The Personality of Paris: Landscape and Society in the Long-Nineteenth Century

The Personality of 19th-century Paris explores the complex personality traits of the city from the Revolution of 1789 to the beginning of the Great War, considering its social and material complexity, immigration, landscape, revolutions, and wars.

Format: Hardback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 24 February 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

The Personality of 19th-century Paris is a unique approach to understanding the complex character of the city during this transformative period. Rather than following a conventional narrative or chronological path, the book takes a thematic approach, analyzing the various personality traits that shaped Paris from the onset of the Revolution of 1789 to the beginning of the Great War.

Starting with the topographical and cultural legacies that late 18th-century Paris inherited from its foundation in pre-Roman and Roman times and from its medieval infancy and early-modern adolescence, The Personality of Paris unpacks the social and material complexity of the 19th-century city. It considers the role of immigration in the making of Parisians and in the city's growth from half a million in 1801 to almost three million in 1911.

The book examines the making of Paris's distinctive landscape through the construction of monuments and architectural icons, the massive re-modelling by Napoléon III and Baron Haussmann, the five world exhibitions, the emphasis on food, fashion, and leisure, and the ways in which Parisians sought rural release from urban pressure.

Furthermore, the book delves into the self-harm done to the person of 19th-century Paris by revolutions and wars, as well as the damage inflicted on it by 20th-century hubristic politicians and architects. By exploring these themes, The Personality of 19th-century Paris offers a fresh and insightful perspective on the city's history and development.

Weight: 626g
Dimension: 239 x 161 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350252646