The Melodramatic Thread: Spectacle and Political Culture in Modern France

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments The completion of this book owes much to people who have helped me along the way. Harvey Graff first suggested to me that I write a book that became this one, and offered a place for it in his series with Indiana University Press. Harvey and Bob Sloan of IUP have both been supportive as I have written the book, and I will always be grateful for their patience. The referees for the press, especially Venita Datta, made comments that greatly improved the book. I have also learned much from friends and colleagues with whom I have talked.As always, Joan Scott’s support has been crucial. At the University of Utah, Bob Goldberg, Ray Gunn, Ron Smelser, Esther Rashkin, and Bruce Dain helped with suggestions, references, and loansof books.Partsof chapter3werepresentedasapaperattheSocietyforFrench Historical Studies meeting in March 2005, and I am grateful to the commentator, Ray Jonas,and to the audience and other participants for their comments. The Interlibrary Loan office of the Marriott Library at the University of Utah helped, as usual, to overcome the limitations of the library collection. I also thank the libraries of the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Washington, and Brigham Young University for allowing me to use their collections. Financial support for this project came from the University of Utah Research Committee, which gave me a Faculty Research Grant for research in Paris and then extended it when my original plans did not work out. Robert Newman, Dean of Humanities at the University of Utah, has supported my work since his arrival in Salt Lake City, and I am particularly grateful for his permission to leave behind my administrative duties and head for Paris in February 2004. Liz Leckie, Assistant Dean of Humanities, also deserves thanks for taking over those duties during my absence from campus. Ray Gunn and Eric Hinderaker, chairs of the History Department during the life of this project, have also been supportive in every way possible. To all these people, and to those I may have neglected to mention, my deepest thanks. Salt Lake City October 19, 2006 The Melodramatic Thread ...