249 books
—
90 voters
French History
The History of France
“
As a means of alleviating poverty, Christian charity was worse than useless, as could be seen in the Papal states, which abounded in it. But it was popular not only among the traditionalist rich, who cherished it as a safeguard against the evil of equal rights... but also among the traditionalist poor, who were profoundly convinced that they had a right to crumbs from the rich man's table.
...more
”
― The Age of Revolution, 1789–1848
― The Age of Revolution, 1789–1848
“
If an aristocrat became bankrupt he looked to the sunshine of royal providence [...] but when the nobility sank too low to qualify for royal notice, they became fraudsters, trading on the display of rank: the man would become a card-sharper or gigolo, while the woman sold herself. Actual work would have been unthinkable. It would have offended against the ancient order of things, which assigned that role to the middle classes and the peasantry. This concept is difficult to connect with our moder
...more
”
― The Queen's Necklace
― The Queen's Necklace
This book group is dedicated to discussing English-language books that have to do with France: c…more
118 members,
last active 9 years ago
