INSEAD Library

Digitized

Speak the Culture France Contents Introduction p1 2. Literature and philosophy p49 2.1. Literature and poetry p51 2.1.1. Reading habits and the lionised author p52 2.1.2. A taste for the epic: early French literature p53 2.1.3. Taking the initiative: French Renaissance writing p55 2.1.4. Height of good taste: writing in the age of Classicism p58 2.1.5. A revolution of words: from Romanticism to Modernism p60 2.1.6. The modern way: 20th century and contemporary writers p68 2.1.7. The outsiders: foreign authors inspired by France p74 2.2. Philosophy p77 2.2.1. Thinking man's game: the French and their intellectuals p78 2.2.2. Founding father: Descartes and the age of reason p79 2.2.3. Thought processes: philosophy in the Enlightenment p81 2.2.4. Sartre to Derrida: philosophy in modern France p83 3. Art, architecture and design p87 3.1. Art p89 3.1.1. Master strokes: the tradition of French art p90 3.1.2. The first French masters p91 3.1.3. Light fantastic: the Impressionists p94 3.1.4. Maintaining the momentum: postImpressionism p98 3.1.5. Seeing the world afresh: from prophets and wild beasts to Cubists p101 3.1.6. Identity crisis: post-war and contemporary art p105 3.1.7 Form and function: French design p108 3.2. Architecture pill 3.2.1. Classical remains: Gallo-Roman architecture p112 3.2.2. Heaven sent: French medieval architecture p113 3.2.3. Grand designs: the unstoppable rise of the chateaux p115 3.2.4. Capital ideas: the streets and buildings of Paris p117 3.2.5. Making concrete plans: modern architecture p120 3.2.6. Closer to home: domestic architecture p122 4. Perorming arts p125 4.1. Music p127 4.1.1. France on song: the chanson p128 4.1.2. French classical music p130 4.1.3. France adopts jazz p136 4.1.4. Modern music: the growth of homegrown talent p138 4.2. Theatre p145 4.2.1. Setting the scene: from miracles to Moliere p146 4.2.2. Theatre for the masses: Romanticism to Realism p150 4.2.3. State of play: modern French theatre p155 4.2.4. Lingua Franca: French opera p160 4.2.5. Keeping in step: French dance p165 4.2.6. Bonne humeur: modern French comedy p169 1. Identity: the foundations of French culture p3 1.1. Geography p5 1.1.1. Natural borders: the Hexagon takes shape p6 1.1.2. Local colour. the regions of France p8 1.2. History p23 1.2.1. An emergent state: from cavemen to Emperors p24 1.2.2. Heroes and villains: how Jeanne, Louis and Napoleon shaped France p27 1.2.3. Beauty and the beast: modern France emerges from the belle époque and war p33 1.3. Language and belonging p39 1.3.1. Tongue twisting: how language evolved in France p40 1.3.2. Language barriers: protecting the mother tongue p42 1.3.3. Being French: the national psyche p44 5. Arbiters of style: cinema, photography and fashion p175 5.1. Cinema p177 5.1.1. The seventh art the importance of French cinema p178 5.1.2. Birth of film: the Lumiere brothers get things moving p179 5.1.3. Golden age: the historical epics p180 5.1.4. Capturing the mood: New Wave p182 5.1.5. Mixing it up: French film in the late 20th century p184 5.1.6. Individual flourishes: contemporary French cinema p186 5.1.7. Outside looking in: global interest in French film and France as a location p188 5.1.8. Celebrating the movie: French film festivals p190 5.2. Photography p193 5.2.1. Image conscious: the dawn of photography p194 5.2.2. On a roll: modern and contemporary photography p195 5.3. Fashion p199 5.3.1. La mode Française: a history of looking good p200 5.3.2. Haute times: a century of French style p202 6. Media and communications p207 6.1. Media p209 6.1.1. Pressing matters: national and regional newspapers p210 6.1.2. Magazine rack: from Paris Match to Marie Claire p212 6.1.3. Viewing habits: French television p214 6.1.4. Home advantage: French radio p216 6.1.5. Overexposure: the cult of celebrity p218 6.1.6. New media: emailing and the Internet p219 6.2. Communications p223 6.2.1. Staying in touch: posting a letter and making a call p224 6.2.2. Transport links: how the French get around p226 7. Consuming culture: food and drink p229 7.1. Food p231 7.1.1. A national obsession: the French love of food p232 7.1.2. Regional specialities: truly local tastes p234 7.1.3. Staple diet: bread, charcuterie and cheese p239 7.1.4. Eating habits: in the home and going out p243 7.1.5. Buying food: markets, shops and supermarkets p245 7.2. Drink p247 7.2.1. More than just a drink: the culture of French wine p248 7.2.2. Viti-culture: the French wine regions p251 7.2.3. Drinking culture: beyond wine p260 7.2.4. Drinking habits: when and where to indulge p267 8. Living culture: the state of the nation p271 8.1. Reading between the layers: class, family, sex and race p272 8.2. Belief systems: religion and values p275 8.3. Politics, the French state and green issues p277 8.4. Money matters: the economy, employment and social security p280 8.5. Law of the land: rules and regulations p283 8.6. French lessons: education p286 8.7. Time out: festivals, free time and holidays p289 8.8. Sporting heroes: les bleus, le tour and les armchair fans p292