Becoming Bourgeois

Love, Kinship, and Power in Provincial France, 1670–1880

Nonfiction, History, France, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology
Cover of the book Becoming Bourgeois by Christopher H. Johnson, Cornell University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Christopher H. Johnson ISBN: 9781501701283
Publisher: Cornell University Press Publication: November 16, 2015
Imprint: Cornell University Press Language: English
Author: Christopher H. Johnson
ISBN: 9781501701283
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Publication: November 16, 2015
Imprint: Cornell University Press
Language: English

Becoming Bourgeois traces the fortunes of three French families in the municipality of Vannes, in Brittany—Galles, Jollivet, and Le Ridant—who rose to prominence in publishing, law, the military, public administration, and intellectual pursuits over the course of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Revisiting complex issues of bourgeois class formation from the perspective of the interior lives of families, Christopher H. Johnson argues that the most durable and socially advantageous links forging bourgeois ascent were those of kinship. Economic success, though certainly derived from the virtues of hard work and intelligent management, was always underpinned by marriage strategies and the diligent intervention of influential family members.

Johnson’s examination of hundreds of personal letters opens up a whole world: the vicissitudes of courtship; the centrality of marriage; the depths of conjugal love; the routines of pregnancy and the drama of childbirth; the practices of child rearing and education; the powerful place of siblings; the role of kin in advancing the next generation; tragedy and deaths; the enormous contributions of women in all aspects of becoming bourgeois; and the pleasures of gathering together in intimate soirées, grand balls, country houses, and civic and political organizations. Family love bound it all together, and this is ultimately what this book is about, as four generations of rather ordinary provincial people capture our hearts.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Becoming Bourgeois traces the fortunes of three French families in the municipality of Vannes, in Brittany—Galles, Jollivet, and Le Ridant—who rose to prominence in publishing, law, the military, public administration, and intellectual pursuits over the course of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Revisiting complex issues of bourgeois class formation from the perspective of the interior lives of families, Christopher H. Johnson argues that the most durable and socially advantageous links forging bourgeois ascent were those of kinship. Economic success, though certainly derived from the virtues of hard work and intelligent management, was always underpinned by marriage strategies and the diligent intervention of influential family members.

Johnson’s examination of hundreds of personal letters opens up a whole world: the vicissitudes of courtship; the centrality of marriage; the depths of conjugal love; the routines of pregnancy and the drama of childbirth; the practices of child rearing and education; the powerful place of siblings; the role of kin in advancing the next generation; tragedy and deaths; the enormous contributions of women in all aspects of becoming bourgeois; and the pleasures of gathering together in intimate soirées, grand balls, country houses, and civic and political organizations. Family love bound it all together, and this is ultimately what this book is about, as four generations of rather ordinary provincial people capture our hearts.

More books from Cornell University Press

Cover of the book The Image before the Weapon by Christopher H. Johnson
Cover of the book Welcome to the Suck by Christopher H. Johnson
Cover of the book The Discourse of Modernism by Christopher H. Johnson
Cover of the book Spaces of Feeling by Christopher H. Johnson
Cover of the book Stanley’s Girl by Christopher H. Johnson
Cover of the book The Angola Horror by Christopher H. Johnson
Cover of the book Phantom Billing, Fake Prescriptions, and the High Cost of Medicine by Christopher H. Johnson
Cover of the book The Peace Puzzle by Christopher H. Johnson
Cover of the book Thucydides and the Pursuit of Freedom by Christopher H. Johnson
Cover of the book I Am Not a Tractor! by Christopher H. Johnson
Cover of the book The Diplomacy of Migration by Christopher H. Johnson
Cover of the book The Forms of Historical Fiction by Christopher H. Johnson
Cover of the book The Origin of Sin by Christopher H. Johnson
Cover of the book Geology in the Nineteenth Century by Christopher H. Johnson
Cover of the book Protection by Persuasion by Christopher H. Johnson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy