A belief in progress tells us something about the way a society views itself. Progress speaks of confidence, optimism and dynamism. It assures us of pattern and structure. In the nineteenth century, as the Christian model of development is increasingly challenged and as geological findings expand understanding of history, so progress emerges from the Enlightenment as an ever more acute subject for debate. This book addresses the theme of progress and patterns of progression in the work of Flaubert. Through close textual analysis of his works and particular scrutiny of his narrative structures, this book argues that Flaubert's position in the mid-nineteenth century situates his work at an intriguing historical crossroads, between Romantic faith in progress and assertions of Decadent decline. Flaubert's response to progress is rich and complicated, offering stimulating views of momentum and perfectibility. In this study, actual progression is seen as a metaphor for understanding Flaubert's attitude to historical progress. Each chapter focuses on a particular vehicle or pattern of movement, analysing journeys undertaken by characters in Flaubert's texts as models of disrupted, non-linear progression which provide a counter-current to contemporary ideologies of progress. A closing chapter examines connections between Flaubert and Huysmans, investigating the response to progress in later nineteenth-century literature.
The French fin de siècle witnessed a sharpening of the battle between literature and journalism, with literary authors increasingly seeking to distinguish their writings from the 'mere' reportage of journalists. Technological innovations, massive improvements in the literacy rate and the lifting of government censorship contributed to the extraordinary flourishing of the press. Parisian mass publications almost tripled their circulation between 1880 and 1914, with content becoming more news-driven and sensational, and layout more striking. In response, the novel of the period represents the figure of the journalist in changing and ambiguous ways, variously perceiving reporter-characters as scurrilous, opportunistic, dynamic and heroic, while echoing and parodying techniques of reportage. Through original readings of texts by writers including the canonical literary figures Zola and Maupassant, popular authors Jules Verne and Gaston Leroux, and novelist and media 'darling' Marcelle Tinayre, Kate Rees evaluates the fictional response to the increasingly powerful domain of journalism. She charts literary reaction to developments in the press, such as the rise of the foreign correspondent, the popularity of crime reporting and the growth of publications aimed at women. Kate Rees is Lecturer in French at Oriel College, Oxford.
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