HIST 1095 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Tavistock Square, Sam Selvon
31 Jan 2017
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What is Baudelaire’s Flaneur?
o The Flaneur a passioate spetato of the ultitude of the it ad its ifiite
character. New protagonist in life. The real hero of modern life is the stroller, and the
stroller was an infinite character. When we life in cities we participate in a variety of city
around us. Multitude of experiences.
o An observer of the transient life of the cit” the ebb and flow of movement make it
fugitive. Moments that pass by you really quickly.
o The otaditios of the Flaeu: at the ete of the old, et hidde fo the
old; aa fo the hoe ad et eehee at hoe.
o The power to walk around the city, without becoming compromised or too involved in it
a old of floatig existences.
o This is a really powerful position to be at. You can look at the city without being overly
involved (glance). You never become compromise and never too involved. He also
argues that there is an extraordinary pleaser of the city, looking at the people etc.
o Its a theate ad ou osuig the it.
o The idea of the pleasure of looking, of the spectacles of the city.
o The idea of consumption
o The link with sexuality. Flaneur is a male character is looking at women and consuming
sexuality. In public world they are heroes. Examples, men walking around the street and
look at prostitutes. Women are the things to be consumed.
o In particular, the importance of men in the public world.
The London’s of Woolf’s Walk
o Woolf claims to be flaneuse when walking down the street to get a pencil.
o She alks though diffeet pats of Lodo. She stats out at 5 Taistok Suae
(originally aristocratic estate). In late 18th century it was made into apartment. The time
when Woolf there, this area was aristocratic. The upper middle class, bourgeois
Bloomsbury residential squares.
o Different Londons, different spaces and different Londoners;
o The upper-middle-class, bourgeoisies Bloomsbury; residential squares
o The Holbron and Oxford Street of modern retail.
o The Holborn to Oxford Street of modern retail and transport: department stores, busy
city avenues.
o Oxford Street had a lot of department stores. In 19th century stores out see through
windows. They did a lot of clothes exhibition.
o Women were allowed to be on the streets alone if they were shopping. It gave them the
right to be strollers.
o Woolf walks down the Oxford street, the shopping street and then goes to Soho
(Cosmopolitan Soho)
o Cosmopolitan (small but important population like Asian British people): Soho: smaller
streets, street markets, different ethnicities.
o This place associated with sex trade as well because of its physical appearance. Streets
are narrow and in 18-19th century it was a place for prostitution. In 1960 it became well
known for strip clubs and so on. It was associated with sex trade.
o The Strand: large avenue, retail, media and offices
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Document Summary
What is baudelaire"s flaneur: the flaneur a (cid:858)passio(cid:374)ate spe(cid:272)tato(cid:396)(cid:859) of the (cid:373)ultitude of the (cid:272)it(cid:455) a(cid:374)d its (cid:858)i(cid:374)fi(cid:374)ite(cid:859) character. The real hero of modern life is the stroller, and the stroller was an infinite character. When we life in cities we participate in a variety of city around us. Multitude of experiences: an observer of the transient life of the cit(cid:455) the ebb and flow of movement make it fugitive. You can look at the city without being overly involved (glance). You never become compromise and never too involved. He also argues that there is an extraordinary pleaser of the city, looking at the people etc. It(cid:859)s a theate(cid:396) a(cid:374)d (cid:455)ou (cid:272)o(cid:374)su(cid:373)i(cid:374)g the (cid:272)it(cid:455): the idea of the pleasure of looking, of the spectacles of the city, the idea of consumption, the link with sexuality. Flaneur is a male character is looking at women and consuming sexuality. Examples, men walking around the street and look at prostitutes.
