The title of this book is, of course, inspired by the famous
opening words of General de Gaulle's "Memoirs" of the Second World
War: All my life I have thought of France in a certain way.
Wesseling brings together his essays dealing with a great variety
of subjects such as culture, society, politics, and diplomacy, with
one section devoted entirely to French historians.
The first section contains an chapter on the famous painter Ary
Scheffer and the France of his time, that is to say the first half
of the 19th century. The second chapter continues this theme and
deals with Emile Zola and the Paris of the Second Empire. Two other
chapters discuss aspects of the Third Republic, sports and
students, respectively. The second section is devoted to French
intellectuals. It offers the first in-depth analysis of the group
of intellectuals that supported Zola and Dreyfus. Chapter six deals
with one of the great literary figures of the interwar period--and
later a notorious collaborator--Robert Brasillach. Chapter seven
contains a vivid sketch of the life and work of the famous French
intellectual Raymond Aron. The third section is devoted to politics
and diplomacy. French foreign policy is discussed both in its
long-term perspective as well as more specifically in the period of
Charles de Gaulle. De Gaulle's idea of France is compared with that
of an author by whom he was greatly influenced, Charles Peguy.
Finally, there is a section on French history writing, including
two biographical essays, one about Gabriel Hanotaux, the once
famous but now nearly forgotten historian who became Minister of
Foreign Affairs, and another on Fernand Braudel, the great
contemporary French historian and close friend of Wesseling. Of
particular interest to scholars, students, and other researchers
involved with French history, the history of ideas, and European
historiography.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
