Heroes and Legends of Fin-de-Siècle France
Gender, Politics, and National Identity

Venita Datta examines representations of fictional and real heroes in the boulevard theater and mass press during the fin de siècle.

Venita Datta (Author)

9780521186520, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 11 April 2011

276 pages, 29 b/w illus.
22.8 x 15.3 x 1.5 cm, 0.38 kg

'Gender historians and Third Republic specialists will find much of interest in Datta's effort to bring together feminism, the 'crisis of masculinity', and the national politics of the fin de siècle. Chapters of this lucidly written and engaging book might also be of great use in undergraduate classrooms.' Carol E. Harrison, French Politics, Culture and Society

In Heroes and Legends of Fin-de-Siècle France Venita Datta examines representations of fictional and real heroes in the boulevard theater and mass press during the fin de siècle (1880–1914), illuminating the role of gender in the construction of national identity during this formative period of French history. The popularity of the heroic cult at this time was in part the result of defeat in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, as well as a reaction to changing gender roles and collective guilt about the egoism and selfishness of modern consumer culture. The author analyzes representations of historical figures in the theater, focusing on Cyrano de Bergerac, Napoleon and Joan of Arc, and examines the press coverage of heroes and anti-heroes in the Bazar de la Charité fire of 1897 and the Ullmo spy case of 1907.

Introduction: the fin-de-siècle cult of heroes
1. Gender, class, and national identity: images of heroism in the Bazar de la Charité fire of 1897
2. Cyrano: a hero for the fin de siècle?
3. 'L'appel au soldat': visions of the Napoleonic legend in popular culture
4. On the boulevards: representations of Joan of Arc in the popular theater
5. Opium, gambling, and the demimondaine: the Ullmo spy case of 1907–1908
Conclusion: from one war to the next: the end of heroes?

Subject Areas: Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH], European history [HBJD], Literature: history & criticism [DS]