- Paperback: 976 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; 2nd Revised edition edition (Feb 1996)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140172068
- ISBN-13: 978-0140172065
- Product Dimensions: 23 x 15.4 x 4.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
347,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #34 in Books > History > Other Historical Subjects > Historians > Schama, Simon
- #97 in Books > History > Europe > France > French Revolution
Citizens: A Chronicle of The French Revolution
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
From the author of "The Embarrassment of Riches", this is a history of the French Revolution. At the heart of this account is the story of the transformation of "subjects" to "citizens". The author aims to show a France infatuated with novelty and technology in the midst of dramatic economic change. The darkening of the original euphoric vision of liberty into a scenario of hunger, anger, terror and death is the author's theme, as he draws on available material of social and cultural history. "Citizens" was winner of the 1990 NCR Book Award for Non-Fiction, which is considered to be the most lucrative literary prize given in this country.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
40 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
1789 revisited,
By A Customer
This review is from: Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution (Paperback)
This is essential reading for anyone interested in France, history and the Enlightenment, - exactly how much light was brought to mankind by the cast behind the French Revolution of 1789? And,conversely, how dark was the ancien régime really? All the answers in this immensely readable book. If you can only read one book about the crucial moment of European history, this is the one.
76 of 85 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Tremendous Performance,
This review is from: Citizens: A Chronicle of The French Revolution (Paperback)
Citizens is a truly wonderful example of narrative historical writing - a "tremendous performance", to borrow a favourite expression of Simon Schama. The author prefers a more old-fashioned interpretation of the French revolution, which presents the revolution as a drama and focuses on the characters that determine the unravelling of the plot. This choice provides the book with the memorable stories, such as the royal family's comically feckless flight from Paris in 1791, that make it such a delightful read. It is a liberating experience to find a general historical survey that does away with the conventional, stultifying analytical distinctions between economic, social and political factors. Instead, the reader can interact directly - as well as chronologically, which makes it easy to dip in and out of - with the actors and the events without having to navigate around tedious discussions of causal significance or complex arguments with other historians.But it is the skill with which Schama recounts events like the fall of the Bastille that makes this book unique and easily the most enjoyable modern history of the revolution in English. The embellishing vocabulary (readers are advised to have a dictionary to hand), the recurring motifs (the revolutionary obsession with heads, whether on pikes or as busts) and the vivid build-up of tension are the true strengths of this so-called chronicle. It is perfect for the novice reader and the enlightened amateur alike. Citizens demands re-reading for the richness of its description to be fully appreciated, especially its masterful reconstruction of the fascinating and sometimes disturbing culture of the old regime, which is probably the most accessible that exists. The only disappointment is that it ends with Thermidor, in 1794. After 800 pages, one is still hoping for more, which is the highest recommendation possible for this genre of historical writing.
62 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Steer Clear,
By Jacques Louvet (Nottingham, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Citizens: A Chronicle of The French Revolution (Paperback)
I've read around 30-40 books on the French Revolution and all that i can conclude from this book is that Schama is, at least on this topic, a rather simple man. He adds nothing new in his reductionist narrative of individuals and scary mobs. I can admire the (not so) fresh debate a revisionist such as François Furet adds to the historiography of the French Revolution, even if i do not agree with all of their conclusions; and realise that Schama, as with most of his books, wants to make easy popular reads that will make money. However what is dangerous is that this accessible book is written with a deeply embedded prejudice that people may happily accept as a balanced review of the revolution - and my greatest fear is that will be the only book that they'll read and so their entire perspective of such a complex event will be reduced to Schama good/bad times, good/bad people, bad violence history.
If you want a quick introduction then try: The French Revolution: A Very Short Introduction by William Doyle If you want a general introduction then try: The French Revolution, 1789-1799 by Peter McPhee If you want more on the provinces then try: The Terror by David Andress For left-wing balance try Geordge Rude or: The French Revolution by Georges Lefebvre And finally if you want history told as an accessible narrative of individuals without proper historiographical balance then perhaps some of the excellent historical-fictions rather than Schama's attempt at history. A truly fantastic read (and well researched)is: A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel Otherwise try (but don't rely on for a proper historical analysis): Fatal Purity by Ruth Scurr The Gods Are Thirsty by Tanith Lee
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