Local priests, mayors, and schoolmasters have often been portrayed by French novelists as objects of ridicule. In reality, however, the village notables gave norms to the villagers in their communities and personified the community's values. The influence of village notables and the values they preached and personified ensure their importance in any view of French rural history. Their world was already in transition towards modernity, and they both guided and impeded the process.
Village Notables in Nineteenth-Century France tells who these notables were, where they came from, what they thought, what influence they had in local society, how they competed with each other for village hegemony or enhanced status, and what problems they endured. The book is a lively account, solidly based on extensive archival research and other primary sources. It gives the reader a feel for the era and the milieu.
- ISBN10 087395629X
- ISBN13 9780873956291
- Publish Date 30 June 1983
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 1 August 2014
- Publish Country US
- Imprint State University of New York Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 199
- Language English