An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

545. The French Revolution: The First Feminist (Part 2)

March 06, 2025

Description

In the summer and Autumn of 1792 - with the Prussians bearing down on Paris, the streets thronged with the stirring swell of the Marseillaise, but also the rotting bodies of those brutally killed...
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Books Referenced

La Nouvelle Héloïse

Author: Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Context:

Mentioned as Rousseau's novel and 'a massive bestseller' when discussing his influence on revolutionary attitudes toward women. A quote from the book is provided: 'a brilliant wife is a plague to her husband, her children, her friends, her valet, everyone.'

Politics, Culture, and Class in the French Revolution

Author: Lynn Hunt

Context:

Described as 'the great scholar of the kind of the culture of the French revolution' with 'particular interest in the role of women in the revolution.' Her scholarly work is quoted regarding the figure of Liberty representing virtue and transcendence of localism. No specific book title is given but her academic work on the French Revolution is clearly referenced.

Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen

Author: Olympe de Gouges

Context:

Published on September 15, 1791 as a response to the constitution. Described as 'an obvious parody of the declaration of the rights of man and the citizen' and dedicated to Marie Antoinette. This was a published political pamphlet/treatise.