John Pappas : d'Alembert and the new aristocracy. The writer under the Old Régime was subordinated to the aristocracy, who were the judges and dictators of artistic and literary taste. Many 18th-century authors protested against this situation, Voltaire and Rousseau demanding greater respect and a more active role in society. D'Alembert was even bolder and more far-reaching ; his Essai sur la société des gens de lettres et des grands is a blueprint for a campaign to wrest control of public opinion from the aristocracy so that men of letters can become «legislators » in matters of taste and philosophy. He succeeded through his role in the Académie française and inspired 19th-century writers and artists to proclaim themselves, in Balzac's words, the «new pontiffs » of the future.