The French Revolution

I am not sure why I picked up this book in the first place, but boy was it wonderful. Some history books are interesting, some dull, this one was beautiful. Every page gorgeous. Let me try to explain. I am not the smartest guy out there, and I know it, and some of you can tell by my writing style. The book is a mixture of prose and poetry, action and wise musings. I have never seen history treated so poetically. In some scenes, I really felt that I was there witnessing the events as they occurred, such as when the living quarters of the royal family was besieged. It was almost as if he wrote the book having been there, certainly having read the newspapers day after day. The book proceeds sometimes day by day, hour by hour...and the tension during the French Revolution was very intense at times. I don't do this justice, but I will try...in the beginning Carlylse describes the funeral procession of the dead king (forgot his name), and he describes the next king and his wife Marie Antoinette, and he muses at one point how they haven't a clue how they are walking on gossamer above a precipice. Here are the bad points: If you know nothing of the French Revolution, it may be tiresome as he alludes to events and names you may not know. If you have a hard time with hard reading, this is very hard reading, don't bother. I would suggest you read two books concurrently, a regular dull history book, then Carlisle, month by month. I am ashamed to admit, I think I only fully grasped 1/3 of what I read. But wading through that which I did not understand was well worth the delight of finding gems that were intelligible to me. Carlylse wrote with perspective, wisdom and poetry. I read this book for 4 months. Really. I put this in the same class as Boethius's Consolations of Philosophy. Those who truly are literate may think him primitive and lowbrow, but Boethius was beautiful in dealing with fortune and fate. If you are up for a challenge, and are patient and love beauty, then read it. If you just want a factual read, stay away.

Definitely a classic. Don't be put off by the warnings other reviewers have about unfamiliar words and phrases: like any great writer, Carlyle does the work of presenting every event and person in a way to give us a feel for what was going on--at least in his vision of what happened between 1789-94 in France. The prose isn't straightforward, but you can get a summation of events straight from any encyclopedia or textbook: what Carlyle does is go much, much more in depth. Terms like 'Sansculottism' or 'sea-green Robespierre' bring very vivid impressions by the time you get near the end, and his insights into character and motive are amazingly vivid (no wonder George Eliot was impressed!) This history does indeed read like a novel, and it really is quite good. Yes, there are unusual words and phrases (like Shakespeare, Carlyle coined and invented words, several now currently used in the language). That's all part of the fun though. The Modern Library edition has a good introduction, plus a timeline of events to orient you better while reading. A very worthwhile and satisfactory book, current tastes not withstanding.

Thomas Carlyle's unique poetic style of prose may be tough to take early on, but after a few pages, it does grow on you. It's all overly dramatic and sensational, but what subject could be more so than the French Revolution itself? Carlyle paints a grim description of the complete and utter chaos of the times, particulary the Great Terror of mid-1794. He does, however, remain somewhat non-judgemental regarding the Revolution's key figures, and lets the readers sort out for themselves who the real culprits are. He may over-simplify the obvious at certain junctures in the book, but his style is riveting and as this shocking and dismal tale of woe continues, the reader is further drawn into a daze and trance similar to the Terror's unfortunate victims. Some have suggested that it's better to read a "normal" history of the French Revolution before one undertakes this famous volume. I disagree. This is as good a place to start as any concerning that most volatile of times. Simply put, Carlyle's "French Revolution" is both informative and exciting, and it has held up well since it was first published in 1837.

The authors of the previous review were too harsh on the text - it isn't a mere display of literary muscle turned lightly to the French Revolution, it's an interesting take on the subject from a penetrating mind. The other reviews saying "Don't read this if you don't know everything about the revolution" seem a little bit silly to me having read it - if you know nothing about French history and the revolution, ok, you might have some difficulties. But if you have even a rough view of the revolution (from a textbook chapter, short article, almost anything) you won't be lost. Once or twice one might be forced to read back or do a tiny bit of side-reading to get a colourful 19th century reference, but it isn't nearly as oblique as the first reviewer made out.The style is not difficult to read, considering the date, and the narration is often captivating or amusing. The individual, literary portraiture of historical figures is unique and valuable to me in building a kind of familiarity with events, however cautiously. And the claim that it isn't "historically" written by modern standards - perhaps the reviewer was too busy composing clever jabs to note the date of writing? If you want Francois Furet, read Francois Furet, but Thomas Carlyle unfortunately didn't have the benefit of 20th century developments in historical methods.

Other writers have related the events of the French Revolution with as much detail, but none has been able to bring it as vividly to life. The style is very unusual and at first it is difficult to follow. But then a moment comes when the whole thing clicks, and suddenly it is as if you are there in France in 1788 and the years that followed with a guide pulling at your sleeve and pointing, saying "look here" and "look there." The entire procession of people and events becomes extraordinarily vivid and dream-like. The storming of the Bastille becomes almost a comic event. The Reign of Terror becomes truly frightening and horrifying. The rise of Napoleon becomes completely understandable. The parallels to our own time become evident and disturbing. This is not a book for those who want a straighforward recounting of facts. But if a reader wants to gain an understanding of why events unfolded the way that they did, it would be difficult to find a better book on this topic.