Memoirs Of A Breton Peasant

Author : Jean-Marie Deguignet
Publisher : Seven Stories Press
Page : 433 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2011-10-18
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781609802592

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Memoirs of a Breton Peasant by Jean-Marie Deguignet Pdf

A fascinating document of an extraordinary life, Memoirs of A Breton Peasant reads with the liveliness of a novel and bristles with the vigor of an opinionated autodidact from the very lowest level of peasant society. Brittany during the nineteenth century was a place seemingly frozen in the Middle Ages, backwards by most French standards; formal education among rural society was either unavailable or dismissed as unnecessary, while the church and local myth defined most people's reasoning and motivation. Jean-Marie Déguignet is unique not only as a literate Breton peasant, but in his skepticism for the church, his interest in science, astronomy and languages, and for his keen—often caustic—observations of the world and people around him. Born into rural poverty in 1834, Déguignet escapes Brittany by joining the French Army in 1854, and over the next fourteen years he fights in the Crimean war, attends Napoleon III’s coronation ceremonies, supports Italy’s liberation struggle, and defends the hapless French puppet emperor Maximilian in Mexico. He teaches himself Latin, French, Italian and Spanish and reads extensively on history, philosophy, politics, and literature. He returns home to live as a farmer and tobacco-seller, eventually falling back into dire poverty. Throughout the tale, Deguignet’s freethinking, almost anarchic views put him ahead of his time and often (sadly, for him) out of step with his contemporaries. Déguignet’s voluminous journals (nearly 4,000 pages in total) were discovered in a farmhouse in Brittany a century after they were written. This narrative was drawn from them and became a surprise bestseller when published in France in 1998.

Author : Jean-Marie Deguignet
Publisher : Seven Stories Press
Page : 433 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2011-10-18
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781609803469

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Memoirs of a Breton Peasant by Jean-Marie Deguignet Pdf

A fascinating document of an extraordinary life, Memoirs of A Breton Peasant reads with the liveliness of a novel and bristles with the vigor of an opinionated autodidact from the very lowest level of peasant society. Brittany during the nineteenth century was a place seemingly frozen in the Middle Ages, backwards by most French standards; formal education among rural society was either unavailable or dismissed as unnecessary, while the church and local myth defined most people's reasoning and motivation. Jean-Marie Déguignet is unique not only as a literate Breton peasant, but in his skepticism for the church, his interest in science, astronomy and languages, and for his keen—often caustic—observations of the world and people around him. Born into rural poverty in 1834, Déguignet escapes Brittany by joining the French Army in 1854, and over the next fourteen years he fights in the Crimean war, attends Napoleon III’s coronation ceremonies, supports Italy’s liberation struggle, and defends the hapless French puppet emperor Maximilian in Mexico. He teaches himself Latin, French, Italian and Spanish and reads extensively on history, philosophy, politics, and literature. He returns home to live as a farmer and tobacco-seller, eventually falling back into dire poverty. Throughout the tale, Deguignet’s freethinking, almost anarchic views put him ahead of his time and often (sadly, for him) out of step with his contemporaries. Déguignet’s voluminous journals (nearly 4,000 pages in total) were discovered in a farmhouse in Brittany a century after they were written. This narrative was drawn from them and became a surprise bestseller when published in France in 1998.

Author : Annette Bourrut Lacouture,Jules Breton
Publisher : Yale University Press
Page : 278 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2002-01-01
Category : Art
ISBN : 9780300095753

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Jules Breton, Painter of Peasant Life by Annette Bourrut Lacouture,Jules Breton Pdf

Jules Breton (1827-1906), known as one of the first 'peasant painters', created beautiful scenes of rural French life and was a highly popular figure among the Salon artists of his era. Taking his inspiration from his native Artois and from the landscapes of Brittany, where he stayed for long periods, he painted peasant women and men performing their daily activities, meticulously observing their world and making it a place of peace and harmony. During the second half of the nineteenth century, rewards and official decorations were heaped upon him, and his paintings were purchased not only by the emperor but also by collectors in America, Britain and Ireland. However, Breton's work became eclipsed by the avant-garde movements of the twentieth century, and he was eventually forgotten. This book now pays Breton the tribute that he deserves. It traces the development of his career and the forces that influenced him from his childhood through his early training in Belgium and Paris to his years in Brittany. The book presents and discusses a number of important paintings by Breton, some of which have been almost unknown until now, and it shows how they reflect the artist's social and humanitarian concerns as well as his painterly abilities.

