The Paris Commune, France’s revolutionary civil war, rocked the nineteenth century and shaped the twentieth. A pivotal moment in history, it is the linchpin between revolutionary pasts and futures and as the crucible allowing alternate possibilities. Upending hierarchies, the Commune became a touchstone for subsequent revolutionary and radical social movements.
 

The Parisian Communards fought for a vision of internationalism, radical democracy and economic justice for the working masses that cut across national borders. Its eventual defeat resonated far beyond Paris. Literature and Revolution examines how authors in Britain projected their hopes and fears in literary representations of the Commune.