Description
Book SynopsisRevisiting the French Resistance in Cinema, Literature, Bande Dessinée, and Television (19422012) examines how fictional works have contributed to shaping the image of the French Resistance, and offers a key to understanding France's national psyche. Christophe Corbin explores themes including the making of the myth of an honorable country united against a common enemy, comedies gently poking fun at it and fictional works debunking it straightforwardly, the invisibility and resurfacing of women in films and novels, as well as contemporary depictions of the Resistance on television. Case studies include sometimes forgotten or lesser-known works such as Aragon's wartime poetry, early films such as Le Père tranquille or Casablanca-inspired Fortunat, iconic films and novels such as Le Silence de la mer or La Grande Vadrouille, but also contemporary fictional works such as Effroyables jardins and Un Héros très discret, or the popular TV series Un Village français. It will be of interest to
Trade ReviewA sweeping, well-informed study of fictional representations of the French Resistance, especially refreshing and illuminating in its inclusion of “popular” media. -- Philippe Met, University of Pennsylvania
Corbin’s well-organized and accessible study brings together a unique range of textual and visual representations of the French Resistance from literature and poetry to comics and television drama. The insightful analysis explores the place of cultural production in the memorialization of the Resistance since the Second World War. A comprehensive study, it will be of particular value to students and will also appeal to any reader with an interest in the period. -- Hanna Diamond, Cardiff University
Table of ContentsPreface: “The French Resistance Explained to My Grandchild” Introduction: How Stories Make History I. A Tale of the Nation: Historical Considerations and Early Filmic Depictions II. Muses in Arms: Poetry and Novels to Save the “Real France” (1940–1944) III. Fictions in Defiance. Historical Allegories or “Putting Ideas Across” (1942–1951) IV. Laughing the War Out: Comic (Relief) in Films and Bandes Dessinées V. Dissenting Voices: Debunking the Myth of Resistant France VI: Out of the Shadow: Invisibility and Resurfacing of Women in Films and Novels VII. Stopping the Pendulum Mid-Swing?: The Resistance on Television in the 2000s Conclusion: Veneration, Suspicion, Admiration Appendix A: List of Films, Telefilms, Novels, Comic Books, and Graphic Novels Depicting the French Resistance Bibliography About the Author
