The revolutionary temper Paris, 1748-1789

Historian Darnton (Pirating and Publishing) offers a sweeping account of "how Parisians experienced" the decades leading up to the French Revolution. Following the shifting textures of public opinion through "conversations in cafes... underground gazettes... street songs... and processions and festivals," Darnton tracks the emergence of what he calls a "revolutionary temper" in the lived experience of 18th-century Parisians. He highlights the power of satirical street songs, which escaped censorship and served as "sung newspapers" for city dwellers (one particularly bawdy tune sparked a chain of events that led to the arrest of the philosopher Denis Diderot, who had to be bailed out by his publishers); the "craze for science," which manifested in the "frenzy for air balloons" and public fascination with Franz Anton Mesmer's "animal magnetism" (such fads reinforced a growing sense that "just as man had conquered the air, he was gaining mastery over disease and soon would control all of nature there were no limits to the power of his reason"); and the "climate of public opinion" formed by printed pamphlets, which were being produced so rapidly and at such volume that they were "like smoke from thousands of chimneys gathering over the city." Darnton's panoramic vision is rendered in lucid and vigorous prose, with a consistent focus on the day-to-day communications and emotions of regular people. It's an enthralling exploration of the psychology of political change. (Nov.)

A page-turner on the 40 years before the fall of the Bastille. The kings during this period were Louis XV and his grandson, Louis XVI, absolute monarchs whose rule was far from absolute, writes veteran historian Darnton, recipient of the National Humanities Medal and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award. Despite an oppressive police force, Paris citizenry remained touchy, often disrespectful, and sometimes violent. Royal power also faced resistance from the Parlement, which was not a legislative body but an assembly that oversaw the courts and legal system. A law wasn't official until Parlement published it, and it regularly used this power to express disagreement. Inevitably, wars dominated these decades. Following the War of the Austrian Succession, the Seven Years' War was a disaster; victory supporting the American colonies seemed satisfying revenge over Britain but swelled an already massive debt. Wars are expensive, and since the church and aristocracy paid no taxes, they weighed heavily on the poor. Throughout this prodigiously researched narrative, Darnton concentrates on scandal and royal infighting, a reasonable tactic because kings preferred to leave the boring details of governing to underlings. The author accomplishes the impressive feat of bringing to vivid life these men, largely unknown to American readers, who were preoccupied with raising money. Reforms to require the church and aristocracy to contribute always failed, but borrowing was easy, so that's what they did until 1787, when investors refused to subscribe to the latest loan. Declaring "partial bankruptcy," officials cut interest payments, mostly to annuities that provided income to average citizens. This "produced outrage and panic" that was not relieved with news that the king would summon the Estates General, an ancient advisory body last called in 1614, which would, in theory, establish a constitution, reform the tax system, and regenerate France. It met two years later, and Darnton capably chronicles what followed, but riots and mass murder were already well under way. The run-up to the French Revolution in expert hands. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.