Author : Pierre Jakez Hélias
Publisher : Yale University Press
Page : 388 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 1978-01-01
Category : History
ISBN : 0300025998

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The Horse of Pride by Pierre Jakez Hélias Pdf

A portrait of a Breton village during the author's childhood reveals a timeless world, isolated by a unique culture and language, where life is a continuous struggle and tradition is paramount

Author : Patrick Young
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 371 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2017-03-02
Category : History
ISBN : 9781317144069

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Enacting Brittany by Patrick Young Pdf

Brittany offers an excellent example of a French region that once attracted a certain cultivated elite of travel connoisseurs but in which more popular tourism developed relatively early in the twentieth century. It is therefore a strategic choice as a case study of some of the processes associated with the emergence of mass tourism, and the effects of this kind of tourism development on local populations. Efforts to package Breton cultural difference in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries marked a significant advance in heritage tourism, and a departure from what is commonly perceived to be a French intolerance of cultural diversity within its borders. This study explores the means by which key actors - middle class associations, businesses, governmental bodies, cultural intermediaries - pursued tourist development in the region and the effect this had on Breton cultural identification. Chapters are arranged thematically and consider the rise of rural tourism in France and the preservation, display, and enactment of Breton culture in its most visible locations: the natural landscape of Brittany, Breton dress, early heritage festivals and religious Pardons. The final chapter explores the staging of Breton culture at the Paris World's Fair of 1937 and the roots of state-sponsored mass tourism. Beyond those interested in the history of French tourism, this study will also be invaluable to historians and social scientists concerned with understanding the dynamics involved in the emergence of mass tourism, its causes and consequences in particular locales in the present as well as in the past.

Author : Marjorie Price
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 326 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2008-04-17
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781101217047

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A Gift from Brittany by Marjorie Price Pdf

The enchanting memoir of an artist?s liberating sojourn in France during the sixties?and the friendship that transformed her life While in her late twenties, Marjorie Price leaves the comfort of her Chicago suburb to strike out on her own in Paris and hone her artistic talents. Dazzled by everything French, she falls in love with a volatile French painter and they purchase an old farmhouse in the Breton countryside. When Marjorie?s seemingly idyllic marriage begins to unravel, she forms a friendship with an elderly peasant woman, Jeanne, who is illiterate, has three cows to her name, and has never left the village. Their differences are staggering yet they forge a friendship that transforms one another?s life.

Author : Ai Weiwei
Publisher : Bond Street Books
Page : 392 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 2021-11-02
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9780385683203

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1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows by Ai Weiwei Pdf

In his widely anticipated memoir, Ai Weiwei--one of the world's most famous artists and activists--tells a century-long epic tale of China through the story of his own extraordinary life and the legacy of his father, Ai Qing, the nation's most celebrated poet. Hailed as "the most important artist working today" by the Financial Times and as "an eloquent and unsilenceable voice of freedom" by The New York Times, Ai Weiwei has written a sweeping memoir that presents a remarkable history of China over the last 100 years while illuminating his artistic process. Once an intimate of Mao Zedong, Ai Weiwei's father was branded a rightist during the Cultural Revolution, and he and his family were banished to a desolate place known as "Little Siberia," where Ai Qing was sentenced to hard labor cleaning public toilets. Ai Weiwei recounts his childhood in exile, and his difficult decision to leave his family to study art in America, where he befriended Allen Ginsberg and was inspired by Andy Warhol. With candor and wit, he details his return to China and his rise from artistic unknown to art world superstar and international human rights activist--and how his work has been shaped by living under a totalitarian regime. Ai Weiwei's sculptures and installations have been viewed by millions around the globe, and his architectural achievements include helping to design the iconic Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing. His political activism has long made him a target of the Chinese authorities, which culminated in months of secret detention without charge in 2011. Here, for the first time, Ai Weiwei explores the origins of his exceptional creativity and passionate political beliefs through his own life story and that of his father, whose own creativity was stifled. At once ambitious and intimate, 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows offers a deep understanding of the myriad forces that have shaped modern China, and serves as a timely reminder of the urgent need to protect freedom of expression.

