Heroes and Legends of Fin-de-Si?cle France: Gender, Politics, and National Ident [Paperback]

Venita Datta examines representations of fictional and real heroes in the boulevard theater and mass press during the fin de si?cle.In Heroes and Legends of Fin-de-Si?cle France Venita Datta examines representations of fictional and real heroes in the boulevard theater and mass press during the fin de si?cle (18801914), illuminating the role of gender in the construction of national identity during this formative period of French history.In Heroes and Legends of Fin-de-Si?cle France Venita Datta examines representations of fictional and real heroes in the boulevard theater and mass press during the fin de si?cle (18801914), illuminating the role of gender in the construction of national identity during this formative period of French history.In Heroes and Legends of Fin-de-Si?cle France Venita Datta examines representations of fictional and real heroes in the boulevard theater and mass press during the fin de si?cle (18801914), 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 Charit? fire of 1897 and the Ullmo spy case of 1907.Introduction: the fin-de-si?cle cult of heroes; 1. Gender, class, and national identity: images of heroism in the Bazar de la Charit? fire of 1897; 2. Cyrano: a hero for the fin de si?cle?; 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 19071908; Conclusilˆ