France

What kind of knowledge did the Victorians have about 19th-century France, and what were their representations of France during a period that saw the 1830 revolution and the July Monarchy followed by the 1848 revolution, the Second Republic, and the rise of Napoleon III, which ended with the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and the advent of the Third Republic? The answer to these questions implies finding out what sources the Victorians could use to acquire this information. This, in turn, means looking at the Victorians’ distant perception of France, but also at their experience of France as travelers or residents in the country, or even at the impressions conveyed upon them by French people who, for various reasons, were led to travel or reside in Victorian Britain. Admiration, vilification, interactions, cooperation, and misunderstandings are some of the words that crop up most frequently in the bibliographical references that follow. This article will be looking at what could be read about France in Victorian literature—especially travel literature and travel guides—but also in newspapers of the time. It will also consider Victorian translations of French literature and the publishers involved in promoting French literature in Britain. The learning of French in Britain, as well as Victorian views on French education, will be taken into account, as will Victorian perceptions of French political events and representations of France and the French by Victorian visual artists. Last but not least, the role of commerce, universal exhibitions, and art exhibitions will be considered.