Description
Revolution and Irony in 19th-Century France
Book Summary
This pioneering study analyzes how three of the most influential 19th-century French writers—Jules Michelet, Gustave Flaubert, and Arthur Rimbaud—approached the representation of revolution as a human, political, and aesthetic practice. Salah J. Khan applies a rigorous rhetorical analysis to demonstrate that these authors resorted to erotic figuration in their revolutionary portrayals and that a fundamentally creative current of irony runs through their works. An essential work for understanding the intersections between literature, history, and political ideas in nineteenth-century France.
What is it about?
The book examines in depth the works of Michelet, Flaubert, and Rimbaud, three key figures of European literature and thought. Khan unravels how each of them used rhetoric and erotic figuration to shape their visions of revolution, understood not only as a historical event but as an aesthetic and political experience. Through meticulous analysis, the author reveals how irony becomes an essential creative resource that permeates their writings, offering a new perspective on the relationship between literary language and the representation of revolutionary processes in 19th-century France.
Main themes
- Literary representation of revolution in the 19th-century French context
- Erotic figuration in the work of Michelet, Flaubert, and Rimbaud
- Irony as a creative and rhetorical resource in political literature
- Intersections between aesthetics, history, and political ideas
- Rhetorical analysis applied to European intellectual history
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at scholars of French literature, historians of ideas, specialists in rhetoric and discourse analysis, as well as readers interested in the connections between literary creation and political thought. It will also be of great use to advanced humanities students seeking a rigorous approach to the work of these three fundamental authors.
What this book contributes
- An original and pioneering analysis of the use of erotic figuration in the representation of revolution
- A novel reading of irony as a central creative element in the work of three great writers
- A methodology of rhetorical analysis applicable to the study of intellectual history
- An interdisciplinary perspective that connects literature, politics, and aesthetics
Technical specifications
- Author: Khan, Salah J.
- Publisher: Anthropos Editorial
- Language: Spanish
- Subject: LITERARY ESSAYS, LITERATURE: HISTORY AND CRITICISM
- Collection: AUTHORS TEXTS AND THEMES
- Binding: Paperback
- Publication date: July 2016
- Number of pages: 240
- Weight: 300 g
Editorial review
A relevant contribution to the study of 19th-century French literature and intellectual history. Khan's approach, which combines rhetorical analysis with the exploration of political and aesthetic themes, offers a fresh perspective on widely studied authors. The work will be especially valuable to those seeking to understand how great French writers articulated the revolutionary experience through sophisticated literary resources such as irony and erotic figuration.