Future Tense: The Culture of Anticipation in France between the Wars by Roxanne Panchasi

Abstract

brought Ms. Teyte to this role that would give her pleasure and renown until her retirement almost half century later. In this way, the chapters pass from one woman to another and from one side of the Atlantic to the other, showing the challenges that the singers faced. International recognition came through stage and recording careers as well as writing, lecturing, teaching, and even music administration. These successes were, however , accompanied by fear of rejection and by constant financial insecurity, and problems with personal relationships plagued all three. It was clearly not an easy time to excel in the arts for even these exceptional women. Not surprisingly, in her concluding chapter Opsted reemphasizes her admiration for Georgette Leblanc, Mary Garden, and Maggie Teyte. They brought to life Mélisande, the mysterious princess, and lived full lives themselves. And, thanks to Opsted’s work, they come to life for readers in the book Debussy’s Mélisande. Metropolitan State College of Denver (CO) Ann Williams PANCHASI, ROXANNE. Future Tense: The Culture of Anticipation in France between the Wars. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 2009. ISBN 978-0-8014-4670-2. Pp. 203. $39.95. Roxanne Panchasi’s masterful exposé on the uncertain times of l’entre-deuxguerres examines how French scientists, engineers, designers, military strategists, politicians, and writers conceived multiple scenarios to shape the France of the future, a nation stronger than before 1914. Each of the five chapters in Future Tense examines key objects “invested with deep cultural meaning” (5), such as the human body, Paris, the French border, French civilisation, and the French language, and explains how various observers constructed the future of France through the lens of these objects. The author first explores how engineers and designers transformed everyday life by inventing “appliances” designed to compensate for the limitations of the human body. Some, like Jules Amar’s prosthetic arm, were meant to give back autonomy and self-esteem to war veterans who had been amputated. Others helped women complete their household chores more efficiently or provided ultimate relaxation such as la chaise longue, symbol of a new line of furniture Le Corbusier had developed as “prosthetic, life-enhancing substitutes” (33). Undoubtedly, the single most important concern of the French military during l’entre-deux-guerres was the defense of the country. Panchasi examines key plans envisioned to make France invincible in the event of a new war. For example, we learn about plans to build a faux-Paris, a replica of the capital to be built away from the real city and used as decoy to save the real Paris from air raids. We also discover Le Corbusier’s vision of a new Paris, “a contemporary city” (67) where skyscrapers and large green spaces would reshape its landscape and create new landmarks. Panchasi discusses other plans such the construction of the controversial Ligne Maginot or the development of la défense passive that promoted a healthy diet and reproduction as weapons against the enemy. The author’s exploration of the interwar anxieties and fears leads her to analyze the mixed emotions of the French towards America at the end of World War I. Panchasi’s overview of popular books on the subject points out that to many, America had emerged as the “potential nation of the future,” young, modern, forward thinking, and not defined by or tied to its past. But to others, Reviews 647 the very essence of this attraction could potentially endanger the core values of France. Among the many examples of books critical of the American Way, she singles out Georges Duhamel’s America the Menace: Scenes from the Life of the Future, a work that attempted to vilify every aspect of the American culture and warned the French against the appeal of America. In her final chapter, Panchasi explains the circumstances that led to the perception that even the French language was threatened in the years directly following the war, a fear triggered by the decision to make English the second official language at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. Furthermore, the proposal for the invention of an international language, Esperanto, presented at the first meeting of the League of Nations in 1920 increased this...