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Paris, City of Dreams Mary McAuliffe

Paris, City of Dreams By Mary McAuliffe

Paris, City of Dreams by Mary McAuliffe


€41.99
Condition - Very Good
Only 1 left

Summary

This book traces the profound transformation of the City of Light during Napoleon III's Second Empire, as he and Georges Haussmann completely rebuilt Paris in less than two decades. Their breathtaking-and brutal-achievement was mirrored by dramatic social, cultural, and political changes, all brought to life through McAuliffe's evocative narrative.

Paris, City of Dreams Summary

Paris, City of Dreams: Napoleon III, Baron Haussmann, and the Creation of Paris by Mary McAuliffe

Paris, City of Dreams traces the transformation of the City of Light during Napoleon III's Second Empire into the beloved city of today. Together, Napoleon III and his right-hand man, Georges Haussmann, completely rebuilt Paris in less than two decades-a breathtaking achievement made possible not only by the emperor's vision and Haussmann's determination, but by the regime's unrelenting authoritarianism, augmented by the booming economy that Napoleon fostered. Yet a number of Parisians refused to comply with the restrictions that censorship and entrenched institutional taste imposed. Mary McAuliffe follows the lives of artists such as Edouard Manet, Berthe Morisot, and Claude Monet, as well as writers such as Emile Zola, Gustave Flaubert, and the poet Charles Baudelaire, while from exile, Victor Hugo continued to fire literary broadsides at the emperor he detested. McAuliffe brings to life a pivotal era encompassing not only the physical restructuring of Paris but also the innovative forms of banking and money-lending that financed industrialization as well as the city's transformation. This in turn created new wealth and flaunted excess, even while producing extreme poverty. Even more deeply, change was occurring in the way people looked at and understood the world around them, given the new ease of transportation and communication, the popularization of photography, and the emergence of what would soon be known as Impressionism in art and Naturalism and Realism in literature-artistic yearnings that would flower in the Belle Epoque. Napoleon III, whose reign abruptly ended after he led France into a devastating war against Germany, has been forgotten. But the Paris that he created has endured, brought to vivid life through McAuliffe's rich illustrations and evocative narrative.

Paris, City of Dreams Reviews

As the world's most magical city, Paris was created over the centuries by kings, emperors, and presidents, but, as Mary McAuliffe so magisterially reveals in Paris, City of Dreams, no one played a greater role in the modern configuration of this wondrous city than Louis-Napoleon and his chief urban advisor, Baron Georges Haussmann. Reading this masterful account, one realizes how Napoleon III and Haussmann transformed a city of narrow lanes, insalubrious dwellings, and staggering pestilence into a triumph of vital sanitation and unparalleled beauty, creating the broad boulevards and architectural masterpieces so universally admired. -- David Garrard Lowe, president of Beaux Arts Alliance and author of Lost Chicago

About Mary McAuliffe

Mary McAuliffe holds a PhD in history from the University of Maryland, has taught at several universities, and has lectured at the Smithsonian Institution, the Barnes Foundation, and the Frick Pittsburgh. She has traveled extensively in France, and for many years she was a regular contributor to Paris Notes. Her books include Dawn of the Belle Epoque, Twilight of the Belle Epoque, When Paris Sizzled, and Paris on the Brink. She lives in New York City with her husband.

Additional information

GOR012584190
9781538121283
153812128X
Paris, City of Dreams: Napoleon III, Baron Haussmann, and the Creation of Paris by Mary McAuliffe
Used - Very Good
Hardback
Rowman & Littlefield
2020-07-15
344
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - Paris, City of Dreams