Author : Ty Hulse
Publisher : Ty Hulse
Page : 176 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 2024-06-27
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9798851792205

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Understanding Fairy Mythology by Ty Hulse Pdf

Like a word stuck on the tip of your tongue that you can't quite remember, fairy tales aggravate us with deeper meanings we're almost certain we know, but can’t quite recall. For just enough of the old fairy faiths survive within them to tantalize us with their forgotten mysteries; teasing us with a hidden past filled with dark guardians to the underworld, bright and beautiful fairies, and long winters nights people feared would never end. There is still a mysterious heart to fairy tales, giving us a peek into a primal world, beckoning us to recall old traditions. This book will seek to explore these old traditions, to answer questions about the hidden origins of fairy tales. “From Celtic Fairies to Romanian Vampires,” this book will take you on a journey to understand fairy tales which are likely far stranger and more beautiful than you ever imagined.

Author : Ty Hulse
Publisher : Ty Hulse
Page : 193 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 2024-06-27
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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An Encyclopedia of Fairies by Ty Hulse Pdf

Many of the fairies and spirits mentioned within this book come from regions where information on the fairies isn’t readily available in English elsewhere. A few of these include; Mari-El – In the heart of an ancient forest which was so vast and isolated it allowed the people within to remain the last pagans in Europe. For the people of this land never converted to Islam or Christianity, and so to this day they still value the spirits of the forest. Their woodlands are filled with a dizzying array of spirits, from bathhouse spirits that appear as shooting stars to spirits which always run and move backwards. Brittany – One of the last remaining Celtic kingdoms, where many traditional Celtic ideas survived. Yet despite how popular Celtic beliefs are there isn’t a lot of information or stories on these fairies available in English. Northern Italy and Austria – Wedged high in the mountains the tiny villages that dot this land were often the slowest to change, retaining ideas about the spirit world from a past long forgotten to most of us. Not so long ago there were still some people who would answer the shamans call, sending their soul out at night to join the kindly spirits in a battle against the darkness. Other people's will include, the Komi, Irish, English, Scottish, Welsh, German, the Scandinavian Countries, the Selkup, the Yakut, and many many more. Indeed there will be well over a thousand different fairies in this book, most of which you'll likely never have heard of.

Author : Colin Heywood
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 297 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 2018-09-06
Category : History
ISBN : 9780521866231

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Childhood in Modern Europe by Colin Heywood Pdf

This invaluable introduction to the history of childhood in both Western and Eastern Europe c.1700-2000 seeks to give a voice to children as well as adults, wherever possible. It addresses a number of key topics, including conceptions of childhood, ideas about family life, culture, welfare, schooling, and work.

Author : Graham Robb
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
Page : 475 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2008-10-17
Category : History
ISBN : 9780393068825

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The Discovery of France: A Historical Geography by Graham Robb Pdf

"A witty, engaging narrative style…[Robb's] approach is particularly engrossing." —New York Times Book Review A narrative of exploration—full of strange landscapes and even stranger inhabitants—that explains the enduring fascination of France. While Gustave Eiffel was changing the skyline of Paris, large parts of France were still terra incognita. Even in the age of railways and newspapers, France was a land of ancient tribal divisions, prehistoric communication networks, and pre-Christian beliefs. French itself was a minority language. Graham Robb describes that unknown world in arresting narrative detail. He recounts the epic journeys of mapmakers, scientists, soldiers, administrators, and intrepid tourists, of itinerant workers, pilgrims, and herdsmen with their millions of migratory domestic animals. We learn how France was explored, charted, and colonized, and how the imperial influence of Paris was gradually extended throughout a kingdom of isolated towns and villages. The Discovery of France explains how the modern nation came to be and how poorly understood that nation still is today. Above all, it shows how much of France—past and present—remains to be discovered. A New York Times Notable Book, Publishers Weekly Best Book, Slate Best Book, and Booklist Editor's Choice.

Author : David Hopkin
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 311 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2012-04-26
Category : History
ISBN : 9780521519366

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Voices of the People in Nineteenth-Century France by David Hopkin Pdf

An innovative study revealing that folklore collections can shed new light on the lives of the socially marginalized.

Author : Anonim
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 452 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Breton language
ISBN : STANFORD:36105131560182

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Bro Nevez by Anonim Pdf

Author : Robert Colls
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 408 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2020
Category : History
ISBN : 9780198208334

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This Sporting Life by Robert Colls Pdf

This Sporting Life offers an important view of England's cultural history through its sporting pursuits, carrying the reader to a match or a hunt or a fight, viscerally drawing a portrait of the sounds and smells, and showing that sport has been as important in defining British culture as gender, politics, education, class, and religion.

Author : Malcolm Crook
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 281 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2021
Category : History
ISBN : 9780192894786

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How the French Learned to Vote by Malcolm Crook Pdf

This is a comprehensive history of voting in France, which offers original insights into all aspects of electoral activity that today involve most adults across the world.