Realms Of Memory: Construction Of The French Past: V. 2

Description:
Archives, monuments, celebrations:there are not merely the recollections of memory but also the foundations of history. Symbols, the third and final volume in Pierre Nora's monumental Realms of Memory, includes groundbreaking discussions of the emblems of France's past by some of the nation's most distinguished intellectuals. The seventeen essays in this book consider such diverse 'sites' of memory as the figures of Joan D'Arc and Decartes, the national motto of 'Liberty, Equality, Fraternity', the tricolor flag and the French language itself. Pierre Nora's closing essay on commemoration provides a culminating overview of the series. Offering a new approach on history, culture, French studies and the studies of symbols, Realms of Memory reveals how the myriad meanings we attach to places and events constitute our sense of history.

Review:
'This is an indispensable guide to understanding France and the French. As usual, Arthur Goldhammer's translation is superb.' -- Foreign Affairs 'This unusual book deals fascinatingly with everything from the creation of the rousing anthem 'La Marseillaise' to the changing role of Joan of Arc in France's collective memory. Even the Eiffel Tower shines forth in surprising new facets.' -- Chicago Tribune 'Provides arresting genealogies of a number of the major cleavages in French history, with chapters on the embattled relationship of Jews to the French republic, the peculiar affinities of Gaulism and Communism, and... Paris' haughty condescension toward la province... Without resorting to polemics, the volume reminds us that the image of the French past is confected as much out of amnesia as out of memory.' -- Lingua Franca 'A magisterial attempt to define what it is to be French.' -- Times Literary Supplement 'A magnificent achievement... [The essays included] are the high-carat jewels of the project.' -- The New Republic

Table of Contents:
Introduction - Pierre NoraPart I: Emblems 1. The Three Colors: Neither White nor Red, Raoul Girardet 2. La Marseillaise: War or Peace, Michel Vovelle 3. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, Mona Ozouf 4. Bastille Day: From Dies Irae to Holiday, Christian AlmaviPart II: Major Sites 1. Lascaux, Jean-Paul Demoule 2. Reims, City of Coronation, Jacques Le Goff 3. The Louvre, Royal Residence and Temple of the Arts, Jean-Pierre Babelon 4. Versailles, the Image of the Sovereign, Edouard Pommier 5. The Pantheon, The Ecole Normale of the Dead, Mona Ozouf 6. The Eiffel Tower, Henry Loyette 7. Verdun, Antoine ProstPart III: Identifications 1. The Gallic Cock, Michael Pastoureau 2. Joan of Arc, Michael Winock 3. Descartes, Francois Azouvi 4. Paris, A Traversal from East to West, Maurice Agulhon 5. The Genius of the French Language, Marc Fumaroli 6. The Era of Commemoration, Pierre NoraNotes Index of Names Index of Subjects

Author Biography:
Pierre Nora is Editorial Director of Editions Gallimand. He is editor of the journal Le Debat and is Directeur D'Etudes at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris.