Ten Little Chances to be Free (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
tenlittlebullets) wrote2008-04-11 03:47 pm
tenlittlebullets) wrote2008-04-11 03:47 pm
Entry tags:
Oooooh, shiny.
It's probably not a good idea to recommend a book I've only read five pages of, but The Parisian Worlds of Frédéric Chopin looks so far like a superb resource for Les Mis-related research. The five pages I've read so far already contain a brief but excellent summary of routes to travel into Paris and modes of transport within the city. (Like, for instance, the difference between a fiacre and a cabriolet, and where the stagecoach terminals were.) The reason I'm taking this as indicative of what the rest of the book will contain... well, look at the table of contents:
1. Paris à la Galignani: An Anglo-Italian Guide to the French Capital for the English-Speaking Tourist
2. Polish Parisians: A People in Exile
3. From Citizen-King to Prince-President: France as a "Bourgeois-cracy"
4. Society and Salons: A "Who's Tout" of le Tout Paris
5. Pox Britannica: The Great Epidemic of Anglomania
6. Musical Currents along the Seine: From Concert Halls to Dance Halls
7. Opera: A Vocal Art and Social Spectacle
8. Bohemia and the Demimonde: Two Operas in the Making
9. Penning a Profit: Literature Becomes Lucrative
10. Stage by Stage: The Evolution of Theatrical Taste from the Battle of "Hernani" to the Reign of Rachel
11. Delacroix, Daumier, and Daguerre: A "3-D" View of Art
12. "A Votre Santé!": Coping with Poultices, Purges, and the Parisian Medical Profession
13. Visions of a Better World: Searching for Utopia from Menilmontant to the Rue Vanneau
14. The Big Shadow of the Little Corporal: Napoléon Becomes a Legend
The time period's a little later than would be ideal--1831-1849--but the author seems pretty good about noting dates for events and new technologies and such. (Omnibuses made their debut in 1828; the stuff on the railroad is fascinating, but it only dates from 1837ish so it wouldn't be useful except for an AU or post-story fic.)
The Amazon and half.com listings are a bit expensive, but I know I've seen it for less. If I encounter any problems as I read it that would make it not worth the price, I'll be sure to post them or at least edit this post... but it looks really cool.
1. Paris à la Galignani: An Anglo-Italian Guide to the French Capital for the English-Speaking Tourist
2. Polish Parisians: A People in Exile
3. From Citizen-King to Prince-President: France as a "Bourgeois-cracy"
4. Society and Salons: A "Who's Tout" of le Tout Paris
5. Pox Britannica: The Great Epidemic of Anglomania
6. Musical Currents along the Seine: From Concert Halls to Dance Halls
7. Opera: A Vocal Art and Social Spectacle
8. Bohemia and the Demimonde: Two Operas in the Making
9. Penning a Profit: Literature Becomes Lucrative
10. Stage by Stage: The Evolution of Theatrical Taste from the Battle of "Hernani" to the Reign of Rachel
11. Delacroix, Daumier, and Daguerre: A "3-D" View of Art
12. "A Votre Santé!": Coping with Poultices, Purges, and the Parisian Medical Profession
13. Visions of a Better World: Searching for Utopia from Menilmontant to the Rue Vanneau
14. The Big Shadow of the Little Corporal: Napoléon Becomes a Legend
The time period's a little later than would be ideal--1831-1849--but the author seems pretty good about noting dates for events and new technologies and such. (Omnibuses made their debut in 1828; the stuff on the railroad is fascinating, but it only dates from 1837ish so it wouldn't be useful except for an AU or post-story fic.)
The Amazon and half.com listings are a bit expensive, but I know I've seen it for less. If I encounter any problems as I read it that would make it not worth the price, I'll be sure to post them or at least edit this post... but it looks really cool.