The Crowd · Character

Taine

The historian-philosopher whose authority Le Bon leans on, even while correcting him, to build a science of crowd psychology.

supporting

Also known as M. Taine

First appearance: the crowd

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Taine appears as an intellectual touchstone, cited and occasionally disputed as Le Bon stakes out his own account of collective behavior. His presence signals that this is a book in conversation with nineteenth-century historiography, borrowing its prestige while insisting that crowds obey laws of their own. For the reader, he marks the moment the treatise shifts from anecdote to argument, grounding its claims in the scholarship of the day.

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Character Web

10 connections

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Relationship types

Psychological
Other

Character groups

Crowd Leadership Theorists
Historical Prestige Archetypes
Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point

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Relationships

Crowds
psychological · negative
Unknown Narrator
psychological · ambivalent

Relationship notes

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In the story

Taine appears across 8 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

The Sentiments and Morality of Crowds
Cited for observing that perpetrators of the September massacres deposited pocketbooks and jewels on committee tables, illustrating crowd morality.
The Exaggeration and Ingenuousness of the Sentiments of Crowds
Referenced indirectly through M. Tarde's research on crowd crimes, supporting the claim of lowered intelligence in crowds.
The Morality of Crowds
Cited for observing that perpetrators of the September massacres deposited pocketbooks and jewels on committee tables, showing unexpected honesty.
A Religious Shape Assumed by All the Convictions of Crowds
Criticized for studying the French Revolution only as a naturalist, missing the psychological and religious roots of crowd behavior.
Instruction and Education
Quoted extensively on the superiority of professional instruction over classical education and on the formation of ideas through practical experience.
Images, Words, and Formulas
Cited for his observation that the Jacobins used popular words like 'liberty' and 'fraternity' to justify despotism and violence.
Crowds Termed Criminal Crowds
Historian whose contemporary sources are used to describe the September massacres.
Parliamentary Assemblies
Quoted to describe the unconscious and automatic behavior of the Convention, where members voted for measures they held in horror, including the murder of friends.

Chapter companion notes

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