An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

382. Young Napoleon: Teenage Revolutionary (Part 1)

October 30, 2023

Description

“I would plunge the avenging dagger, up to the hilt, in the breast of the tyrant!” Born in Corsica a year after the island was given to France by the Genoese, Napoleon Bonaparte grew up in a world...
Read more here

Books Referenced

The Life of Samuel Johnson

Author: James Boswell

Context:

Boswell is mentioned as 'the biographer of Samuel Johnson' in the context of discussing his admiration for Corsica and Pasquale Paoli

Parallel Lives

Author: Plutarch

Context:

Mentioned as Napoleon's 'great favorite' among classical authors, specifically noting that 'Plutarch writes this idea of great lives, great people who shape history' which influenced Napoleon

Fingal

Author: Ossian

Context:

Mentioned as a fake Gaelic poet whose work Napoleon loved - described as 'completely made up' proto-romantic nationalistic literature

Napoleon: A Life

Author: Adam Zamoyski

Context:

Explicitly referenced as 'Adam Zamoysk in his book' when discussing Napoleon's childhood experiences in occupied Corsica and his poor French grammar and handwriting. This is Zamoyski's Napoleon biography.

Napoleon: A Life

Author: Andrew Roberts

Context:

Explicitly referenced as 'Andrew Roberts in his biography' when discussing the detail about Napoleon noting Saint Helena in his school exercise book. This is Roberts' Napoleon biography.

La Nouvelle Héloïse

Author: Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Context:

Referenced in the context of Napoleon's encounter with a prostitute, explaining his 'whole Rousseau attitude' about high-minded emotion and 'the mingling of souls'