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The Great Cat Massacre: And Other Episodes in French Cultural History (Penguin Classic History S.) - Softcover
Believing that historians should adopt anthropological methods in order to understand 'the otherness' of previous eras, Robert Darnton analyses a rich variety of sources, from grim peasant folklore to Enlightenment philosophy, in order to show not merely what men and women thought, but why they thought it. The result is a startling and provocative evocation of a country where young printers could riotously massacre cats, where a royal inspector of police could labour over intimate, up-to-date files on writers and where the gaudy panoply of a city could symbolize so clearly the infrastructure of a society ridden with nuance and contradiction.
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"* 'A brilliant work of popular history' - NEWSWEEK * 'Authoritative... elegant and searching' - DAILY TELEGRAPH * 'A rich and splendid book' - Marghanita Laski"
Synopsis:
In Paris in the late 1730s an extraordinary event occurred. Two printing-shop apprentices rounded up the neighbourhood cats, including their mistress's favourite pet, and battered them to death. They then staged a mock trial and strung them from gallows, to riotous applause and much hilarity - something we find incomprehensible today. Was this a bizarre carnivalesque ritual? An act to ward off witchcraft? Or a workers' revolt against their tyrannical master? To try to enter the minds of ordinary people in 18th-century France and discover "the mental world of the unenlightened during the Enlightenment", Robert Darnton's engrossing, unusual history analyzes a rich variety of material, including the grim, earthy peasant sources of folk tales such as "Little Red Riding Hood"; a curious description of a city; and a policeman's secret dossier. His innovative ethnographic study shows us not just what people thought in the past, but how differently they viewed the world from us.
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- PublisherPenguin Classics
- Publication date2001
- ISBN 10 0141390808
- ISBN 13 9780141390802
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages320
- Rating
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THE GREAT CAT MASSACRE: AND OTHER EPISODES IN FRENCH CULTURAL HISTORY (PENGUIN CLASSIC HISTORY)
Published by
PENGUIN BOOKS LTD
(2001)
ISBN 10: 0141390808
ISBN 13: 9780141390802
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.75. Seller Inventory # G0141390808I3N00
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The Great Cat Massacre: And Other Episodes in French Cultural History (Penguin Classic History)
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The Great Cat Massacre: And Other Episodes in French Cultural History (Penguin Classic History) This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 7719-9780141390802
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THE GREAT CAT MASSACRE: AND OTHER EPISODES IN FRENCH CULTURAL HISTORY (PENGUIN CLASSIC HISTORY)
Published by
PENGUIN BOOKS LTD
(2001)
ISBN 10: 0141390808
ISBN 13: 9780141390802
Used
Softcover
Quantity: 1
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Book Description Condition: Good. Good condition. This is the average used book, that has all pages or leaves present, but may include writing. Book may be ex-library with stamps and stickers. Seller Inventory # 353-0141390808-gdd
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The Great Cat Massacre: And Other Episodes in French Cultural History (Penguin Classic History)
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 6545-9780141390802
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The Great Cat Massacre: And Other Episodes in French Cultural History (Penguin Classic History S.)
Published by
Penguin Books Ltd, United Kingdom, London
(2001)
ISBN 10: 0141390808
ISBN 13: 9780141390802
Used
Paperback
Quantity: 3
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. In Paris in the late 1730s an extraordinary event occurred. Two printing-shop apprentices rounded up the neighbourhood cats, including their mistress's favourite pet, and battered them to death. They then staged a mock trial and strung them from gallows, to riotous applause and much hilarity - something we find incomprehensible today. Was this a bizarre carnivalesque ritual? An act to ward off witchcraft? Or a workers' revolt against their tyrannical master? To try to enter the minds of ordinary people in 18th-century France and discover "the mental world of the unenlightened during the Enlightenment", Robert Darnton's engrossing, unusual history analyzes a rich variety of material, including the grim, earthy peasant sources of folk tales such as "Little Red Riding Hood"; a curious description of a city; and a policeman's secret dossier. His innovative ethnographic study shows us not just what people thought in the past, but how differently they viewed the world from us. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR003057340
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The Great Cat Massacre: And Other Episodes in French Cultural History
Published by
Penguin Classics
(2001)
ISBN 10: 0141390808
ISBN 13: 9780141390802
Used
Softcover
Quantity: 1
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Rating
Book Description Condition: Good. This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside.This book has soft covers. Clean from markings. In good all round condition. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item,450grams, ISBN:9780141390802. Seller Inventory # 6053207
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