The French Revolution of 1789 in European Narratives

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

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Introduction

Since the beginning of Western civilization, literary works have been products and reflections of a particular culture and a specific stage in the moral and social development of the respective people. The interdependence between society and art has been accepted even for times of political fragmentation, above all for the Golden Age of Pericles and the dysfunctional Weimar Republic: the more political and social turmoil, the more the arts flourished. Expected is therefore a similar impact of the French Revolution not only on the fine arts (e.g., Jacques-Louis David), but also on fiction. The revolutionary slogan “liberté, égalité, fraternité” challenged the absolutism of the ancien régime both in government and its concomitant doctrines classiques in literature.

2170 words

Citation: Hoffmeister, Gerhart. "The French Revolution of 1789 in European Narratives". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 April 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=19321, accessed 29 March 2024.]

19321 The French Revolution of 1789 in European Narratives 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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