Georges Bernanos once wrote: “A civilization disappears with the kind of man, the type of humanity, that has issued from it.” Very true. But I must add that Jacques was more than “a type of humanity”. He — like very few — knew, he was deeply aware that this, his, civilization was passing, indeed, that it has passed. More important: his existence incarnated that civilization; but his great achievement is that he has represented it, devoting much of his life to radiate its standards and values.
John Lukacs has written, most recently, George Kennan: A Study of Character (Yale, 2007).