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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Frenchman looks at the French,
By A Customer
This review is from: The French: Portrait of a People (Hardcover)
The French have a reputation for penetrating observation, bluntness, and a quality of acid, and biting rejoinder that they rarely turn on themselves. This book is one of the of the few occasions that the celebrated (and dreaded) French derision for the hypocritical, the pompous, and the inane is directed at the institutions and culture of France. The results are most gratifying.Why did the French sacrifice so many and win so little in the Great Wars? The answer is here. How and why was Jeanne D'Arc elevated from a historical footnote to a saint? Did you know that she was not French? Why do the French continue to revere Napoleon, when his rule was an unmitigated disaster that dealt staggering losses politically, economically, and in human life? Why is France in perpetual political turmoil? Why have crippling strikes and labor unrest become routine? Are French women really libertine and compliant? And what of the seeming institutionalization of marital infidelity? Gramont shows us that French history is not all that it is supposed to be, that French culture is different from what the French would like (and would like us) to believe. It is difficult to imagine that this work would be regarded as anything but an outrage had it been written by an outsider. Even as the writing of a respected French jounalist, it must have been regarded as something not far from treason when it was published.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Unlikely Page-Turner,
By
This review is from: The French: Portrait of a People (Hardcover)
Despite its dry voice and academic tone, de Gramont's work is a page-turner. As a Frenchman who later settled in the U.S., de Gramont offers valuable insight into the history and culture of France, demystifying the sacred cows and superstitions of a people usually praised for their rationality and logic. This "portrait" was painted after the DeGaulle era, and makes for very interesting reading for those who are interested, not just in France, but in Europe as a whole. Each chapter holistically captures the forces behind the forces which move French history, culture, and psychology...revealing a nation of people who have more in common with their East-European and Middle-Eastern brethren than one might originally think. Though the author's brushstrokes are harsh, and carry both the arrogance and haughtiness of a defector, the discerning reader is invited to perceive warmly the pearl of humanity in the nation that seems to have irritated the author so. One warning: the author takes for granted a classical education with a degree of knowledge not just about France, but about philosophy, art, literature, etc. He occasionally peppers his chapters with French words, and even entire poem and song verses in French with no translation. I am sure that if one has Wikipedia handy, enjoying this book should be no problem. I don't know how much France has changed since this book was written, but I would go out on a limb and say that it is a must-read for anyone interested in the country and its people.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential reading,
By
This review is from: The French: Portrait of a People (Hardcover)
Have you ever finished a book and immediately decided to seek out everything else the author has ever written? That's what happened to me on finishing "The French", which I picked up at my local library's book sale for one dollar. I've made few better reading decisions.Sanche de Gramont (the first name is an abbreviation of "St. Charles"), born in 1932, is the grandson of the Duc de Gramont, and was thus entitled to the style "Comte de Gramont". The reason for the difference in tenses is that in 1977 he became a US citizen, thereby renouncing his title, and took the name Ted Morgan, which is an anagram of "de Gramont". But this had not yet happened when "The French" was published, which was in 1969. In 1937, Sanche's father was posted as air attaché at the French embassy in Washington, and so Sanche grew up not only bilingual but bicultural. The ability to see two different countries, each from the viewpoint of the other and with a deep first-hand knowledge of both, is pretty rare; but Sanche/Ted has it, and since he's also first-class writer, it makes his books on the subject fascinating reading. This opus is thus half of a logical pair, the other being On Becoming American (confusingly, the books are published under his two different names). The breadth of knowledge displayed in both is astonishing, and I consider them among the best I've read. However, "The French" is not an introductory text: as with most accounts of anything beyond the elementary, it does take for granted a certain minimum background knowledge, both of France and of European history generally. If you need to be reminded that Napoleon was the French dead dude co-opted by Bill & Ted, have never heard of Versailles and don't know at least approximately when the Hundred Years' War was, you may find it too dense. But no, it's not impossible to read.
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