Naming the places of the world is an essential human act of territorialization. As the subject of conflict or dispute, naming plays out in numerous ways that involve collective and individual relationships to space, whether functional or imaginary, as well as the identities related to them. Name traces also differ together with their inscription within landscapes and history. Names constitute a heritage, they bear witness, they mark places and thus contribute to the foundation of territories. Beyond place names, place naming reveals the functions and uses of names, but also the contradictory meanings that society bestows on them. With this framework in mind, that of critical toponymy, The Politics of Place Naming considers different points of view when studying place naming. These vary from linguistics to political and cultural geography, via history, anthropology, cartography, urban planning, digital humanities, subaltern studies and many other disciplines. This book honors this transversality by taking such studies into account in its examination of place naming.

Guy de Maupassant's 'The Complete Works: Short Stories, Novels, Plays, Poetry, Memoirs and more' is a comprehensive compilation of the author's diverse literary output. Maupassant, known for his keen observations of human nature and the society of his time, showcases his mastery of the short story form, psychological insight in his novels, and versatility in genre with the inclusion of plays, poetry, and memoirs. The collection offers a rich tapestry of Maupassant's writing, capturing the essence of 19th-century French literature. Each piece is crafted with precision, evoking a range of emotions and themes that continue to resonate with readers today. From tales of love and betrayal to societal critiques, Maupassant's works remain timeless classics. Guy de Maupassant, a leading figure in French literature, drew inspiration from his own experiences, travels, and observations of human behavior to create his expansive body of work. His personal struggles and insights into the complexities of human relationships greatly influenced his writing, leading to the creation of memorable characters and poignant narratives. Maupassant's attention to detail and realism set him apart as a literary figure of significant importance. I highly recommend Guy de Maupassant's 'The Complete Works' to readers who appreciate nuanced storytelling, insightful character studies, and a deep exploration of the human condition. This collection serves as a valuable introduction to the breadth of Maupassant's literary talent, offering a captivating journey through a variety of genres and themes that continue to captivate audiences worldwide.

From the crude battlefield surgery of Revolutionary times to the birth of modern clinical medicine, the nineteenth century witnessed impressive developments in the medical sciences and a concomitant growth in the prestige of the medical practitioner. In France this phenomenon had important implications for literature as writers scrambled to give legitimacy to their enterprise by allying themselves with science. Overflowing its traditional banks, medical discourse inundated the field of French literature, particularly in the realist and naturalist movements. The literati's enthrallment with medicine and their subservient adoption of a medical model in the creation of their plots and characters have not previously been seriously questioned. In Medical Examinations, Mary Donaldson-Evans corrects this oversight. Exploring six novels and two short stories published during the Second Empire and the early Third Republic, she argues that there was a growing resistance to medicine's linguistic and professional hegemony, a resistance fraught with ideological implications. Tainted by a subtle?and sometimes not so subtle?anti-Semitism, some of the fiction of this period adopts counterdiscursive strategies to tar the physician with his own brush. Featured authors include Gustave Flaubert, Edmond and Jules Goncourt, Emile Zola, Joris-Karl Huysmans, Guy de Maupassant, and Alphonse and Läon Daudet.