What it is Like to Live in Paris in the Article, See Paris the Real Parisians Do, from The Arizona Republic

In late 19th century Paris, cafés-concerts (best described as “glorified beer halls” (Clark 206)) were a very popular destination for the people of Paris. Cafés-concerts became an integral part of Parisian social life, as they were visited by hundreds of people each night, regardless of class. A bar at the Folies Bergère became the topic of Edouard Manet’s last painting, as Manet tried to portray the new, “modern” Paris, and the introduction of mass production during this time. A Marxist art historian, T.J. Clark finds this particular painting important because it revealed a lot about the new, modern Paris, and Manet’s intentions with the painting. Clark focuses more on the emergence of the new social class during this time, and how this affected the role of women in Paris. The painting, A bar at Folies Bergère, has historical significance because of how it depicts modernity in the context of the emergence of a new social class (the petite bourgeoisie), the introduction of mass production, and the changing role of women.

Although Rick Steves is descriptive in his narrative it only describes the architecture and the Art on display in the Louvre, ‘On Paris’ uses its descriptive language to describe the people and tourists in France. “A short, dumpy woman with newly blond hair, cut old-Dutch-Cleanser fashion” This quote contains triples, and the effect they have on the reader is of immediate disgust as the reader pictures the woman. The way the text describes is also similar. Both texts use colloquial and familiar language, the effect it has on the reader is of relaxation and casual aspect but in ‘On Paris’ it shows a sped up, almost ranting style format even though it uses familiar and friendly

We recently watched the film Paris is Burning, a documentary about black drag queens in Harlem and their culture surrounding balls. Directly related we also read two feminist critiques, Gender is Burning: Questions of Appropriation and Subversion by Judith Butler and Is Paris Burning by bell hooks. Two areas of critique I focus on and question are the critiques regarding the filmmaker, audience and drag queens and how they participate to reinforce a heterosexual racist patriarchy. Furthermore I ask if this line of investigation is the most beneficial way to view and understand the film and its various participants.

In order to fully understand a city or its history, you must also try to understand the people living within it. The Journal of Hélène Berr and the film “Free Men” provide insight for this and have some very strong shared themes. One very important theme of both the journal and the movie is perseverance. Both the journal and the film are set in German-occupied Paris during World War II. They provide insight into the way people of specific religions and backgrounds lived and thought during a dark time in Paris’s history. Many people, including those who were not from France, expressed their loyalty to the city of Paris and their unwillingness to step down through their thoughts and actions. Through this theme in both the journal and the film, one can better understand the mindset and the way of thinking of certain groups of Parisians in occupied Paris.

bring the city “to life”. Day gives the audience a reflective look at the city’s

Between the end of the First World War and Hitler's seizure of power a cultural explosion occurred in Paris that altered our notions of art and reality and shaped our way of viewing the world ever since. In the 1920's, Paris became the undisputed international capital of pleasure and was regarded as the cultural and artistic center of Europe with a reputation for staging one of its most glamorous eras, as well as some of the most spectacular revues in the world. Imagine for a moment, that it really is 1920's Paris. You are leisurely strolling through the gas lit promenades. World War I is over and the exuberance of jazz musicians, symbolist painters, and American expatriates

Poetic Realism was a film movement in France during the 1930’s that combined qualities of both Impressionism and Surrealism to create a unique way to tell stories through narratives, long, continuous shots, and sets that took a slice of reality and made it their own. The various techniques used to create shots “more real than life itself” were groundbreaking for this time period. In the past, sets of films were unrealistic and exaggerated; they were telling stories outside of reality, so their sets were not attempting to immerse their viewer in the film’s location. The 1920 film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari used very simplistic sets to tell its story, but the filmmakers did not expect or want the audience to take them as reality. They were entirely aware that the walls

During the nineteenth century, Paris further developed into the entertainment capital of the world. Alistair Horne, the author of the Seven Ages of Paris, vividly illustrates several historical moments that occurred in Paris. Through the horrors and triumphs, Paris was able to endure through it all for ages and still emerge greater than before. In comparison, Vanessa R. Schwartz, the author of Spectacular Realities: Early Mass Culture in Fin-de-siècle, demonstrates how the explosive popularity of the boulevard, the newspapers, wax museums, panoramas, and early cinema led to the creation of a new culture in Paris. Driven by consumerism, a cultural revolution was happening, who’s new culture transcended gender and class divisions. Both authors

In “The Other Paris,” two characters, Carol and Howard Mitchell are soon-to-be married young adults whose actions are completely influenced by the norms of society. The author, Mavis Gallant, provides clear social commentary on the societal influences on marriage through satirical uses of irony and mockery, the use of a omniscient narrator, and substantial characterization of the relationship between the couple to show the reader how ridiculous and formulaic the “pillars of marriage” can be, and how society ultimately determines which aspects of these pillars receive emphasis.

The environment in which people live in demonstrates the societal norms and values of said culture. In Émile Zola’s The Belly of Paris, Florent, a political outcast, returns to Paris only to find that the regime has drastically changed. Napoleon III, a self-elected emperor, has torn down many of the streets of Old Paris to make room for the angular and orderly streets of New Paris as well as the new markets of Les Halles. Throughout the novel, the character’s lives revolve around the various markets in Les Halles and the streets of Paris. Zola uses descriptions of architecture and city planning as well as how people use space within Paris to demonstrate the city’s corruption, signifying that the architecture of a city is a reflection of

exhibition of his longing for the familiarity of Paris and the sanctity of his past, a

In Charles Rearick’s book, Paris Dreams, Paris Memories, he describes the various ways in which Paris is “represented” through various images he identifies as the City of Light, Old Paris, the Capital of Pleasures, and Paname. Rearick further writes how and why these images of Paris came of importance and how they shaped the geographical layout of the city we know today. All of these images together have likewise produced the city of Paris while also providing the framework of Parisian events and experiences.

American in Paris, based off the novel by Craig Lucas, was made into a 1951 musical film. The movie is known for George Gershwin’s famous music and Gene Kelly’s tap dancing. It told a happy nostalgic story of an American young painter in Paris who falls in love. In 2015, a musical was created based off the movie with the same music and similar characters. However, the story was much more dramatic, and about young people experiencing a Paris just freed from the occupation during the war. Christopher Wheeldon choreographer and director is known for classic ballet choreography. The show used the new blending of art to create a new and more meaningful experience for the audience, and expands the possibilities of musical theatre, and ballet.

Post-revolutionary Paris should be an entirely different society than pre-revolutionary Paris. In many ways it is, but the result remains the same: the innocent man is still “proven” guilty. The common people have the power now, but that power does not result in good reasoning. In the socialistic society of Paris, there are two ways to rule. In the first way, the people rule themselves with a mob-like mentality. In the second a ruling elite rises to the top by taking a populist approach and manipulating the people. A

Paris is like no other place on earth, its beauty is indescribable, the amount of famous structures is astounding, and is attraction draws many tourists there every year. My experience touring Paris will always be on of my favorite memories. Everywhere I looked, it was as if I was in a dream. There was so much elegance in such simple structures it seemed unrealistic. Wherever I went, it seemed as if the magnificence only grew with each passing step.