Hiding the Guillotine

Emmanuel Taïeb, Sarah-Louise Raillard

Description

Hiding the Guillotine examines the question of state involvement in violence by tracing the evolution of public executions in France. Why did the state move executions from the bloody and public stage of the guillotine to behind prison doors? In a fascinating exploration of a grim subject, Emmanuel Taieb exposes the rituals and theatrical form of the death penalty and tells us who watched, who participated in, and who criticized (and ultimately brought an end to) a spectacle that the state called "punishment." France's abolition of the death penalty in 1981 has long overshadowed its suppression of public executions over forty years earlier. Since the Revolution, executions attracted tens of thousands of curious onlookers. But, gradually, there was a shift in attitude and the public no longer saw this as a civilized pastime. Why? Combining material from legal archives, police files, an executioner's notebooks, newspaper clippings, and documents relating to 566 executions, Hiding the Guillotine answers this question.Taieb demonstrates the ways in which the media was at the vanguard of putting an end to the publicity surrounding the death penalty. The press had ample reason to be critical: cities were increasingly being used for leisure activity and prisons for those accused of criminal activity. The agitation surrounding each execution, coupled with a growing identification with the condemned, would blur these boundaries. Ranked among the top hundred history books by the website, Cafe du Web Historizo, Hiding the Guillotine has much to impart to students of legal history, human rights, and criminology, as well as to American historians.

Sujets

• Sociologie, société et politique
• History of Europe
• Central
• France

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 15 novembre 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781501750960
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 16 Mo

Extrait

HïDïNG THE GUïOTïNE

HïDïNG THE GUïOTïNE

PUBL I C E XECUT I ONS I N F RANCE , 1870–1939

E m m a n u e l Ta ï e b Tr a n s l ate dby S a r a h  Lo u i s e R a i l l a r d F o r e w o r d by M i tc h e l P. Rot h

CORNE UNïVERSïTY PRESS ïthaca and London

The author and puîsher woud îke to thank the ïnstîtut Unîversîtaîre de France or provîdîng Inancîa support or the transatîon o thîs ook.

Orîgîna French edîtîon ©Édîtîons Beîn/Humensîs, La uîotîne au secret: Les exécutîons pubîques en France, 1870–1939, 2011.

Engîsh anguage transatîon © Corne Unîversîty, 2020.

A rîghts reserved. Except or rîe quotatîons în a revîew, thîs ook, or parts thereo, must not e reproduced în any orm wîthout permîssîon în wrîtîng rom the puîsher. For înormatîon, address Corne Unîversîty Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, ïthaca, New York 14850. Vîsît our wesîte at cornepress.corne.edu.

Fîrst puîshed 2020 y Corne Unîversîty Press

îrary o Congress Cataogîng-în-Puîcatîon Data Names: Tae, Emmanue, author. | Raîard, Sarah-ouîse, transator. | Roth, Mîtche P., 1953–, wrîter o oreword. Tîte: Hîdîng the guîotîne : puîc executîons în France, 1870–1939 / Emmanue Tae, transated y Sarah- ouîse Raîard, oreword y Mîtche P. Roth. Other tîtes: Guîotîne au secret. Engîsh Descrîptîon: ïthaca [New York] : Corne Unîversîty Press, 2020. | ïncudes îîographîca reerences and îndex. ïdentîIers: CCN 2019053351 (prînt) | CCN 2019053352 (eook) | ïSBN 9781501750946 (hardcover) | ïSBN 9781501750953 (eook) | ïSBN 9781501750960 (pd ) Sujects: CSH: Capîta punîshment—France—Hîstory— 19th century. | Capîta punîshment—France—Hîstory— 20th century. | Guîotîne—France—Hîstory— 19th century. | Guîotîne—France—Hîstory— 20th century. CassîIcatîon: CC HV8699.F8 T3513 2020 (prînt) | CC HV8699.F8 (eook) | DDC 364.660944/09041—dc23 C record avaîae at https://ccn.oc.gov/2019053351 C eook record avaîae at https://ccn.oc.gov /2019053352

Cîvîîzatîon îs on the ease. —Vîctor Huo, 1866

Co n t e n t s

Forewordîx Preace to the U.S. Edîtîonxv Abbrevîatîonsxîx

ïntroductîon  1. Competîtîon etween ega Puîcîty and the Press  2. Conservatîve Representatîons o Executîons  3. The ïmpossîe Task o Desîgnatîng Executîon Sîtes  4. The îturgîca Crîsîs o Executîonary Rîtuas  5. Watchîng Executîons  6. Hîdîng a Rîtua o Oedîence: From egîtîmîzatîon to Cîvîîzatîon  Concusîon

Appendîx: Lîst o the ïndîvîduas Executed by Year, 1870–1939229 Notes249 ïndex287

1

26

54

85

115 157

196 224

F o r e w o r d

Fîrst puîshed în France în 2011, Emmanue Taïe’s ook,Hîdîn the Guîotîne, îs Inay avaîae, revîsed and updated, or an Engîsh-readîng audîence. There îs no shortage o ooks on the guîotîne în Engîsh, however, ew authors, î any, have used and consuted such a wîde array o French documents as Taïe has, makîng thîs ook a reveatîon to researchers and genera audîences înterested în the death penaty. Few ooks on the hîstory o puîc executîons have een ae to examîne the puîc dîmensîon o capîta punîshment, rîngîng to îe what mîght have een goîng on în the mînds o the executîoners, the condemned, and the spectators. Taïe has accompîshed thîs y scrutînîzîng hard-to-Ind sources, rangîng rom ega archîves, pardon appîca- tîons or înmates awaîtîng executîon, and detaîed wrîte-ups în poîce Ies, execu- tîoner noteooks, Irsthand accounts, and contemporary newspapers. ïn eary modern Europe, no puîc punîshment exempîIed state power as much as reakîng on the whee. ït orîgînated în medîeva Europe, ut ît un- derwent a recrudescence în France and Germany în the eîghteenth century. îke hangîng în Brîtaîn, and or that matter, the Unîted States, death on the whee remaîned very much a puîc torture, attractîng huge numers o o- ten unruy spectators. More crîmînas met death on the whee than y hang- îng în France eore ît was aoîshed y ouîs XVï în 1789. ïn tîme, puîc executîons ecame the provînce o more “compassîonate” înstruments o death such as the guîotîne. No country îs more îdentîIed wîth a partîcuar executîonary apparatus than îs France wîth the guîotîne. Besîdes eheadîngs y sword în modern Saudî Araîa and puîc hangîngs în the Unîted States and Great Brîtaîn în the nîne- teenth century, ew exampes o puîc executîon have Igured more promî- nenty în the popuar îmagînatîon than the so-caed tîmers o justîce. ïn the heyday o the guîotîne, tens o thousands o spectators rom every cass at- tended executîons. Those who coud aford to paîd exorîtant rates to rent a room wîth a vîew overookîng the scafod. Those who coud not aford ît came eary, sometîmes waîtîng or days hopîng to secure a spot cose enough to the guîotîne to see the ade drop.

i x