cakefairy's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
4.0
At times I found the sheer quantity of detail overwhelming, but it does absolutely make one mourn for a united Europe.
alundeberg's review against another edition
4.0
An acquaintance of mine recently went to Paris, and before he left, he told me excitedly that he must see the Eiffel Tower and the Mona Lisa. That's it. That's all. The Eiffel Tower and the Mona Lisa. I tried to share his enthusiasm while also trying to point out that there are other, even more historically/socially/culturally interesting sights to see in the City of Light, but no. He came back, flush with excitement because he went to Paris and those two sights. He saw what makes Paris, "Paris". He checked those boxes.
Orlando Figes helps explain the rise of this cultural phenomenon and many others in his book, "The Europeans: Three Lives and the Making of a Cosmopolitan Culture". Figes posits how in the 19th century a rising middle class, mandatory education and rising literacy, and technological advances such as the locomotive and cheaper printing processes, etc. gave rise to a pan-European culture and internationalism before rampant nationalism and chest-beating and war helped wipe it out. To illustrate his point, he focuses on the lives of Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev, Turgenev's lover and opera singer Pauline Viardot, and her husband, a Renaissance-man, Louis Viardot as each benefits from the advancements of the age and each does their upmost to help promote the works of foreign artists. Figes covers a lot of ground, and this review is hard to write because I am a bit overwhelmed by it all.
Here are some of my biggest takeaways (and this is by no means exhaustive):
1. The rise of the Tourist. With a rising income and better modes of transportation, the middle class, especially from England, were able to do versions of the 18th century Grand Tour with the help of guidebooks to tell them what to see and where. Cheaper printing allowed these books to be made, and throngs of tourists became the bane of locals as they demanded to see exactly what was in the book as that was the most important thing to see., hence, the Eiffel Tower and the Mona Lisa.
2. The rise of Literature and the novelist superstar: The rising rates of literacy and the middle class meant that more people could read and better themselves. Cheaper printing and loose copyright laws meant that novels could cross borders and be translated everywhere and read by everyone. This allowed readers to feel what life is like in other countries and writers in different countries were influenced by each other. This was seen as a problem later in the century as nationalists believed it would water down their home culture as novels became "homogenized". They moved to reinforce how their authors reflected their culture. Turgenev ended up being criticized because as a result of living most of his life outside of Russia, his novels weren't "Russian" enough. On another note, with the rise of train travel, rides were smooth and travelers could actually read. Book stalls at train stations became popular as did new genres of mystery, travelogues, romances, etc. as riders wanted something entertaining to get them through their trip.
3. The role of economics on the rise of the Canon and popular art: Sometimes when we talk about the literary Canon, it takes on the feel of crusty old white men in their Ivory Tower carving in stone what is culturally fit to read. The Canon was indeed made by white men, but they publishers trying capitalizing off novels that were cheap to print, and as the 19th century writers started to die off, they were no longer under copyright and royalty laws, and their work became very cheap to print. The added bonus was that most of their work was already popular and sold very well. To boost their sales they began making the lists of "100 books you must read to be considered a literature and cultured person". We have only recently started to deviate from those lists and add more women and people of color to them. This is the same for music. Early on theaters were state funded and could try out all types of music and operas. After the variety of revolutions and changes in government, theaters lost their funding and became profit-making enterprises. In order to make a profit, they put on what was already popular and the newer works had little chance of being produced as they were unknown. This is also what happened in art. With the rise of the middle class who did not have a classical education, they wanted works of art in their homes that they could understand and reflected their lives-- and this coincided with realism and the Barbizon painters. History paintings were out; contemporary scenes were in.
So, as you can see, lots of interesting information. To be honest, it was a bit of a slog. I prefer more of a narrative and this was a lot of information, and some of it repetitive. It also feels nostalgic as there was a time when Europe tried to share culture and rise above nationalistic tendencies. We are back in the same position today as nationalism is on the rise again, and our culture, instead of looking to achieve human's greatest potential, seems to aim for the lowest common denominator and the most minimal of thought. This book would be a good companion for the first half of Margaret MacMillan's "The War That Ended Peace: The Road to 1914" in which she explores how the 19th century was one of the most "peaceful" times in Europe's history (comparatively speaking) and how society aimed to be better and enter an era beyond war.
Orlando Figes helps explain the rise of this cultural phenomenon and many others in his book, "The Europeans: Three Lives and the Making of a Cosmopolitan Culture". Figes posits how in the 19th century a rising middle class, mandatory education and rising literacy, and technological advances such as the locomotive and cheaper printing processes, etc. gave rise to a pan-European culture and internationalism before rampant nationalism and chest-beating and war helped wipe it out. To illustrate his point, he focuses on the lives of Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev, Turgenev's lover and opera singer Pauline Viardot, and her husband, a Renaissance-man, Louis Viardot as each benefits from the advancements of the age and each does their upmost to help promote the works of foreign artists. Figes covers a lot of ground, and this review is hard to write because I am a bit overwhelmed by it all.
