Recommendations for books about La Belle Époque?

by fesha

Particularly ones about France from the 1890s to before WWI. I'd especially like to learn about life for the working class in Paris and other large cities as well as the socialist, anarchist, and other leftist movements of the time. But of course I'd be perfectly happy with things of a broader scale!

I'd also be interested in primary sources from the time, or other sources that aren't necessarily books. I'd even look into works of fiction if there are any that you find particularly well-researched.

requinball

Some general works that might provide broad context:

Eugen Weber, Fin de siècle and Peasants into Frenchmen

Stephen Kern, Culture of Time and Space

Rosalind Williams, Dream Worlds: Mass Consumption in Late-Nineteenth Century France

Vanessa Schwartz, Spectacular Realities: Early Mass Culture in Fin-de-Siècle France

Gay Gullickson, Unruly Women of Paris: Images of the Commune

Ruth Harris, Lourdes

Roger Shattuck, The Banquet Years (older but a good narrative on the cultural change in the arts)

On workers, see:

Leora Auslander, Taste and Power

Gerard Noirel, Workers in French Society

Kathryn Ambur, Syndicalist Legacy

Lenard Berlanstein, Big Business and Industrial Conflict

On leftist movements, see:

Tony Judt, Socialism in Provence

Laird Boswell, Rural Communism in France

Charles Sowerwine, Sisters or Socialism?

The likely novel you'd want to look at is Zola's Germinal, which is set in the Second Empire but does speak of the workers movement (primarily syndicalism) in 19th century France.

I hope this helps you get started. I could recommend more or more specific ones. Let me know.