The French Revolution in culture and society /

Consisting of 15 papers originally presented at a 1988 symposium, this collection exhibits the diversity and richness of current research by a representative group of American (and a few French) scholars. Arranged around the theme of politics, culture, and society, the essays reflect a variety of political, literary, institutional, psychohistorical, and demographic approaches. The collection is broadly focused on the Revolution and explores problems in the Ancien Regime (e.g., the army's budget, criminal procedure) as well as the Revolution's impact (e.g., contraception). Many contributions deal with the debate over the extent of revolutionary change. Selected topics include destruction of royal monuments, the revolutionary calendar, Shakespeare in France, classical imagery, Diderot and Sade's treatment of sexual victims, poor relief, and ritualized violence against ch^ateaus, as well as editor Troyansky's erudite essay on generational themes in political discourse. Several essays have appeared in earlier versions, others represent ongoing research. A 16-page bibliography of works cited is appended. Recommended for upper-division undergraduates and above.-D. C. Baxter, Ohio University