Abstract
The Paris Commune of 1871 is an event in history that has had a special place in the hearts of many revolutionaries. Karl Marx called it “the first successful working class revolution”. This paper looks at the events of the Paris Commune, as recounted in a work produced 25 years after the event occurred and, by means of comparison with more recent accounts, examines how it moved from a historical “reality” to a mythic history through the lens of secondary framing and historical mythology. This approach to the Paris Commune reveals many significantly different interpretations; pointing out that the true impact of an event may lie within the effect it can have on future generations. This calls to question the relevance of factual history, particularly in the case of events from so long ago. If one was not present at the event, then the framing of any future recounts of history depends solely on the author, and therefore, can arguably be viewed as interpretation rather than fact.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Brunner, K.
(2015).
Myth and the Paris Commune.
Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal, 41(1).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56816/2471-0032.1083
