France and Britain

Abstract

The previous chapter examined Le Petit Journal as a case study, but these findings need to be tested in a comparative manner. The case study contained both quantitative and qualitative analysis in its investigation of early forms of cultural consumerism and citizenship. This chapter continues the combination of methodologies by comparing the French daily to The Daily Mail. The aim is first to explore how far the gendered values and approaches discovered in Le Petit Journal were discernible elsewhere; especially in the British mass circulation dailies of proprietor Alfred Harmsworth (later Lord Northcliffe).¹ An examination of the early days of The Daily Mail reveals the influence of the Le Petit Journal. It is clear that Harmsworth saw a readership among women, and crucially, a female advertising market — although the range of material that would appeal to female readers is much larger. It is as important to consider his rejections as well as his inclusions.