Glory and Terror: Seven Deaths Under the French Revolution [Hardcover]

Antoine de Baecque (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415926165 | ISBN-13: 978-0415926164 | Publication Date: July 1, 2001 | Edition: 1

Glory and Terror forwards the argument that the key moment of the French Revolution were a series of "dialogues with the dead," and looks to excavate these discourses by examining contemporary visual and literary representations of executions, funerals, processions, ceremonies etc. De Baecque is a writerly historian who does not shy away from the vivid and often gory details of the events he investigates. As reviewer Daniel Gordon notes, De Baecque "has a cinematic sense of history: a talent for evoking grand visuals." Among the events examined are the exhumation and transportation of Voltaire's body to the Pantheon, the burial of the corpse of Louis XVI, and the agonizingly slow death of Robespierre. Glory and Terror is a cultural and literary volume that will appeal to the general reader who enjoys the work of Simon Schama and Robert Darnton and generate much discussion among professional historians.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This is an engrossing and highly original work by an acclaimed young scholar and biographer (coauthor of Truffaut). A professor of history at the University of Saint Quentin in Yvelynes, France, de Baecque brings to this study a keen understanding of the "theatre" of revolution. His thesis is that at key points in the French Revolution, the deaths or burials of several leading personalities were celebrated, commemorated, or treated in such a way as to lend meaning and symbolism to the prevailing mindset and temper of the Revolution at that time. Hence, the death of Mirabeau in 1791 seemed to symbolize the death of the first (moderate) stage of the Revolution. Similarly, the elaborate 1791 ceremonies surrounding the transfer of Voltaire's remains to Paris could be viewed as a sign of the "collective regeneration of the French people." De Baecque also aims to have readers comprehend the symbolism behind the vicious and barbaric assaults on the corpse of the Princess de Lambelle, or the treatment accorded the body of the dead King Louis XVI. Remaining "corpses" discussed include Geffroy, Robespierre, and Madame Necker. De Baecque also recounts the varying ways in which those of differing political persuasions came to remember and memorialize these deaths over time. A fascinating work for serious students of the French Revolution; recommended for academic libraries. Marie Marmo Mullaney, Caldwell Coll., NJ
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

In this stunningly original reassessment of the French Revolution, de Baecque provides a unique analysis of the political, spiritual, and moral evolution of the politics of rebellion. Maintaining that many of the ideals that influenced the revolution were flamed by a series of pivotal deaths, the author analyzes the private, public, and political responses to the deaths of Mirabeau, Voltaire, Princesse de Lamballe, Louis XVI, Geoffroy, Robespierre, and Madame Necker. Figuratively exhuming a corpse to represent each critical phase of the French Revolution, de Baecque provides a macabre--yet revealing--glimpse into the passions that fueled the revolutionary fervor. Whether martyrs or victims of the cause, each of these notorious corpses provided psychological sustenance to the fledgling French Republic. This groundbreaking treatise uncovers a new area of consideration for a critical era in the history of modern western civilization. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 247 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415926165
• ISBN-13: 978-0415926164
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #771,207 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars French revolution, May 27, 2007

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This review is from: Glory and Terror: Seven Deaths Under the French Revolution (Hardcover)

A well written book about 7 historical figures who die during the French revolution. It documents and explains part of the bloody history from the revolution. This books looks at the fiction and facts surrounging the deaths and corpses, of 7 known victims, condemed by revolutionary courts and the people.