Franco-Prussian campaign of 1870-1871 in perception of the novice British war correspondent A. Forbes

Abstract

The object of this article is professional activity of the British war correspondent Archibald Forbes during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. The subject is the perception and reflection of military realities (1870-1871) by the novice journalist. The goal consists in determination of the mechanisms of perception of participants and realities of the Franco-Prussian confrontation of 1870-1871 by the British correspondent A. Forbes. Intellectual history and imagological approach comprise the methodological framework of this research. Based on the analysis of documentary evidence left by A. Forbes, which describes the events of 1870-1871, the author was able to trace the evolution of Forbes’ perception of the Franco-Prussian campaign of 1870-1871. The conclusion is made on gradual changes in Forbe’s perception and reflection of war realities. The initial admiration was replaced by the professional subject-object description. However, his stance on parties to the conflict remained unchanged. The author assumes that A. Forbes had particular personal attitudes, but his perception of the war of 1870-1871 has evolved. The acquired results may be valuable in studying journalistic practice, as well as mutual perception of European ethnoses. The scientific novelty lies in a comprehensive approach towards the phenomenon at hand: the author examines not only the mechanisms of perception as such, but also their transformation influenced by various factors. This research made a transition from the widespread study of biographies and activity of correspondents of the XIX century to an extensive culturological and intellectual approach in consideration of professional practice of journalists of the past.