French Literary Fascism

Nationalism, Anti-Semitism, and the Ideology of Culture

Häftad, Engelska, 1998

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This is the first book to provide a sustained critical analysis of the literary-aesthetic dimension of French fascism--the peculiarly French form of what Walter Benjamin called the fascist "aestheticizing of politics." Focusing first on three important extremist nationalist writers at the turn of the century and then on five of the most visible fascist intellectuals in France in the 1930s, David Carroll shows how both traditional and modern concepts of art figure in the elaboration of fascist ideology--and in the presentation of fascism as an art of the political. Carroll is concerned with the internal relations of fascism and literature--how literary fascists conceived of politics as a technique for fashioning a unified people and transforming the disparate elements of society into an organic, totalized work of art. He explores the logic of such aestheticizing, as well as the assumptions about art, literature, and culture at the basis of both the aesthetics and politics of French literary fascists.His book reveals how not only classical humanism but also modern aesthetics that defend the autonomy and integrity of literature became models for xenophobic forms of nationalism and extreme "cultural" forms of anti-Semitism. A cogent analysis of the ideological function of literature and culture in fascism, this work helps us see the ramifications of thinking of literature or art as the truth or essence of politics.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum1998-07-21
Mått152 x 235 x 21 mm
Vikt454 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor312
FörlagPrinceton University Press
ISBN9780691058467

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AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Literature, Culture, Fascism3Pt. 1The Fathers of French Literary Fascism171The Use and Abuse of Culture: Maurice Barres and the Ideology of the Collective Subject19The Cult of the Self19Cultural and Racial Typologies27The Aesthetics of the Collective Subject312The Beautiful Community: The Fascist Legacy of Charles Peguy42Aesthetic Socialism42Antimodernism and the Spiritualization of History52Nation, Culture, Race623The Nation as Artwork: Charles Maurras and the Classical Origins of French Literary Fascism71Antiromantic Organicism71Integral Nationalism, Anti-Semitism, and the Aesthetic Power of the Monarch87Pt. 2Literary Fascists974Fascism as Aesthetic Experience: Robert Brasillach and the Politics of Literature99Nationalism, Fascism, and the Defense of Literature99Fascist Joy and the Aestheticizing of Experience1145The Fascist Imagined Community: The Myths of Europe and Totalitarian Man in Drieu la Rochelle125The Modernist Political Imagination125The Ideal of Total Art131The Fascist Imagination and the Myth of Europe136Aesthetic Ideals and Collaborationist Politics139Apocalyptic Fictions1426Literary Fascism and the Problem of Gender: The Aesthetics of the Body in Drieu la Rochelle147The Gender(s) of Fascism: Sartre, Adorno, Theweleit147The Fascist Aesthetics of the Body158The Trouble with Gender and the Ambivalence of Desire1647Literary Anti-Semitism: The Poetics of Race in Drumont and Celine171The Aesthetic Totalization of the Other171Style and Race180The Politics of Language and the Poetics of Race1868The Art of Anti-Semitic Rage: Lucien Rebatet's Aesthetics of Violence196Aesthetic Sensibility and Anti-Semitism196The Aesthetic Final Solution2079A Literary Fascism beyond Fascism: Thierry Maulnier and the Ideology of Culture222Classicism, Humanism, Fascism223Tragedy, Violence, and the National Revolution229The Spiritual Revolution and the Ideal of Culture235Afterword: Literary Fascism and the Case of Paul de Man248Notes to the Chapters263Index295

"What interests [Carroll] is fascist ideology and fascist aesthetics, and the relationship between literature and political extremism in general and anti-Semitism in particular. Where some champions of these writers have attempted to separate their writing from their politics, Carroll argues powerfully that it was precisely their faith in art and literature which led them to identify with fascism."--James F. McMillan, The Times Literary Supplement "In French Literary Fascism, Carroll dissects with great care the nature of fascist thought in French literature... His commentaries are meticulous, documented, intelligent."--Robert Zaretsky, The Virginia Quarterly Review "A crisp and compelling narrative... [This] is a book that all scholars of French fascism will have to take seriously."--William D. Irvine, American Historical Review "That some of the heirs of Voltaire espoused Fascism is one of the great tragedies of French literature. Caroll ... demonstrates in depth how these brilliant, intelligent, and frequently creative writers, after only the slightest shift of viewpoint, turned nationalist politics into a violent, aggressive, antisocial, terrifying absolute, and vicious alternative to democracy. This is the definitive work on a tragic subject."--Choice "What stands out is the author's critical intelligence and principled fairness. Although Carroll clearly detests the writings of his subjects, he never loses sight of his project, nor does he diminish the impact of his findings by veering into polemic. Readers interested in the always contemporary debate surrounding anti-hate legislation and freedom of expression will find French Literary Fascism a fascinating read."--Erna Paris, Toronto Globe and Mail