"Oh, my poor wife!" he sighed.

These were his last words. His final thought was for Lucile [...] A click, a heavy sound. The head fell.

- Jacques Janssens, Camille Desmoulins : le premier républicain de France



Poor Camille. I will always remember and love you.

Apparently France has decided that it didn't have an awful enough "documentary" about the French Revolution to compete with the sterling examples set by the United States (The French Revolution) and Great Britain (Terror! Robespierre and the French Revolution), because this is going to air tomorrow on France 3:

Robespierre : bourreau de la Vendée ? [Robespierre: Executioner of the Vendée?]*

Charming. I am sure it will be a model of unbiased, factual reporting followed by a fair debate in which all points of view that can reasonably claim a basis in truth are equally represented.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go drink myself into a coma.

*Can provide a full translation of the article if anyone needs it.

EDIT: Thanks to zanyofsorrow, we have links!
For everyone who wants to watch the documentary but isn't in France at the moment:
Part 1: http://rutube.ru/tracks/5413459.html
Part 2:http://rutube.ru/tracks/5413515.html

Has anyone thought about moving / duplicating this community to be a Facebook group? I know some people have said this community has been lacking in activity (I agree), while it seems to me Facebook groups are thriving. We can make it a "closed group" so membership is moderated. There are a lot more people on FB, obviously, and it also makes it easier to share links to interesting articles, events etc. that we might come across. Thoughts?

So, I was not very much looking forward to reading this essay for my seminar today, but then I saw the first line and was hooked, obviously :)



...the rest of the essay has nothing to do with Saint-Just (or the French Revolution), sadly. Boo.

Did anyone else have the opportunity to visit this exhibition at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York? I went back in early December and had planned to write a review for this community, but then I found myself struggling to convey my impressions. Perhaps because I don't have a very extensive background in art history and lack the vocabulary. I also think I had hoped to see the pieces better situated in their historical context; the exhibition seemed (in my opinion) to hinge more on their importance to an aesthetic movement rather their social or political relevance.

Still, it was very interesting and I'm glad I went. If anyone else visited, I would be interested to hear your reactions.

I have been interested in the french revolution for quite a while, and although I have read several books and biographies about some of the main people of it, I still haven't managed to find a good one of Saint-Just. Could you please recommend me one that is en english/spanish? (my french is not good enough to read a book)

City of Darkness, City of Light
Marge Piercy

(Beware the spoilers!)

( Review )

I am sorry if someone already posted about this book, I did not find anything in the tag.
A couple of months ago I finished to read the new edition of Robespierre, derniers temps by J.Ph. Domecq, as I was curious to read about an alternative approach to historical narration. I am not an historian myself, but I am interested in history and as a writer (to-be?), historical fiction is my preferred genre.
The book is an interesting experiment, although, in my opinion, the author sets to himself a too high task; for those of you who might have not read it, it is an attempt to explain the behaviour of Robespierre in the nigh of Thermidor through what the author calls `intuition de la littérature'. The book is not completely fiction and it is constructed around quotation of various sources (primarily Robespierre's speeches), fragmented by an attempt of narrative and various thought of Domecq himself.
The experiment was at first curious, but it soon become really annoying and personally I do not think it achieved anything new; moreover the fictive portions were not enjoyable.
Furthermore at the end of the book is attached a shorter essay (La littérature comme acupuncture) about the role and the theory of historical fiction and the eventual contribution that a writer can give to a historian. It starts from a very sharp critic of another novel, Littell's Les Bienfaisants (that I personally enjoyed as a reading), to debate about the reception both in Literature and in History of Robespierre's figure.
Now, some questions for you. I was curious to know your opinion if you have read the book. Secondly, what is for you `good historical fiction'? I have read mostly discontent with fiction settled during the French Revolution, so it will be interesting to have some debate about what would be a good fiction (if it is actually possible to have one). Moreover what is the relation between (good) historical fiction and History itself, taking to account the fact that we are speaking of two really different genres with very different rules?

...so, in lieu of reading for my exams (what's WRONG with me?!), I've been trying to clear my head by skimming through a historical novel published about a year ago, simply titled Revolution, by Jennifer Donnelly. First of all, it's technically for "young adults" (the protagonist is a high school senior). Second of all, its perspective on the Revolution is (surprise) very naive and, well, high school. I started reading it last night and I'm almost done now. But, for all its flaws and blatant royalist sympathies, I can't deny that part of me kind of enjoys it. It's kind of like, The Da Vinci Code only with the French Revolution. So, even while I'm groaning over the history and politics, I can't stop reading because it's a page-turner and I'm hooked on the silly plot! Below is the description from Amazon.com:

BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break.
 
PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape.
 
Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present.

If you have some time to waste (not likely, given that you all seem like intelligent, productive people) and are in the mood for some very lightweight, very not-to-be-taken-seriously fiction, then go for it.

EDIT:  Please forget that I ever suggested reading this book (unless you're reading it in order to write a vehement, public rebuttal of its contents).

I have been extremely negligent in not posting this earlier, but as one of the founding members of the Association pour un musée Robespierre à Arras (AMRA), I'd like to invite you all to sign our petition in favor of turning the house Robespierre lived in from 1787 until his departure for Versailles as deputy to the Estates-General in 1789 into a museum dedicated to teaching the public about Robespierre and the Revolution. (For an idea of what this project could turn out to be, check out Saint-Just's house in Blérancourt.)

You might be wondering about the status of the house and why it is not yet a museum, at least not one devoted to Robespierre and the Revolution. At the bicentennial of the Revolution, the city of Arras acquired the property for that purpose, but it then entrusted its restoration to the "Compagnons du devoir" in exchange for the use of the building for their own museum, dedicated to the history of guild/trade organizations and with only a tiny space devoted to Robespierre's youth in Arras. While the AMRA definitely considers that the Compagnons deserve to have their own museum, there are potentially other spaces that would suit them equally well, while, for obvious reasons, Robespierre's house is really the most appropriate place to have a museum regarding him and his role in the Revolution. You can read more about the history of the house here.

Because it would really be nice to have some kind of permanent space for the education of the public regarding Robespierre and the Revolution in his city of origin, I encourage you all to sign the petition. You don't have to live in France or be a French citizen to sign. Please help us get to our minimum goal of 5,000 signatures.

If you have any questions, I will do my best to answer them.