Description
Book SynopsisThe mature nationalism that fueled the French Revolution grew from patriotic sensibilities fostered over the course of a century or more. Jay M. Smith proposes that the French thought their way to nationhood through a process of psychic adjustment...
Trade Review"In this elegant, thought-provoking book, Jay M. Smith challenges us to rethink the status of traditional elites in the social imaginary of prerevolutionary France. The book's thesis about the relationship between nobility and patriotism overturns many hallowed assumptions about images of a 'reactionary' aristocracy and should provoke lively debate in the field." -- Sarah C. Maza, Jane Long Professor in the Humanities, Northwestern University
"Nobility Reimagined is a lively, nuanced, and learned account of the eighteenth century's political imagination. Jay M. Smith explores the complicated ways in which writers combined a shared repertory of ideas about social distinction and community; the result is a significant contribution to our understanding of the cultural and social origins of the French Revolution." -- Jonathan Dewald, UB Distinguished Professor, University at Buffalo