Here are some of my biggest takeaways (and this is by no means exhaustive):
1. The rise of the Tourist. With a rising income and better modes of transportation, the middle class, especially from England, were able to do versions of the 18th century Grand Tour with the help of guidebooks to tell them what to see and where. Cheaper printing allowed these books to be made, and throngs of tourists became the bane of locals as they demanded to see exactly what was in the book as that was the most important thing to see., hence, the Eiffel Tower and the Mona Lisa.
2. The rise of Literature and the novelist superstar: The rising rates of literacy and the middle class meant that more people could read and better themselves. Cheaper printing and loose copyright laws meant that novels could cross borders and be translated everywhere and read by everyone. This allowed readers to feel what life is like in other countries and writers in different countries were influenced by each other. This was seen as a problem later in the century as nationalists believed it would water down their home culture as novels became "homogenized". They moved to reinforce how their authors reflected their culture. Turgenev ended up being criticized because as a result of living most of his life outside of Russia, his novels weren't "Russian" enough. On another note, with the rise of train travel, rides were smooth and travelers could actually read. Book stalls at train stations became popular as did new genres of mystery, travelogues, romances, etc. as riders wanted something entertaining to get them through their trip.
3. The role of economics on the rise of the Canon and popular art: Sometimes when we talk about the literary Canon, it takes on the feel of crusty old white men in their Ivory Tower carving in stone what is culturally fit to read. The Canon was indeed made by white men, but they publishers trying capitalizing off novels that were cheap to print, and as the 19th century writers started to die off, they were no longer under copyright and royalty laws, and their work became very cheap to print. The added bonus was that most of their work was already popular and sold very well. To boost their sales they began making the lists of "100 books you must read to be considered a literature and cultured person". We have only recently started to deviate from those lists and add more women and people of color to them. This is the same for music. Early on theaters were state funded and could try out all types of music and operas. After the variety of revolutions and changes in government, theaters lost their funding and became profit-making enterprises. In order to make a profit, they put on what was already popular and the newer works had little chance of being produced as they were unknown. This is also what happened in art. With the rise of the middle class who did not have a classical education, they wanted works of art in their homes that they could understand and reflected their lives-- and this coincided with realism and the Barbizon painters. History paintings were out; contemporary scenes were in.
So, as you can see, lots of interesting information. To be honest, it was a bit of a slog. I prefer more of a narrative and this was a lot of information, and some of it repetitive. It also feels nostalgic as there was a time when Europe tried to share culture and rise above nationalistic tendencies. We are back in the same position today as nationalism is on the rise again, and our culture, instead of looking to achieve human's greatest potential, seems to aim for the lowest common denominator and the most minimal of thought. This book would be a good companion for the first half of Margaret MacMillan's "The War That Ended Peace: The Road to 1914" in which she explores how the 19th century was one of the most "peaceful" times in Europe's history (comparatively speaking) and how society aimed to be better and enter an era beyond war.
lnatal's review
3.0
From BBC Radio 4 Extra:
With the building of the railways and new technological advances, 19th Century Europe is hovering on the brink of great change. By exploring the love triangle between a famous opera singer, her husband-manager and a Russian novelist, Orlando Figes’ latest book charts the emergence of a cosmopolitan Europe.
Omnibus read by Hugh Bonneville.
The Europeans takes us back to the 19th century and tells the story of the intimate relationship which existed between opera superstar, Pauline Viardot, her husband and manager Louis Viardot and the Russian novelist, Ivan Turgenev. Alongside their personal story The Europeans also tells of the role they played in Europe’s cultural renaissance. From the mid-19th century up until the outbreak of the First World War, Europe experienced a cultural revolution which stretched from the British Isles to Imperial Russia heralding in a new age of heady optimism. A thirst for literature, art and music flourished during this period bringing about a commercial demand that was facilitated by technology changes from the railways to the factory scale production of upright pianos.
Each of the five episodes focuses on a different stage of the Viardot’s and Turgenev’s relationship and a selection of the ways in which they and their work contributed to Europe’s evolving cultural landscape.
Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Producer: Elizabeth Allard
Director: Gemma Jenkins
First broadcast in five parts on BBC Radio 4 in 2019.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0008pq2
With the building of the railways and new technological advances, 19th Century Europe is hovering on the brink of great change. By exploring the love triangle between a famous opera singer, her husband-manager and a Russian novelist, Orlando Figes’ latest book charts the emergence of a cosmopolitan Europe.
Omnibus read by Hugh Bonneville.
The Europeans takes us back to the 19th century and tells the story of the intimate relationship which existed between opera superstar, Pauline Viardot, her husband and manager Louis Viardot and the Russian novelist, Ivan Turgenev. Alongside their personal story The Europeans also tells of the role they played in Europe’s cultural renaissance. From the mid-19th century up until the outbreak of the First World War, Europe experienced a cultural revolution which stretched from the British Isles to Imperial Russia heralding in a new age of heady optimism. A thirst for literature, art and music flourished during this period bringing about a commercial demand that was facilitated by technology changes from the railways to the factory scale production of upright pianos.
Each of the five episodes focuses on a different stage of the Viardot’s and Turgenev’s relationship and a selection of the ways in which they and their work contributed to Europe’s evolving cultural landscape.
Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Producer: Elizabeth Allard
Director: Gemma Jenkins
First broadcast in five parts on BBC Radio 4 in 2019.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0008pq2
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