The immediate forerunner of the bicycle, the velocipede reflected changing cultural attitudes and challenged gender norms. Velocipedomania is the first in-depth study of the velocipede fad and the popular culture it inspired, and explores how the device was hailed as a symbol of France' s cutting-edge technological advancements.
Exploring the crises of literary authority in nineteenth-century France, the book examines the impact of the Second Empire and the Paris Commune on literature. It highlights key phenomena such as literary collaboration, parody, and the destabilization of poetic forms, emphasizing how these elements reflect the shifting narrative voices within the context of social and political upheaval. Through this lens, the author delves into the complexities of identity and expression in a turbulent era of French history.
Before he had turned 21, Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) upended the house of French poetry and left it in shambles. What makes Rimbaud's poetry important, argues Seth Whidden, is part of what makes his life so compelling: rebellion, audacity, creativity and exploration.