Staging Civilization - by Rahul Markovits (Hardcover)

About the Book

"By examining the presence of French companies of actors in a wide set of courts and cities throughout Europe, this book uncovers the complex mechanisms underpinning the dissemination of French culture during the long eighteenth century"--

Book Synopsis

Eighteenth-century France is understood to have been the dominant cultural power on that era's international scene. Considering the emblematic case of the theater, Rahul Markovits goes beyond the idea of "French Europe" to offer a serious consideration of the intentions and goals of those involved in making this so. Drawing on extensive archival research, Staging Civilization reveals that between 1670 and 1815 at least twenty-seven European cities hosted resident theater troupes composed of French actors and singers who performed French-language repertory. By examining the presence of French companies of actors in a wide set of courts and cities throughout Europe, Markovits uncovers the complex mechanisms underpinning the dissemination of French culture. The book ultimately offers a revisionist account of the traditional Europe française thesis, engaging topics such as transnational labor history, early-modern court culture and republicanism, soft power, and cultural imperialism.

Review Quotes

An English-language version of Markovits's landmark study of eighteenth-century French theater will be welcomed by specialists in a number of fields and is an excellent addition to the impressive list of Cowen Prize winners, for which eighteenth-century scholars everywhere are grateful.

--Jeffrey S. Ravel, MIT, author of The Contested Parterre: Public Theater and French Popular Culture, 1680-1791

Until recently, study of the reach of France's cultural influence in Europe has focused largely on canonical works of literature, forgoing a discussion of other sites of cultural exchange such as forms of sociability--Freemasonry or the salons, for example--or clothing and fashion. Rahul Markovits's scrupulously researched and brilliantly written monograph further explores the phenomenon of eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century French cultural dissemination in consideration of the emblematic case of theater... Reading Staging Civilization is a joy, and Markovits's book makes a crucial contribution to the understanding of theatrical practices on the French stages of Europe.

--Keenan Burton, Eighteenth-Century Studies

Markovits's book is remarkable, built on a solid research methodology. It suggests how French theater can be approached as an open field of historic research, not only concerning its aesthetic significance, but for its cultural and socio-political implications. --H-France

About the Author

Rahul Markovits is Associate Professor of History at the École Normale Supérieure and author of Civiliser l'Europe: Politiques du théâtre français au XVIIIe siècle. Jane Marie Todd has translated more than eighty books for trade and university presses, including Olivier Wieviorka's The French Resistance.