Cover

  • Author: William Doyle
  • Published: August 2001
  • Read: December 2019

Description

Part of the Very Short Introductions series (with their beautiful covers) from Oxford University, in this installment British historian William Doyle tackles the FR (French Revolution).

In under 200 (small) pages, it gives a rundown from the events leading up to the FR to its aftereffects in a reasonable amount of time. The writing style is quite dense and academic, but that's fair when it's written by an academic.

The Good

The author did a good job of discussing not only the events of the FR but also its causes and effects. Especially interesting was the discussion of the different perceptions of the FR not only in the eyes of regular people (eg. a Frenchman vs. an American) but also between academics. The writing style isn't the most gripping but the content is interesting enough to make up for it.

The Bad

There was perhaps too much information for a short introduction. I felt like this would've been good for someone who had once covered the FR in-depth and wants a brief refresher, something to run through all the details, rather than someone (like me) who just wants the basics. Especially frustrating was when the author referred back to previous characters or events without giving any context to jog my memory. I can recall who Louis the XVI was, but don't expect me to remember characters brought up very briefly two-dozen pages later.

Final Verdict

While I am happy I read it and for the most part I enjoyed it, it was still too long for what I was looking for. I ended up speeding through the end to finish it and probably would've been better off reading something shorter, like Wikipedia or an essay on the topic.

Ratings (out of 5)

  • Informational: ★★★½
    • I know basic facts of the FR, it's main causes, actors, and effects
    • The high information density and sometimes lack of context made it hard to retain information
  • Enjoyable: ★★½
    • The FR was an exciting time
    • The academic style deflated the excitement a little
  • Would Recommend: No