FILM, FRENCH, AND FOIE GRAS: EXAMINING THE FRENCH CULTURAL EXCEPTION DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University. By Kelly Kathleen Campbell, M.A. Graduate Program in French and Italian The Ohio State University 2010 Dissertation Committee: Professor Jean-François Fourny, Advisor Professor Judith Mayne Professor Jennifer Willging Copyright by Kelly Campbell 2010 ABSTRACT This dissertation considers and evaluates the notion of the “French cultural exception” (l’exception culturelle) in three distinct domains: cinema, language, and bgastronomy. Through a detailed analysis of these three domains, I trace the historical importance of these cultural institutions and their associated cultural capital in French culture. A discussion of each of these areas begins by examining how each of these culture industries has been instrumental in the cultivation of French identity and France‟s global image. I argue that while cinema, language, and gastronomy have historically exemplified the French cultural exception, they have also become fertile ground for mounting tension and debate over the past several decades. The debate in each of these areas centers on an underlying notion of national protection, whether through government-backed subsidies in cinema, nationally driven bans in the food industry, or the espousal of Republican ideals in the French education system. The discussion of each culture industry has a significant intertextual component, as I draw on literature, film, and current events to provide examples of the significant histories of each cultural domain as well as those issues that color their contemporary statuses. My analyses of these three areas also reveal the enormous obstacles facing those organizations and institutions that champion the cultural exception and support ii continued attempts at meaningful differentiation from other cultures. Through an analysis of these three culture industries within the context of cultural particularity, I reveal the developing uncertainty that faces three of the principal pillars of French identity in the twenty-first century. iii To Rob, Kate, and Caroline. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank my advisor Professor Jean-François Fourny for his unwavering support, invaluable advice, and thoughtful feedback throughout this entire process. I also am also indebted to Professors Judith Mayne and Jennifer Willging for their excellent feedback related to my chapters. I am extremely grateful to Elizabeth Bishop for her wonderful friendship, advice, and most importantly, laughter, over the past seven years – salute, dear friend. I would like to thank my mother Kathleen for taking care of my children while I was working, for supporting me with words of encouragement, and for always believing in my dream, even when I did not. I would like to thank my father Rick for laughter, good humor, and for being such an attentive grandfather so that I could work. I thank my sister Samantha for taking care of Kate and Caroline, for her unrelenting optimism, and for helping me to gain a better perspective on life‟s challenges. I would also like to thank my brother-in-law Chad for playing with his nieces while I worked and for demonstrating such enthusiasm for The Ohio State University. The time spent with each of my family members has provided a wonderful and necessary balance to my life. To each of them, I owe a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. v Finally, I am most grateful to my husband Rob whose tireless financial and personal support and love never wavered, even in the most difficult of times. The completion of this project would not have been possible without him. And last, but certainly not least, to my exceptionally beautiful girls, Kate and Caroline, who sacrificed unknowingly-je vous aime. vi VITA December 7, 1976……………………………Born – Lake Forest, Illinois May 1999…………………………………….BA French, UNC – Chapel Hill BS Business Admin., UNC – Chapel Hill May 2000…………………………………….MA Accounting, UNC-Chapel Hill 2003-present…………………………………Graduate Teaching Associate The Ohio State University FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: French and Italian vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ..............................................................................................................v Vita ................................................................................................................................................. vii List of Abbreviations ...........................................................................................................x List of Figures .................................................................................................................... xi Chapters: Introduction ..........................................................................................................................1 1. L’exception cinématique: The Cradle and the Grave of the Cultural Exception? .......15 1.1 From Invention to Identity: Tracing Cinematography in the Twentieth Century .......................................................................................................................17 1.2 The Domestic Challenge: Distinction or Imitation? .............................................29 2. L’exception cinématique: Protection and “Projecting” the French Cinematic Exception .....................................................................................................................43 2.1 French Cinematic Specificity: A Collaborative Effort between State and Culture ..................................................................................................................44 2.2 Supporting and Opposing Government Intervention ...........................................53 2.3 Exportability: The International Challenge ..........................................................61 2.4 [Re]Framing French Film .....................................................................................71 3. L’exception linguistique: Language as Identity ..........................................................86 3.1 Birth of Linguistic Nationalism ............................................................................87 viii 3.2 De l’exception française à la diversité culturelle: Protecting and Promoting the French Language ..................................................................................................90 4. L’exception linguistique: A Language in Crisis? .......................................................108 4.1 Linguistic Challenges within the Hexagon .........................................................108 4.2 Entre les murs: A Linguistic Warning? ..............................................................115 4.3 A Linguistic Model: Language Change and Diversity in France .......................121 4.4 Une crise d’une langue exceptionelle?...............................................................126 5. L’exception gastronomique: Culinary Identity and Contemporary Challenges ........133 5.1 Rise to Gastronomical Distinctiveness: Roots of a Culinary Patrimony ............135 5.2 De la grande cuisine à la cuisine française: L’ingrédient distinctif de l’identité française ....................................................................................................142 5.3 Un patrimoine culinaire en danger?: Modern Threats and Challenges to Gastronomical Sovereignty in France ......................................................................154 6. L’exception gastronomique: Protecting and Promoting Gastronomic Exceptionalism ...........................................................................................................171 6.1 Reactions and Initiatives to Perceived Culinary Threats in France ....................172 6.2 Entre l’ennui et le nouveau: The French Culinary Paradox ...............................181 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................192 Bibliography ....................................................................................................................203 ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Appellation d‟Origine Contrôlée (AOC) Association générale des usagers de la langue française (AGULF) Association pour la sauvegarde et l‟expansion de la langue française (ASSELAF) Avenir de la langue française (ALF) Centre national de la cinématographie (CNC) Comité d‟organisation de l‟industrie cinématographique (COIC) Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) Conseil national des arts culinaires (CNAC) Conseil supérieur de la langue française (CSLF) Délégation générale à la langue française et aux langues (DGLFL) Délégation générale des relations culturelles et des œuvres françaises à l‟étranger (DGFFR) General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) Institut européen d‟histoire et des cultures de l‟alimentation (IEHAC) Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) Short Message Service (SMS) Société pour le financement du cinéma et de l‟audiovisuel (SOFICA) Tax Rebate for International Productions (T.R.I.P.) United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN-ESCWA) x LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. French Wine Label…………………………………………………………