{"id":14962,"date":"2022-07-20T07:24:03","date_gmt":"2022-07-20T07:24:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.booksofall.com\/vi\/?post_type=product&p=14962"},"modified":"2022-07-20T07:25:14","modified_gmt":"2022-07-20T07:25:14","slug":"the-place-of-literature-in-the-world-of-newspapers","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/www.booksofall.com\/vi\/the-place-of-literature-in-the-world-of-newspapers\/","title":{"rendered":"The Place of Literature in the World of Newspapers"},"content":{"rendered":"

In France, the important development of including literature in the press began with the launch of ‘La Presse<\/a>‘ in 1836 by\u00a0Emile de Girardin<\/a>. He cut the subscription rate to his daily newspaper in half by speculating on\u00a0advertising<\/a>\u00a0to cover the costs. He also developed the\u00a0serialised novel<\/a>\u00a0to create customer loyalty, by calling on the biggest names in literature at that time, including\u00a0Honor\u00e9 de Balzac<\/a>,\u00a0Eug\u00e8ne Sue<\/a>,\u00a0Alexandre Dumas<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0George Sand<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Creating Loyalty and Broadening Readership<\/h4>\n

Editors-in-chief also saw the value of literature in the press and started to hire new\u00a0journalists<\/a>\u00a0to reach a wider audience.<\/p>\n

This demand brought reinforcements to a\u00a0generation of literary men<\/a>\u00a0who divided their activities between\u00a0newspapers<\/a>,\u00a0theatre<\/a>, writing\u00a0novels<\/a>\u00a0and “physiologies<\/a>” (caricatured descriptions of society): this group of younger writers aspired to a literary career. Some of these writers came no longer from the elite, but from among the so-called\u00a0bohemians<\/a>. The bohemians used the press as their usual means of publication and as a legitimising authority, forming the base of literary criticism in France.<\/p>\n

The media-friendly bohemians functioned like a shifting group of “day labourers” in journalism, moving from one editorial board to another, learning from older members of the profession,\u00a0launching new publications<\/a>\u00a0and, most of all, injecting journalism with a new,\u00a0more insolent<\/a>\u00a0and artistic, tone. They imposed on the whole profession both their manner of addressing social issues, in relation to fashions and new urban practices, and a style that placed Parisian wit and\u00a0banter<\/a>\u00a0at the heart of their writing.<\/p>\n

In addition to the bohemians, the entry onto the scene of journalists educated at university or the Ecole normale (for instance\u00a0Edmond About<\/a>,\u00a0Francisque Sarcey<\/a>) greatly improved the quality of writing, the range of topics addressed and especially the theatrical, literary and artistic critiques. Following the work of literary critic\u00a0Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve<\/a>, they found their natural place in the press.<\/p>\n

Before and After the 1881 Legislation<\/h4>\n

A second factor in the growth of literature in the press in France is related to the repressive legal regime. As a result of \u00a0its censorship, which began with the September 1835 laws and was further radicalised by the\u00a01852 legislation<\/a>, a number of weekly literary or lifestyle newspapers emerged: the “petits journaux” or “little newspapers”. The 29 July 1881 law for freedom of the press ushered in a golden age for the press that was to last until France\u2019s defeat in 1940. As the number of general information newspapers multiplied, the journalistic profession became more structured and more independent of the literary circles.<\/p>\n

During the French Third Republic (1870-1940), political daily newspapers emphasised the presence of literature in the press, giving free rein to the constant reinvention of media forms and at the same time creating well-known literary supplements. Newspapers such as ‘Le Figaro<\/a>‘, ‘Le Gaulois<\/a>‘, ‘L’\u00c9cho de Paris<\/a>‘ and ‘Gil Blas<\/a>‘ are key to literature studies. They can be seen as an incubator of forms, ideas and genres. Without them, we would have an incomplete picture of what was known as “the literary movement”.<\/p>\n

Authors: Jean-Didier Wagneur and H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Raymond Department of Law, Economics and Politics, National Library of France<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"