Politics, Culture and Class in the French Revolution

The masterpiece of Lynn Hunter, the leader of new cultural history

The main achievement of the French Revolution was the construction of a political culture that continues to this day

Best-selling for more than 30 years, nearly 10 language versions, the Chinese revised version is newly launched

--【brief introduction】

"Politics, Culture, and Class in the French Revolution" is a model work for rewriting the history of the French Revolution. Different from previous discussions on the cause and effect of the Great Revolution, Lynn Hunter turned his attention to the process and experience of the Great Revolution, and tried his best to dig out the intentions of the revolutionaries and their logic of action.

The French revolutionaries tried their best to break with the past and establish a new national community, which gave birth to a large number of new words and new images, and built a political culture that has influenced today. During the ten years of turbulent revolution, the tension between conspiracy and publicity loomed in the political propaganda; costumes, calendars, festivals, etc. widely mobilized the people, allowing political power to infiltrate daily life; the goddess of liberty Mariana and the male giant Hercules as images, Constantly competing who can better represent the people... Hunter believes that symbolic practices such as language, imagery, and rituals imply a certain logic, which not only expresses the interests, values, and expectations of the revolutionaries themselves, but also rebuilds social and political relations.

Hunt also examines the varying reception of the Revolution across France, and the social identities of the revolutionaries. She pointed out that the new political class is new to political affairs, relatively young, has a diverse social composition, and is a relative outsider. Most of them were marginalized and excluded under the old system. Simultaneously with a new political culture, this class shaped itself in response to new ideas and new symbols.

--【Editor's Choice】--

(1) Lynn Hunter is a leading figure in the New Cultural History Movement and a former president of the American Historical Association. This book is one of his masterpieces and is known as a classic for rewriting the history of the French Revolution.

(2) This book was first published in 1984, and won the 1984-1985 Young Scholars Outstanding Book Award of the Pacific Coast Branch of the American Historical Association.

(3) It has been sold for more than 30 years and has nearly 10 language versions, and has been highly praised by the international academic community.

(4) The Chinese version is newly revised and republished, translated from the 20th anniversary edition of the English version, the translation is elegant and smooth, and the classic is upgraded. The author, Lynn Hunter, specially wrote a new preface for the Chinese revision, and made a wonderful summary of relevant academic achievements and research trends in recent decades.

(5) Rich with pictures and texts, 21 illustrations, 10 tables, and 2 maps, involving costumes, seals, festival scenes, etc., vividly present interesting details of the history of the French Revolution with visual materials.

——[Celebrity Recommendation]——

A landmark masterpiece.

—Robert Darnton, professor of history, Princeton University

After a generation of scholars preoccupied with cause and effect with little to do with its content, we have at last Lynn Hunt, a master of the organization and careful study of the French Revolution itself. The book draws on the achievements of many predecessors, and builds a unique theoretical framework on this basis. In the foreseeable future, this research will surely be the focus of academic discussion for a long time and lead the academic trend for a while.

—Charles Tilly, Professor of Sociology, Columbia University

Lynn Hunt tries to reveal the rules of political behavior in revolutionary culture. She subtly replaces structure with process, class with language, ideology with symbols, and content with form... This book uses active thinking , amazing insight, and extremely clear organization, give readers new inspiration on many issues. Hunt almost single-handedly changed the research orientation of the historians on the French Revolution.

—Simon Schama, Professor of History and Art History, Columbia University

Hunter's narrative is informative and engaging. Her imaginative and illuminating discussion of the statues, emblems, rituals, and other "micropolitical techniques" of the Revolution gave substance to what she called a new "political culture" . . . a theory A masterpiece of sex and fun.

—Jon Klancher, Professor of English, Carnegie Mellon University

Unlike Marx or Tocqueville, Lynn Hunt saw the French Revolution as a major and far-reaching change in political culture. With rigorous writing and clear organization, she discussed the rhetoric and symbols of revolution, and her conclusions were accurate without departing from common sense. All in all, this book is a strong defense of the idea of ​​individual free will and public participation in politics with its brilliant explanation.

—Robert Forster, Professor of French History, Johns Hopkins University

In Politics, Culture, and Class in the French Revolution, Hunt points out that the French Revolution witnessed the development of many new political "microtechniques" that imbued dress, ritual, language, and action with political The show of power breaks unexpected new ground.

—Tony Bennett, Professor of Sociology, Western Sydney University, Australia

The text of the whole book is carefully crafted and the content is fascinating, which can be called an unparalleled heavyweight work.

—Isser Woloch, Professor of History, Columbia University

Exciting... "Politics, Culture, and Class in the French Revolution" is a book that cites many sources and integrates all aspects of the French Revolution. Both experts and scholars and general history buffs can benefit from it. It is really a rare first-class book book.

—William Scott, The Times Literary Supplement

Hunt understood politics as "political culture" in a sociological sense, a response to symbols rather than specific political activities. … The book is most groundbreaking in what she calls "political geography," or rather, who controlled local government during the Revolution. Hunt challenges old canons, reminding us that one's perception of revolutionary France depends in part on one's chosen perspective... Anyone interested in the French Revolution will find inspiration in Hunt's book.

—Norman Hampson, Professor of History, University of York

Hunt's examination of political iconography in the 1790s has benefited greatly from the work of Mona Ozuf, Maurice Agulon, and Jean Starobinski, among others, but has also made new breakthrough. What makes Hunter's research so original is the examination of those who attempted to master and manipulate the new political culture in the second part of the book. From discourse confrontation to daily politics, this book discusses a wide range... As an important achievement of the study of the French Revolution, this book is actually a must-read for French historians on their desks.

—David G. Troyansky, Professor of French History, Brooklyn College, City University of New York

Among the many researchers of the political culture of the French Revolution, the American historian Lynn Hunter is an outstanding representative. Her masterpiece "Politics, Culture and Class in the French Revolution" shows us a brand-new historical picture of the French Revolution from the perspective of political culture, and provides important inspiration for us to grasp the political culture of the French Revolution as a whole .

——Gao Yi, Professor of History Department of Peking University