An Infinite History

The Story of a Family in France over Three Centuries

By: Emma Rothschild

Narrated by: Eve Matheson

Length: 13 hrs

Publisher's summary

This audiobook narrated by Eve Matheson tells the story of social change in France through the experiences of a single extended family across five generations

Marie Aymard was an illiterate widow who lived in the provincial town of Angoulême in southwestern France, a place where seemingly nothing ever happened. Yet, in 1764, she made her fleeting mark on the historical record through two documents: a power of attorney in connection with the property of her late husband, a carpenter on the island of Grenada, and a prenuptial contract for her daughter, signed by 83 people in Angoulême. Who was Marie Aymard? Who were all these people? And why were they together on a dark afternoon in December 1764? Beginning with these questions, An Infinite History offers a panoramic look at an extended family over five generations. Through 98 connected stories about inquisitive, sociable individuals, ending with Marie Aymard’s great-great granddaughter in 1906, Emma Rothschild unfurls an innovative modern history of social and family networks, emigration, immobility, the French revolution, and the transformation of 19th-century economic life.

Rothschild spins a vast narrative resembling a period novel, one that looks at a large, obscure family, of whom almost no private letters survive, whose members traveled to Syria, Mexico, and Tahiti, and whose destinies were profoundly unequal, from a seamstress living in poverty in Paris to her third cousin, the Cardinal of Algiers. Rothschild not only draws on discoveries in local archives but also uses new technologies, including the visualization of social networks, large-scale searches, and groundbreaking methods of genealogical research.

An Infinite History demonstrates how the ordinary lives of one family over three centuries can constitute a remarkable record of deep social and economic changes.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Emma Rothschild (P)2021 Princeton University Press

Critic reviews

"A history of the manifold and surprising connections that linked a remote and provincial corner of France to the rest of the country and the world, An Infinite History is at once delightful and profound. It is a genuinely remarkable work - thoroughly original, formidably researched and erudite, and beautifully written. I anticipate that it will receive ample praise and be read widely." (Francesca Trivellato, Institute for Advanced Study)

Fascinating book

Such an interesting book. The author has traced the history of one very commonplace family and their associates and descendants over 200 years using the available archived records, and combining that with social, economic, and literary history of contemporary France. Its a history of unhistoric people. Highly recommended.

Excellent achievement

I had no idea France abolished, then for a time reinstated it.

I love facts and stories that focus on common people living their lives in the midst of the challenges and opportunities in their lifetimes.

The author is an inspiring scholar. What she has achieved here will impact my family research and how I synthesize it.

Excellent narrator. She projects energy and kept me engaged.