The Revolutionary Temper

Paris, 1748-1789

De: Robert Darnton

Narrado por: Andrew J. Andersen

When a Parisian crowd stormed the Bastille in July 1789, it triggered an event of global consequence: the overthrow of the monarchy and the birth of a new society. Most historians account for the French Revolution by viewing it in retrospect as the outcome of underlying conditions such as a faltering economy, social tensions, or the influence of Enlightenment thought. But what did Parisians themselves think they were doing—how did they understand their world? What were the motivations and aspirations that guided their actions? In this dazzling history, Robert Darnton addresses these questions by drawing on decades of close study to conjure a past as vivid as today's news. He explores eighteenth-century Paris as an information society much like our own. Through pamphlets, gossip, underground newsletters, and public performances, the events of some forty years all entered the collective consciousness of ordinary Parisians. As public trust in royal authority eroded and new horizons opened for them, Parisians prepared themselves for revolution.

Darnton's authority and sure judgment enable listeners to confidently navigate the complexities of controversies over court politics, Church doctrine, and the economy. And his luminous prose creates an immersive listening experience. Here is a riveting narrative that succeeds in making the past a living presence.

©2024 Robert Darnton (P)2024 Tantor

Wonderful book. Atrocious reading.

Reader uses comical French accents that are barely listenable. Generally a stilted reading.

Darnton’s history is great.

Terrible reading

Bizarre that a book that includes substantial sections in French is read by someone who likely has never seen French before. Who knew roi is pronounced roy-eeee :)

Excellent material spoiled by poor French

The premise of this book is an interesting angle on the French Revolution. The organizational principles and the detail are excellent. Unfortunately listening to Mr. Andersen's pronunciation of French is jarring and distracting. I am definitely not a French scholar but I do know how to pronounce "roi". I had to stop listening.

Interesting subject but tiring presentation. Disappointing.

Recitation of quotations and titles in French was tiring. French is a fine, honored language. However since I don’t speak French, hearing quotations and titles of works in French was not helpful. The book was deleted after about 2 hours of listening.

Interesting but Almost Too Detailed

Enjoyed the Conclusion and Afterward the best as they summarized the very detailed story. I felt it was almost too deep into specifics of a particular scandal or event to the point where I couldn’t see the big picture.

Great book, great historian, terrible narration

The narration ruins the book ... excessively dramatic inflection and emphasis of phrases of the text; almost comical and exaggerated French accent of titles, names, and phrases in French (reminiscent of Peter Sellers); frequent mispronunciations of common words (Weber, Goethe, monsieur, brazier, remonstrances, dozens of other examples ...). Darnton's historical writing is outstanding and the book is highly interesting, but the narration is awful. The book should be re-narrated.

Excellent content, terrible reading

I enjoyed the content of the book though I suffered through the reading. As other reviewers have said, the reader not only did not know how to pronounce words in French, but he seemed to have learned through the reading and yet did not bother to redo earlier parts. The word "roi", for example, was read earlier as roh-e, later as roh-ah, and eventually as ru-ah. For a word that is so often used in the text, this feels like an important learning for him that he should have done before recording the final takes. The fact that we can hear that evolution in the public recording does not speak well about the production standards or the professional ethic of the voice actor. The book deserved better.

unbearable as a French speaker

The book is full of French but the narrator makes no attempt to pronounce it. As a French speaker myself, his absurd mangling of the language makes it impossible to listen. we should all get out money back!

TERRIBLE NARRATOR. can't speak French.

Narrator's French was execrable. I couldn't bear listening. shocking that Darden chose this reader.

Great Book Sabotaged by V Bad Narrator.

If you're expecting a book that is 100 per cent focused on French History to hire a narrator who can speak French you would be wrong: They hired someone who well meaning as can be: cannot pronounce the Extensive passages of French untranslated that take up a huge part of the Book. It's is actually Painful to listen to and if this makes any sense: the listener feels stupid or cheated shortchanged? by the experience. TRAGIC!