French Literature Reviews - 2026

Arnaud Dominique Houte, Les Peurs de la Belle époque. Crimes, attentats, catastrophes et autres périls
History, Politics and Society

Paris, 1889: the Eiffel Tower illuminates the City of Light. The upcoming Belle Époque is built on technological progress, economic prosperity, political democracy, and diplomatic grandeur. Yet, nothing is quite so simple: modernity also gives rise to fears fueled by the threat of war, social tensions, partisan divisions, and a growing sensitivity to violence and tragedy. Far from being concealed or repressed, these anxieties lie at the very heart of the collective imagination of the men and women of 1900: murders, the violent crimes of the "apaches" street gangs, spectacular accidents, epidemics, anarchist attacks, brutally suppressed protests, and various real or imagined threats flourish in the press, serialized novels, and even the nascent cinema.

From the 1889 Universal Exposition to the general mobilization of the summer of 1914, Arnaud-Dominique Houte explores the core concerns of French society. Each chapter offers a glimpse into the mindset of the Belle Époque, and together they provide a compelling journey through France at the turn of the 20th century.

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An article about this book can be read on nonfiction.fr

Historians of the French Third Republic often study how rapid modernization, industrial growth and political democratization generated profound social anxieties alongside material progress. During this era, the expansion of mass media, popular print culture and early cinema ensured that urban violence, epidemics and political extremism reached a wide public consciousness. Arnaud-Dominique Houte explores the core concerns of French society between the 1889 Universal Exposition and the general mobilization of 1914, examining how murders, street gangs, accidents, anarchist attacks and other real or imagined threats shaped the collective imagination of the period through the press, serialized fiction and films.

Readers interested in the social history of France at the turn of the 20th century may find this study relevant. Each chapter offers a glimpse into the mindset of the Belle Epoque, and together they provide a journey through France at the turn of the 20th century.

"1889-1914: Such a Belle Époque?", by Justine Tentoni (published online January 23, 2023).

Also read an article about this book on en-attendant-nadeau.fr…