The hybrid status of translators

Pierre-Vincent Benoist between literature, politics and administration

Bibliographic Data

ID6427243
AuthorsValentina Dal Cin (0000-0001-9361-245X, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume51
Issue6
Pages1387-1402
Publication date2025-01-06
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueHistory of European Ideas (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0191-6599 • E-ISSN: 1873-541X
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01916599.2024.2444153
OpenAlexW4406098636
LanguageEN
References cited20

In the tumultuous period spanning the French Revolution to the Restoration, individuals coped with the challenge of navigating successive political transitions, showcasing exceptional adaptability. Pierre-Vincent Benoist (1758–1834) epitomised this versatility, assuming diverse roles as a lawyer, translator from English, secret agent, Napoleonic official, and ultra-royalist deputy. His biography not only sheds light on the experiences of translators disseminating radical content, despite conflicting beliefs, but also illuminates their ‘hybrid status’ as traducteurs-commis, straddling the literary and administrative realms. Benoist’s multifaceted profile facilitated his integration into various networks of artists, hommes de lettres, bureaucrats, and politicians. By examining both aspects of his life that resonated with those of his contemporaries and aspects that made him unique, this contribution aims to use his case as a prism for understanding political, social, and cultural change at the beginning of the nineteenth century

Administration (probate law · Art · Political science · Politics · Sociology · French Literature and Criticism · French Literature and Poetry · Law · Literature and Culture Studies · Psychology

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