Makers of Modern France, 1814-1914 SYLLABUS
DESCRIPTION The subject of this workshop is the history of France in the century following Napoleon I’s abdication in 1814. During those hundred years, the country saw repeated popular uprisings as it moved haltingly from autocratic government to become a democratic republic, while Paris served as the world’s cultural capital.
Participants will learn about the many dramatic events of the period through the eyes of leading personalities from the fields of politics, literature, art, science, business and entertainment. Each biweekly session will have a theme (The Restoration, French Entertainment, etc.), which will be elucidated by presentations on two of the personalities listed for that session, with each presentation being followed by Q&A and group discussion. Topics will be assigned on a first-come first-served basis, with participants having the option of tackling alternative topics subject to consultation with the co-facilitators. Presentations should be between 20 and 30 minutes in length, cover the subject’s entire life and reflect substantive reading and research (e.g., beyond what is found on Wikipedia). If the workshop is not fully subscribed with the result that there are open presentation slots, these will be filled with film excerpts, video lectures and guest speakers to the extent that members don’t want to do a second presentation.
TOPICS (click on the links for more information) & SCHEDULE Fall Term
Sept. 11: Overview Oct. 23: The July Monarchy • Introductions • Louis Philippe • Prelude & Preview* • Marquis de Lafayette • François Guizot Sept. 25: The Restoration • Le Duc de Choiseul-Praslin • Louis XVIII • La Duchesse de Berry Nov. 6 The Revolution of 1848 • René de Chateaubriand • Alphonse de Lamartine • Charles X • Louis Blanc • Auguste Blanqui Oct. 9: Romanticism • François-Vincent Raspail • Eugene Delacroix • George Sand Nov. 20: The 2nd Empire • Hector Berlioz • Napoleon III • Victor Hugo • Baron Haussmann • Le Duc de Morny • Empress Eugénie
1 Winter Term
Jan. 8: Realism/Naturalism Feb. 19: The 3rd Republic • Honoré de Balzac • General Boulanger • Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot • Jules Ferry • Gustave Flaubert • Alfred Dreyfus • Emile Zola • Jean Jaurès
Jan. 2: The Commune Mar. 5: Entertainment • Adolphe Thiers • Aristide Bruant • Louise Michel • Sarah Bernhardt • Prosper Olivier Lissagaray • Georges Feydeau • Gustave Courbet • Lumière Brothers
Feb. 5: Business & Science Mar. 19: Mould-Breakers • Ferdinand de Lesseps • Charles Baudelaire • Gustave Eiffel • Claude Monet • Louis Pasteur • Claude Debussy • Marie Curie • Hector Guimard *Presentations to be made by the facilitators.
RESOURCES
The best general overview of this period is Robert Tombs’s France 1814-1914 (Longman, 1996). While the book is still in print and available for purchase, unfortunately, the Toronto Public Library’s copy is non-circulating. Another such text, of which the library has circulating copies, is Robert Gildea, Children of the Revolution: The French, 1799-1914 (Allen Lane, 2008).
The library has biographies in the English language for all the personalities listed above. If a book is for reference and must be read on site, you may be able to obtain a circulating copy through the TPL’s interlibrary loan service. If that doesn’t work. check with the facilitators; they may be able to obtain a circulating copy for you from another source.
FACILITATORS Frank Nicholson ([email protected] / 416.488.6131), a retired civil servant and association executive, is a Francophile and history addict who has travelled widely in France and co-facilitated several workshops for the Academy.
Randal Holloway ([email protected] / 416-266-6933) holds a Masters degree from U of T and has recently retired from a career in labour relations in the Ontario Public Service. He is an active scuba diver and is currently learning astronomy.
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