Barnett Singer

Village Notables in Nineteenth-century France: Priests, Mayors, Schoolmasters (European Social History) (Suny Series in European Social History) Barnett Singer

Local priests, mayors, and schoolmasters have often been portrayed by French novelists as objects of ridicule. In reality, however, the village notables gave norms to the villagers in their communities and personified the community's values. The influence of village notables and the values they preached and personified ensure their importance in any view of French rural history. Their world was already in transition towards modernity, and they both guided and impeded the process.

Village Notables in Nineteenth-Century France tells who these notables were, where they came from, what they thought, what influence they had in local society, how they competed with each other for village hegemony or enhanced status, and what problems they endured. The book is a lively account, solidly based on extensive archival research and other primary sources. It gives the reader a feel for the era and the milieu.

"The topic is an essential part of nineteenth-century French culture. Nothing could be more interesting than to learn more about the old rural order. The basic research in provincial archives, generously on view here, is enthusiastically presented, properly blended with the conclusions of other scholars working from similar materials on similar themes. Dr. Singer writes engagingly, in an easy and personal manner, communicating his very close knowledge of certain aspects of provincial France. His picture of these 'notables' is fresh, complex, and always interesting." -- John C. Cairns, University of Toronto