexual advances while maintaining intimate emotional bonds
  • Madame HelvétiusVivacious widow and salon host at Auteuil whom Franklin ardently courts through witty tales and marriage proposals, ultimately spurning his advances
  • Abbé MorelletPolitical economist and Masonic lodge member living in Madame Helvétius's household who helps Franklin refine his French and intellectual work
  • Sally BacheFranklin's daughter in Philadelphia who writes dutiful letters, seeks fashionable items, and organizes shirt production for Washington's army
  • Benjamin Franklin Bache (Benny)Franklin's young grandson sent to boarding school near Passy, then to Geneva academy, where he becomes depressed and homesick due to infrequent contact with his grandfather
  • Temple FranklinFranklin's other grandson living in Paris who pursues hunting, affairs, and socializing rather than serious education, rejecting Franklin's attempt to arrange his marriage
  • William Temple FranklinFranklin's grandson enrolled at boarding school near Passy alongside John Quincy Adams
  • Monsieur BrillonWealthy husband of Madame Brillon who encourages Franklin's friendship with his wife while having his own affair with a governess
  • Cunégonde BrillonElder daughter of Madame Brillon whom Franklin unsuccessfully attempts to marry to his grandson Temple
  • Joseph PriestleyFamous chemist and gas specialist to whom Franklin sends his mock proposal on fart perfume
  • Jacques TurgotFormer finance minister and friend of Franklin who first introduces him to Madame Helvétius and counsels her to decline his marriage proposals
  • Marquis de ChaumontWealthy patron who provides Franklin with free lodging at Passy
  • Edward BancroftSpy for London who serves as American commissioner and later becomes member of Franklin's Masonic lodge
  • John Paul JonesNaval officer inducted by Franklin into the Lodge of the Nine Sisters
  • Richard BacheFranklin's son-in-law in Philadelphia who timidly suggests Franklin visit their son Benny in Geneva