Is Paris Still the Capital of the Nineteenth Century? - 9781472460141

Taylor & Francis

Is Paris Still the Capital of the Nineteenth Century?Essays on Art and Modernity, 1850-1900\nAuthor(s): Hollis Clayson, Andr Dombrowski\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd, United Kingdom\nImprint: Routledge\nISBN-13: 9781472460141, 978-1472460141\nSynopsis\n\""Is Paris Still the Capital of the Nineteenth Century?\"" The question that guides this volume stems from Walter Benjamin's studies of nineteenth-century Parisian culture as the apex of capitalist aesthetics. Thirteen scholars test Benjamin's ideas about the centrality of Paris, formulated in the 1930s, from a variety of methodological perspectives. Many investigate the underpinnings of the French capital's reputation and mythic force, which was based largely upon the city's capacity to put itself on display. Some of the authors reassess the famed centrality of Paris from the vantage point of our globalized twenty-first century by acknowledging its entanglements with South Africa, Turkey, Japan, and the United .