The Kiss of Lamourette: Reflections in Cultural History

France and Culture

by Robert Darnton

“Learned and lively essays. . . . Each subject [Darnton] investigates―from the history of reading to Andrzej Wajda’s film ‘Danton’―has its own fascination.” ― The New Yorker At home in the eighteenth and the twentieth centuries, Robert Darnton is a shrewd and entertaining guide to the shifting borderlands of history and culture. These wide-ranging essays appear under various headings: “Current Events” ―this section includes the wonderful story of the moment in 1792 when all the delegates in the French Legislative Assembly kissed each other; “Media,” on television, pounding a newspaper beat, and tips to academics on how to get a book published; “The Printed Word,” with an essay on the history of books; “The Lay of the Land,” on aspects of intellectual history; and “Good Neighbors,” on the relation of history to literature anthropology, and the sociology of knowledge.

Genres: History, Essays, Nonfiction, Cultural, France

Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Carl H. Pforzheimer University Professor and Director of the Harvard University Library

Reviews

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes a little too specific, in some essays the author fails to give a wide and "general" perspective, but this is expected, since the purpose is to encourage the study of individual context in historical research. Overall I learned a lot in a very easy-to-read way.

[Mpc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molto interessante. Alcuni capitoli più di altri: i primi due, quello dedicato al circuito della comunicazione, quello al rapporto tra storia e antropologia e i capitoli dedicati a giornalismo editoria.

[Trudy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being from the 1970s and a few from the 1980s, many of the essays are dated. Nevertheless, they are still a valuable and enjoyable read. Darnton, a renowned cultural historian, has a lot of engaging information to share about European society in the Enlightenment Era and also, of the state of American academia--its prevailing ideology, favorite topics--during the years he wrote his essays. All of it is interesting even today. I also was able to form a good reading list from his footnotes and recommendations. I like that he does not use very abstruse academic language, but keeps it flowing in a pleasant manner. I got the book on sale, so it was great value for the money. I do recommend it.

[Tainá · Rating 3 out of 5]

O livro é bom para trazer um primeiro contato com questões sumárias sobre a história do livro, da comunicação, da imprensa... Por conta da falta de edição, alguns capítulos estão desatualizados (como é o caso do segundo, onde ele ainda fala União Soviética) e alguns envelheceram muito mal (como é o caso do capítulo sobre jornalismo que não considera os meios digitais). De toda forma, traz muitas curiosidades sobre a Revolução Francesa, traz um olhar instigante ao Iluminismo e à História Intelectual, História das Ideias… além de despertar o leitor para as metodologias de análise para pesquisa de impressos. Em muitos momentos o autor adota um tom sarcástico e ácido que, na minha opinião, é totalmente dispensável (e até inadequado). É uma leitura fácil e acessível.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the beginning essays most interesting as the later essays became more academic and more specialized. "Publishing: A Survival Strategy" was the shortest and funniest though someone who'd never been part of academic life from the inside might not feel that way. There are such gems as "History. Say it's anthropology. Anthropology. Say it's history."

[Sally · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read some of the essays but most of them didn't appeal to me.

[Samuel · Rating 2 out of 5]

O livro é um pouco prolixo e com algum academicismo em algumas partes mas vale a pena. Ele é recheado de pequenas curiosidades da história humana que ajudam a manter o leitor interessado enquanto está no meio de alguma discussão mais profunda. É um livro sobre a história de como a história é contada.