Deschutes Public Library

The revolutionary temper, Paris, 1748-1789, Robert Darnton

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

illustrationsmapsplates

index present

non fiction

The revolutionary temper

bibliography

1405202970

Robert Darnton

Paris, 1748-1789

"When a Parisian crowd stormed the Bastille in July 1789, it triggered an event of global consequence: the overthrow of the monarchy and the birth of a new society. Most historians account for the French Revolution by viewing it in retrospect as the outcome of underlying conditions such as a faltering economy, social tensions, or the influence of Enlightenment thought. But what did Parisians themselves think they were doing--how did they understand their world? What were the motivations and aspirations that guided their actions? In this dazzling history, Robert Darnton addresses these questions by drawing on decades of close study to conjure a past as vivid as today's news. He explores eighteenth-century Paris as an information society much like our own, its news circuits centered in cafés, on park benches, and under the Palais-Royal's Tree of Cracow. Through pamphlets, gossip, underground newsletters, and public performances, the events of some forty years--from disastrous treaties, official corruption, and royal debauchery to thrilling hot-air balloon ascents and new understandings of the nation--all entered the churning collective consciousness of ordinary Parisians. As public trust in royal authority eroded and new horizons opened for them, Parisians prepared themselves for revolution. Darnton's authority and sure judgment enable readers to confidently navigate the passions and complexities of controversies over court politics, Church doctrine, and the economy. And his compact, luminous prose creates an immersive reading experience. Here is a riveting narrative that succeeds in making the past a living presence.A groundbreaking account of the coming of the French Revolution from a historian of worldwide acclaim"--, Amazon.com

Introduction: An early information society and collective consciousness -- Part one: The mid-century crisis, 1748-1754. War and peace -- A prince is mugged by order of the king -- Songs bring down the government -- Saints are sent to hell -- The people seize the city -- The politics of tax avoidance -- The world of knowledge is mapped and suppressed -- Part two: The expanding public sphere, 1762-1764. The peace is rained out -- A big idea goes bust -- The Jesuits are crushed -- Rousseau releases a flood of tears -- Voltaire occupies the high moral ground -- Recycling royal mistresses -- Part three: The turning point in politics, 1770-1775. Enter Marie-Antoinette, exit Choiseul -- A coup d'état -- Beaumarchais has the last laugh -- The king is dead, long live Maurepas -- Four war -- Part four: The ideological terrain, 1781-1786. The king's secret is revealed -- The taste of victory -- What is an American? -- Man can fly -- Man can cure all disease -- Does everything end with songs? -- The dark secrets of despotism -- Did the cardinal try to cuckold the king? -- The poor march on Versailles -- Part five: Tremors, 1787. Battles on the Bourse -- Despotism in the marriage bed -- The notables say no -- A minister runs for cover -- The parlement plays politics -- Part six: The collapse of the régime, 1788. A new coup, an old script -- The clergy won't pay -- The provinces take fire -- Bayonets in the streets -- Hailstones big as eggs -- The ministers are roasted -- Necker to the rescue -- The cruelest winter -- Part seven: The eruption of the revolution, 1789. Summon the nation -- Pamphlets and public noises -- The people vote -- Paris explodes -- The nation seizes sovereignty -- The Bastille is stormed -- Conclusion: The revolutionary temper -- Afterword: What was revolutionary about the French Revolution?