Kuisel's charming study analyses the French response to American popular culture since World War II. In brief, the history goes like this: in the late 1940s, Communists, Gaullists, and progressiste Catholics joined hands to ridicule the boorishness of American culture and raise alarms about Washington's malign intentions. This set the stage for thirty years of sustained hostility. Then, quite suddenly, French intellectuals and politicians changed their minds in the 1980s, leading to what Kuisel calls France's "American mania." He ascribes this change of heart to two factors: an appreciation of the Soviet Union's abomination and a realization that the United States is not invincible.
But the real fascination of Seducing the French lies in its details. Take the Coca-Cola affair of 1948-50. Coke raised fundamental questions of identity; as one journalist asked, if a bistro serves Coca-Cola rather than red wine, is it still French? Another journalist declaimed that "the most vulnerable point [of France's culture] is the national beverage. Wine is the most ancient feature of France." For some, liquids connected directly to the Cold War: "the wine of France will do. Neither Coca-Cola, nor vodka." To fight Coke, the Left spread rumors about Coke ads appearing on the façade of Notre Dame cathedral. Economic opponents asked maliciously, "Is Coca-Cola a poison?" Responding to these pressures, parliament came close to banning the drink; only the need for continued Marshall Plan credits turned the tide in Atlanta's favor. Kuisel tells this and other tales from the culture wars with wit and affection.
