Description
Book SynopsisIn the years between the world wars, French intellectuals, politicians, and military leaders came to see certain encounters-between human and machine, organic and artificial, national and international culture-as premonitions of a future that was...
Trade ReviewInvestigating the impact of 'collective anticipation' on society, Panchasi successfully turns memory on its head, exploring how expectations of the future became manifested in public projects, ambitions and discourses during the interwar years.... This study is a solid and informative piece of work, which paints a vivid picture of the cultural and technological expectations facing interwar French society. Forcing the reader to reflect on the intersection between history and modernity during the interwar years, it offers a fresh approach to thinking about the exciting interwar period.
-- Daniel Lee * European History Quarterly *
Roxanne Panchasi's masterful exposé on the uncertain times of l’entre-deux-guerres examines how French scientists, engineers, designers, military strategists, politicians, and writers conceived multiple scenarios to shape the France of the future.... From household appliances, prosthetic limbs, the chaise longue, Ovomaltine as a dietary supplement, and the grand design of the Ligne Maginot, the author has compiled an exhaustive and enlightening panorama of the ideas and inventions that informed the collective imagination of one nation determined to undo the ills of its past.
-- Marie L. M. Schein * French Review *
