Americanism, Media and the Politics of Culture in 1930s France

David A. Pettersen

Description

Gangsters, aviators, hard-boiled detectives, gunslingers, jazz and images of the American metropolis were all an inextricable part of the cultural landscape of interwar France. While the French 1930s have long been understood as profoundly anti-American, this book shows how a young, up-and-coming generation of 1930s French writers and filmmakers approached American culture with admiration as well as criticism. For some, the imaginary America that circulated through Hollywood films, newspaper reports, radio programming and translated fiction represented the society of the future, while for others it embodied a dire threat to French identity. This book brings an innovative transatlantic perspective to 1930s French culture, focusing on several of the most famous figures from the 1930s – including Marcel Carné, Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Pierre Drieu la Rochelle, Julien Duvivier, André Malraux, Jean Renoir and Jean-Paul Sartre – to track the ways in which they sought to reinterpret the political and social dimensions of modernism for mass audiences via an imaginary America.
Introduction
Chapter 1: Mass Culture and Leftist Politics in Jean Renoir
Chapter 2: The American Gangster in French Poetic Realism
Chapter 3: The Rise and Fall of the Gangster in André Malraux’s
Revolutionary Novels
Chapter 4: White Primitivism in Pierre Drieu la Rochelle
Chapter 5: Whitewashing the Transatlantic in Louis-Ferdinand Céline
Chapter 6: The Americanist Anti-Americanism of Jean-Paul Sartre’s Les
Chemins de la liberté
Conclusion

Sujets

• Histoire
• History
• France
• Europe

Informations

• Publié par: University of Wales Press
• Date de parution: 20 mai 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781783168514
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 10 Mo

Extrait

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FRENCH AND FRANCOPHONE STUDIES

Amerîcanîsm, Medîa and the Poîtîcs of Cuture în 1930s France

Series Editors

Hanna Dîamond (Unîversîty of Bath) Caîre Gorrara (Cardîff Unîversîty)

Editorial Board

Ronan e Coadîc (Unîversîté Rennes 2) Coîn Davîs (Roya Hooway, Unîversîty of London) Dîdîer Francfort (Unîversîté Nancy 2) Sharîf Gemîe (Unîversîty of South Waes) H. R. Kedward (Sussex Unîversîty) Margaret Majumdar (Unîversîty of Portsmouth) Nîchoas Parsons (Cardîff Unîversîty) Max Sîverman (Unîversîty of Leeds)

Also in Series Amaeena Damé and Gî Rye (eds),Women’s Wrîtîng în Twenty-Fîrst-Century France: Lîfe as Lîterature(2013) Fîona Barcay (ed.),France’s Coonîa Legacîes: Memory, Identîty and Narratîve(2013) Jonathan Ervîne,Cînema and the Repubîc: Fîmîng on the margîns în contemporary France(2013) Kate Grîfiths and Andrew Watts,Adaptîng Nîneteenth-Century France: Lîterature în Fîm, Theatre, Teevîsîon, Radîo and Prînt(2013) Cerî Morgan,Mîndscapes of Montréa: Québec’s urban nove, 1950–2005(2012)

FRENCH AND FRANCOPHONE STUDIES

Amerîcanîsm, Medîa and the Poîtîcs of Cuture în 1930s France

DAVID A. PETTERSEN

UNIVERSITY OF WALES PRESS 2016

© Davîd A. Pettersen, 2016

A rîghts reserved. No part of thîs book may be reproduced în any materîa form (încudîng photocopyîng or storîng ît în any medîum by eectronîc means and whether or not transîenty or încîdentay to some other use of thîs pubîcatîon) wîthout the wrîtten permîssîon of the copyrîght owner except în accordance wîth the provîsîons of the Copyrîght, Desîgns and Patents Act 1988. Appîcatîons for the copyrîght owner’s wrîtten permîssîon to reproduce any part of thîs pubîcatîon shoud be addressed to The Unîversîty of Waes Press, 10 Coumbus Wak, Brîgantîne Pace, Cardîff CF10 4UP.

www.uwp.co.uk

Brîtîsh Lîbrary Cataoguîng-în-Pubîcatîon Data A cataogue record for thîs book îs avaîabe from the Brîtîsh Lîbrary.

ISBN eISBN

978-1-78316-8507 978-1-78316-8514

The rîght of Davîd A. Pettersen to be îdentîied as author of thîs work has been asserted în accordance wîth sectîons 77, 78 and 79 of the Copyrîght, Desîgns and Patents Act 1988.

Typeset by Mark Hesîngton, Scarborough, North Yorkshîre Prînted by CPI Antony Rowe, Chîppenham, Wîtshîre

for Stacey

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Contents

Acknowedgements xî Lîst of îustratîons xv Notes to the Reader xvîî Introductîon 1 Chapter 1: Mass Cuture and Leftîst Poîtîcs în Jean Renoîr 26 Chapter 2: The Amerîcan Gangster în French Poetîc Reaîsm 62 Chapter 3: The Rîse and Fa of the Gangster în André Maraux’s Revoutîonary Noves 109 Chapter 4: Whîte Prîmîtîvîsm în Pîerre Drîeu a Rochee 141 Chapter 5: Whîtewashîng the Transatantîc în Louîs-Ferdînand Céîne 174

Chapter 6:

Concusîon Notes Bîbîography Index

The Amerîcanîst Antî-Amerîcanîsm of Jean-Pau Sartre’sLes Chemîns de a îberté

206 244 255 292 305

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