Description
Book Synopsis France experienced four major conflicts in the fifty years between 1914 and 1964: two world wars, and the wars in Indochina and Algeria. In each the role of myth was intricately bound up with memory, hope, belief, and ideas of nation. This is the first book to explore how individual myths were created, sustained, and used for purposes of propaganda, examining in detail not just the press, radio, photographs, posters, films, and songs that gave credence to an imagined event or attributed mythical status to an individual, but also the cultural processes by which such artifacts were disseminated and took effect.
Reliance on myth, so the authors argue, is shown to be one of the most significant and durable features of 20th century warfare propaganda, used by both sides in all the conflicts covered in this book. However, its effective and useful role in time of war notwithstanding, it does distort a population's perception of reality and therefore often results in defeat: the myth-making that began as a means of sustaining belief in France's supremacy, and later her will and ability to resist, ultimately proved counterproductive in the process of decolonization.
Trade Review "There are suggestive and interesting contributions ... Historians of modern France and historians interested in the cultural aspects of war will find much to engage with in this stimulating collection." · French History
Table of Contents Chapter 1. Myth and Metaphor: the Power of Propaganda in Twentieth Century Warfare
D. Kelly and V. Holman
Chapter 2. The Myth of the Marseillaise and the Great War: The Transfer of Rouget de Lisle to the Invalides
Chapter 3. From One War to the Next: The Creation of Myth and Suppression of Reality
A. Becker
Chapter 4. The Image and the Myth of the Fifth Column During Two World Wars
C. Delporte
Chapter 5. Parody and Propaganda: The Discourse of the Fairy-tale in the Mythology of Vichy France
J. Proud
Chapter 6. Between Propaganda and "Telling the Truth": Choices, Activities, and Effects of the Clandestine Press
O. Wieviorka
Chapter 7. Rival Figures of National Leadership: Representation of Charles de Gaulle & Philippe Pétain
C. Flood and H. Frey
Chapter 8. Fighting Myth with Reality: The Fall of France, Anglophobia, and the BBC
M. Cornick
Chapter 9. Heroes and Martyrs: The Changing Mythical Status of the French Army during the Indo-Chinese War
N. Cooper
Chapter 10. Imaging the War without a Name: The French Cinema and Algeria
P. Dine
Notes on Contributors
Bibliography
Index
