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Seeing Justice Done: The Age of Spectacular Capital Punishment in France 1st Edition

by Paul Friedland (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 5 ratings
See all formats and editions
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From the early Middle Ages to the twentieth century, capital punishment in France, as in many other countries, was staged before large crowds of spectators. Paul Friedland traces the theory and practice of public executions over time, both from the perspective of those who staged these punishments as well as from the vantage point of the many thousands who came to 'see justice done'. While penal theorists often stressed that the fundamental purpose of public punishment was to strike fear in the hearts of spectators, the eagerness with which crowds flocked to executions, and the extent to which spectators actually enjoyed the spectacle of suffering suggests that there was a wide gulf between theoretical intentions and actual experiences. Moreover, public executions of animals, effigies, and corpses point to an enduring ritual function that had little to do with exemplary deterrence. In the eighteenth century, when a revolution in sensibilities made it unseemly for individuals to take pleasure in or even witness the suffering of others, capital punishment became the target of reformers. From the invention of the guillotine, which reduced the moment of death to the blink of an eye, to the 1939 decree which moved executions behind prison walls, capital punishment in France was systematically stripped of its spectacular elements.

Partly a history of penal theory, partly an anthropologically-inspired study of the penal ritual, Seeing Justice Done traces the historical roots of modern capital punishment, and sheds light on the fundamental 'disconnect' between the theory and practice of punishment which endures to this day, nit only in France but in the Western penal tradition more generally.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0199592691
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0199592692
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    July 5, 2012
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    1 x 6.5 x 9.3 inches
  8. Print length
    346 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A] well-researched and engagingly argued book...Compellingly narrated."--Journal of Modern History

"[P]resent[s] a colorful picture of a time when executions were a form of public entertainment, and provides keen insight into the origins of contemporary preoccupations with deterrence as the avowed goal of punishment. Highly recommended."--CHOICE

"[I]mpeccably researched and written...French historians, but Europeanists also, will
profit from the broad reach and scholarly acumen of this book."--Pamela Pilbeam, History

"This book's impressive timespan provides the reader with access to an extraordinary
range of interrelated material, which Friedland astutely juggles into a cohesive whole."
--Alex Fairfax-Cholmeley, French History

"[A] brilliant book about changing taste in executions...This thoughtful and thoughtprovoking book is filled with interesting, arcane information. The argument is clear and the research admirable."--David P. Jordan, Journal of Interdisciplinary History

"This fine book takes up, works with and complicates a whole series of narratives about
power, justice, punishment and death...Thought-provoking at almost every turn, it poses
questions about ordinary people's relationship with the most extreme manifestations of
state power that continue to resonate into the present day."--David Andress, American Historical Review

"Anyone wanting to understand how capital punishment developed in the first place, both in France and on the wider European stage, and how the move towards its diminution and abolition began, should read this book."--Hugh Gough, English Historical Review

"By concentrating on the history of capital punishment when it was performed publicly in France, Friedland hopes to provoke reflection on the continued use of the death penalty in the United States today...[Friedland] has written a sweeping intellectual and cultural history that challenges a number of prevailing explanations about the rise and fall of public executions in France."--H-France

Book Description

Explores the origins of punishment in western society as a whole, from the early Middle Ages to the modern period

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; 1st edition (July 5, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 346 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0199592691
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0199592692
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.4 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 1 x 6.5 x 9.3 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 5 ratings

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  1. Paul Friedland

    Paul Friedland

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
5 global ratings

Top review from the United States

Julianne3205
5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly brilliant
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2019
As a history professor, I read many history books. This one, as my title suggests, is absolutely brilliant. It starts and ends with a similar kind of story that shows that progress is not linear. Throughout the book, the author traces the spectacle of execution through its ritualistic (and far less graphically recounted) meanings for the people of the Middle Ages toward the mechanistic (and ultimately less "satisfying") rule of the guillotine. The story is wonderfully told considering the dark subject matter, showing how both juristic and voyeuristic attitudes changed (or didn't) over time. My only suggestion to the author is never to use the word "insouciance" again.
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