Short Fiction and the Press in France 1829-1841 Followed by a Selection of Short Fiction From the Periodical and Daily Press

After 1829 the appearance in France of a number of magazines and newspapers which promoted original short fiction brought about a revolution in the dissemination, form and development of new literature. At first restricted to literary reviews, after 1836 newspapers also adopted short fiction. This led to the influence of editors and the public in dictating literary taste, and the commercialization soon provoked a critical debate on the role of literature and the press. This work examines this phenomenon and analyses the enormous output of short fiction by concentrating on two major reviews, La Revue de Paris and La Revue des Deux Mondes, and two leading newspapers, La Presse and Le Siècle, supplemented by a wide selection of other titles. This is followed by a cross section of stories which constitutes a unique collection of hitherto unpublished short fiction, thus allowing the reader to gain firsthand experience of a process that was to shape the future of French literature.