Dawn of the Belle Epoque

The Paris of Monet, Zola, Bernhardt, Eiffel, Debussy, Clemenceau, and Their Friends

By: Mary McAuliffe

Narrated by: Nancy Peterson

A humiliating military defeat by Bismarck's Germany, a brutal siege, and a bloody uprising - Paris in 1871 was in shambles, and the question loomed, "Could this extraordinary city even survive?"

Mary McAuliffe takes the listener back to these perilous years following the abrupt collapse of the Second Empire and France's uncertain venture into the Third Republic. By 1900, Paris had recovered, and the Belle Epoque was in full flower, but the decades between were difficult, marked by struggles between republicans and monarchists, the Republic and the Church, and an ongoing economic malaise, darkened by a rising tide of virulent anti-Semitism.

Yet these same years also witnessed an extraordinary blossoming in art, literature, poetry, and music, with the Parisian cultural scene dramatically upended by revolutionaries such as Monet, Zola, Rodin, and Debussy, even while Gustave Eiffel was challenging architectural tradition with his iconic tower.

Through the eyes of these pioneers and others, including Sarah Bernhardt, Georges Clemenceau, Marie Curie, and Cesar Ritz, we witness their struggles with the forces of tradition during the final years of a century hurtling towards its close.

©2011 Mary S. McAuliffe; Preface copyright 2014 by Mary S. McAuliffe (P)2021 Tantor

Extraordinarily entertaining

Great writing, humorous and illuminating and gossipy. Very very enjoyable. Highly recommend, especially is your are interested in impressionist art

Essential background to French Art and Culture

Connecting people in time and with events provide a rich journey from 1860s to Pre WW1. Very interesting to learn more of the artists path. Well done.

The authors sensitive treatment of the author Emile Zola

I like the way the author Alternated pieces of its characters lives throughout the book, taking them up , leaving them for while and coming back to them. A skillfully novelistic and entertaining history.

Solid Entry in this series on late 19th Century French history

Great resource, but narration was a bit quiet, and some material at the beginning seems copied from the last book, and I would have liked to hear more about the Paris Commune, as well as the French Empire.
Nonetheless, this is wonderful interweaving of the history of Paris’ art, politics, science, legal and military. We see how France helps shapes the modern world with the Electric Palace, with its electric cars and cinema, and the pioneering yet I’ll-fated Panama venture. Tender amores are mixed with social struggles, and international challenges. The Dreyfus Affair is here treated with much detail of the personalities involved, impassioned speeches and their juicy intrigues. It unfortunately serves as a foreshadowing of the antisemitic crimes of the 20th century, as well as the social upheavals and polarized politics of our own time.

Loved Every Minute of It

Packed full of interesting information about my favorite time period in history. The narration is done very well.