'After me, the flood') is a French expression attributed to King Louis XV of France, or in the form "Après nous, le déluge" (pronounced [apʁɛ nu lə delyʒ]; lit.
[5][better source needed] The phrase is believed to date from after the 1757 Battle of Rossbach, which was disastrous for the French,[1] and may have been a reference to the biblical flood.
[6][better source needed][note 2] A recent interpretation from biographer Michel Antoine argues that in taking the remark out of original context—which included anticipation of a 1757 arrival of Halley's Comet—earlier interpretations ignore the King's proficiency in astronomy and knowledge of the impending comet, and that it was commonly blamed for causing the Genesis flood (in French, déluge).
He argues that in the year it was made, 1757, France experienced the assassination attempt on the King, and the crushing defeat of the French army by the Prussians at the Battle of Rossbach, while anticipating the arrival of Halley's Comet.
The argument notes that the King was a proficient amateur astronomer, who collaborated with the best French astronomers; Antoine writes that the King's remark "was a manner of evoking, with his scientific culture and a good dose of black humor, this sinister year beginning with the assassination attempt by Damiens and ending with the Prussian victory".
He notes that Halley's Comet finally passed the earth in April 1759, accompanied by enormous public attention and anxiety, but no floods.
"[9][10][full citation needed] Fyodor Dostoevsky applies the phrase in his writings to describe the selfishness and apathy of certain corrupting values.
The liberal's conjuring trick consists in turning others' weakness to his own account, living at other men's expense, and concealing his art with patter about ideals.
[15][non-primary source needed] Kurt Vonnegut uses "Après moi le déluge" in his novel Player Piano (1952), when the main character Paul talks to Doctor Pond.