The Glory and the Sorrow: A Parisian and His World in the Age of the French Revolution

by Timothy Tackett

An intimate history of an ordinary Parisian citizen and his neighbors that reflects on the origins and radicalization of the French Revolution.

What was it like to live through one of the most transformational periods in world history? In The Glory and the Sorrow, eminent historian Timothy Tackett answers this question through a masterful recreation of the world of Adrien Colson, a minor lawyer who lived in Paris at the end of the Old Regime and during the first eight years of the French Revolution.

Based on over a thousand letters written by Colson to his closest friend, this book vividly narrates everyday life for an "ordinary citizen" during extraordinary times, as well as the life of a neighborhood on a small street in central Paris. It explores the real, day-to-day experience of a not only the thrill, the joy, and the enthusiasm, but also the uncertainty, the confusion, the anxiety, and the disappointments. While Colson reported on major events such as the storming of the Bastille and the King's flight to Varennes, his correspondence underscores the extent to which the great majority of Parisians--and no doubt of the French population more generally--in no way anticipated the Revolution; the incessant circulation and power of rumors of impending disasters in Paris, not just in the summer of 1789 but continually from the autumn of 1789 throughout the Revolutionary decade; and how this affected popular psychology and behavior. In doing so, this account demonstrates
how a Parisian and his neighbors were radicalized over the course of the Revolution.

An evocative account of Colson's time and place, The Glory and the Sorrow is a compelling microhistory of Revolutionary France.

Genres: History, French Revolution, Nonfiction, Audiobook, France

230 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2021

Reviews

[Aleksa]

This was fascinating book in which author argues that we need a major rethinking of the factors that gave rise to the Terror, a rethinking which takes into a account the emotions of revolutionaries.


That why the author focus into the life of the Parisian lawyer by examining thousands letters he sent to a friend in central France. He show us the events of the Revolution through the emotional registers of one man which offer us a way into understanding what the Revolution meant for the generation that lived through it.

[Megan]

the things we do for book club

[Antero Tienaho]

Mainio näkökulma Ranskan vallankumoukseen. Tackett käsittelee vallankumousta yhden miehen, Adrien Coulsonin, kirjeiden kautta.

Coulson on mielenkiintoinen ensi käden lähde monella tapaa. Hän oli lakimies mutta ei mitenkään varakas. Hän asui yhdessä Pariisin köyhimmistä kaupunginosista, oli vannoutunut katolilainen, palveli aateliston edustajia työkseen ja oli vallankumouksen alkaessa jo elämänsä ehtoopuolella. Tapahtumien käänteet radikalisoivat häntä ja vanha mies seurasi innokkaana tapahtumia ja poliittisen maiseman muutokset heijastelevat hänen mielialoihin ja näkemyksiin.

Erittäin hyvin näkyy mm. se miten Louin pako muutti yleisen mielipiteen (yhdessä yösssä!) täysin kuninkaan vastaiseksi. Tai miten huhut, epätietoisuus ja misinformaatio tekivät mahdottomaksi tietää, mitä oikeasti tapahtuu ja miksi. Terroriin johtanut paranoia näyttäytyy luontevana jatkona epätietoisuuden ja ihan oikeiden petoksien paljastumisten myötä.

Harmillista kyllä Coulsonin elämän loppupuolella hänen ystävyytensä kirjeiden kohteeseen kylmeni (todennäköisesti entistäkin paranoidisen ilmapiirin myötä) ja monista vaiheista ei ole kirjeitä. Lisäksi kirjeenvaihdon toisen osapuolen kirjoitukset eivät ole säilyneet.

Tykkäsin tosi paljon. Näinä aikoina elävänä Coulsonin asenteiden muutokset, radikalisoituminen ja hämmennys tapahtumien keskellä tuntuvat ajankohtaisilta.

[David]

If you find a nice cache of letters written by a guy who had a skill for storytelling you can write a pretty decent book. nothing new here, but nice to compare and contrast pre and post-Haussmann Paris.

[Stephen Morrissey]

Timothy Tackett brings to life the daily comings and goings of Parisians during the frenzied days of the French Revolution in "The Glory and the Sorrow." Tackett usefully teases out how ordinary citizens were swept up in the political tides of the 1790s, and how most men and women in the urban core experienced the vicissitudes of the revolutionary days. This is a commendable complement to any typical political or social history of the Revolution.

[livvy.jane33]

I love when a history book is written well. This book wasn’t hugely impactful on me, but I did enjoy the writing style and the personal yet broad overview of Colson’s life was a great way to learn about the French Revolution.

[Roy McCullough]

A remarkable portrait of an individual witnessing the drama(s) of the French Revolution firsthand, many of which took place on, or not far from, his domicile on the Rue des Arcis. I only wish the appendix of reproduced letters was more extensive.

[Taylor Legge]

Read this book for my global history from 1500s-1900s and I was bored at first. As the book went on I was more interested in learning about a subject and about a man growing up in Paris. This book was very interesting!

[Christopher Junker]

I enjoy histories that approach a period of history by following a single character. Rather like spending time working in a country rather than just visiting

[Denise]

Based on a treasure trove of letters, this book offers a fascinating look at life in Paris during the French Revolution through the eyes of an ordinary citizen.

[WuyaNoodle]

Very interesting. I love narrative history.

[Marielle Mullen]

high key loved. colson and his bff breaking up is so sad tho ☹️☹️☹️☹️

[Daniel Polansky]

Another narrow view on grand events, the life of a minor Parisian lawyer during the heart of the revolution, as retold from a cache of posthumous letters. Interesting if anti-climactic.