From the start of the French Revolution, contemporary observers
were struck by the overwhelming theatricality of political events.
Examples of convergence between theater and politics included the
election of dramatic actors to powerful political and military
positions and reports that deputies to the National Assembly were
taking acting lessons and planting paid "claqueurs" in the audience
to applaud their employers on demand. Meanwhile, in a mock national
assembly that gathered underneath an enormous circus tent in the
center of Paris, spectators paid for the privilege of acting the
role of political representatives for a day.
Paul Friedland argues that politics and theater became virtually
indistinguishable during the Revolutionary period because of a
parallel evolution in the theories of theatrical and political
representation. Prior to the mid-eighteenth century, actors on
political and theatrical stages saw their task as embodying a
fictional entity -- in one case a character in a play, in the
other, the corpus mysticum of the French nation. Friedland details
the significant ways in which after 1750 the work of both was
redefined. Dramatic actors were coached to portray their parts
abstractly, in a manner that seemed realistic to the audience. With
the creation of the National Assembly, abstract representation also
triumphed in the political arena. In a break from the past, this
legislature did not claim to be the nation, but rather to speak on
its behalf.
According to Friedland, this new form of representation brought
about a sharp demarcation between actors -- on both stages -- and
their audience, one that relegated spectators to the role of
passive observers of aperformance that was given for their benefit
but without their direct participation. Political Actors, a
landmark contribution to eighteenth-century studies, furthers
understanding not only of the French Revolution but also of the
very nature of modern representative democracy.
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
