Realms of Memory Rethinking the French Past Conflicts and Divisions (volume1)
- Binding: Hardcover
- Publisher: Columbia Univ Pr
- Publish date: 09/01/1996
A monumental collective endeavor by France's leading intellectuals, "Realms of Memory" explores the statues, cathedrals, and palaces, the rituals, legends, and events of history that form the architecture of the French collective consciousness. More than a linear inventory of critical moments in the history of France, it is an evocative meditation on how the French have constructed their past through symbols allusions, and associations.
Enriched by 140 illustrations, "Realms of Memory" juxtaposes the greatest accomplishments of France's history with aspects of its cultural identity, from revolution to gastronomy, from the grand palace of Versailles to the Tour de France. In this first of three volumes to be published by Columbia, the contributors reflect on the political, religious, and geohistorical oppositions that structure France's cultural memory.