Crisis and commitment

Kelly, Michael (1995) Crisis and commitment. In, Forbes, Jill and Kelly, Michael (eds.) French Cultural Studies: An Introduction. Oxford: UK. Oxford University Press, pp. 69-78.

Abstract

French Cultural Studies: An Introduction challenges received theories about France and French culture. The book takes into account the major changes which have been taking place in the context of French Studies in both secondary and higher education, with the focus shifting to a broader range of cultural forms. French Cultural Studies adopts an interdisciplinary approach in its wide-ranging study of French culture and society since 1870, emphasizing recent and contemporary developments. It suggests new ways of looking at France and the French-speaking world through the ideas, images, and narratives of more than a century of turbulent history and political change. As well as looking at the literary, artistic, and intellectual culture for which France is renowned, the authors examine audio-visual media, popular culture, and cultural policy. They follow the stages of French history through periods of industrialization and war, reconstruction and modernization, and the crises and revolutions of post-colonialism and postmodernity. Copiously illustrated, and with guidance for further reading, this fascinating and authoritative work will be essential reading for anyone interested in modern and contemporary French society and its culture. List of Contents: Acknowledgements, Notes on Contributors, List of Illustrations, Preface, Introduction; Part I: Industrialization and War (1870-1944): Chapter 1. Industrialization and its Discontents (1870-1914): From Symbolism to Modernism; Paris, the Capital of Art; Le Japonisme or the Challenge to Europe; Science, Technology, and the Growth of the Mass Market; Mallarme' - the Total Artist; The Birth of Impressionism; The Neurosis of the fin de sie'cle; Cubism and the Impact of Primitive Art; The Belle e'poque?; The Imposition of the New Moral Order; The Eroticization of the Public Domain; The Feminist Critique; Leisure, Consumption, and Popular Culture; Chapter 2. Wars and Class Wars (1914-1944): War and Revolution; Les anne'es folles; Crisis and Commitment; Les anne'es noires; Suggestions for further reading; Part II: Reconstruction and its ideologies (1945-1967): Chapter 3. Crises of Reconstruction (1945-1967): Reconstruction of the French Nation; The French Ideologies; Existentialism and The Second Sex; Politics and Culture from the Cold War to Decolonization; African Literature and Film in French; Chapter 4. Modernization and Avant-Gardes (1945-1967): Modernization and Popular Culture; The New Theatre; The New Novel and New Criticism; The Cinema from Occupation to New Wave; Suggestions for further reading; Part III: Revolution and Postmodernity (1968-1995): Chapter 5. The Author, The Reader, and the Text after 1968: The Revolution in Writing; The Self and Others; Chapter 6: Popular Culture and Cultural Politics: The Rise of Audio-Visual Culture; The City as Signifying Practice; Cultural Politics and the Postmodern Condition; French in the World - from Imperialism to Diversity; Suggestions for further reading; Conclusion: Chronology; Index

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Contributors

Author: Michael Kelly

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