Parisianism, is this the same as Parisian?

There are Parisians and there are the provincials and then there is Parisianism. What is that?

To find out more, I looked up the definition of Parisianism in the ‘Grand Robert de la langue française’, an authoritative dictionary.

Parisianism ;- a particular language and set of customs specific to Parisians. The  nature of what is ‘typically Parisian’, that is to say that concerns the socialite life of Paris.

To put it more bluntly…’superiority for some and inferiority for others, depending on whether you are Parisian or not.

As a Parisian once said…’Parisianism is a mentality if not a system of thought that tends to place in a hierarchy the quality of events, artistic productions, but also schools,. even people and their cultural and intellectual level according to whether they are situated in Paris or in the rest of France (the provinces, from the Latin pro vincia, the conquered ones…..)’

It is therefore no great surprise that the relationship between a Parisian and a provincial is a difficult one. It is a permanent jousting battle and a source of jokes amongst the French people.

There are also many songs devoted to this tempestuous relationship, one by Ricet Barrier, sums up the Bretons attitude towards the Parisian:-

The holidaymaker, when he drives, you have to throw yourself onto the verge.

You have to leave your hens in the hen house.

It is even worse when he stops,

All he thinks about is his stomach

I have to put barbed wire around my pear trees.

and it goes on…..