The French expression Belle Époque means ‘a beautiful era’, which was a period of peace from the end of the 19th century to the early 20th century after the French Revolution.
   In the movie <Midnight in Paris>, Belle Époque was a cultural golden age of Paris where elegant ladies and gentlemen went to the dance hall Moulin Rouge and restaurant Maxim. Gentlemen wearing stylish suits danced with ladies wearing elegant dresses. In the corner, a player played a violin and the line of dancers did cancan. How could such a luxurious and leisurely life be enjoyed?
   After the French Revolution, they wanted a prosperous and peaceful world. Finally, they encountered the unprecedented era of affluence. Developing industry with the expansion of city lives, peoples' living styles were transformed and many new styles of clothing appeared. France was going through political changes due to the establishment of its republic. In that era, the inventions which still have great influence today were created such as subways, flush toilets and telephones. Also, this was a major period for impressionists like Paul Gauguin and Edgar Degas. Paris was the most attractive place due to the completion of the Tower Eiffel and the Paris World Exhibition. However, unfortunately, it ended with the outbreak of World War II. People missed this peaceful period compared with the devastating war, so they called this era Belle Époque, which was considered ‘the Golden Age’. Even nowadays, the French have nostalgia for the Belle Époque.
   What made this great cultural abundance become a reality while the horrible exhaustion of politics, economics and diplomacy occurred after the French Revolution? That is exactly related with the growth of capitalism. The Belle Époque was the finest period of materialism created by the ever-growing capitalism. The explosively emerging era Belle Époque showed the potentiality of arts and culture.
   However, even today, do we still have this nostalgia?
 

By Park  Ji-su l js34@cbnu.ac.kr

By Bak  Hong-jun l hj34@cbnu.ac.kr