Paris

What was the role of popular religious sentiment in the infamous massacre of Huguenots on St. Bartholomew's Day in 1572? According to Barbara Diefendorf, traditional historiography has focused almost exclusively on the political dimension which framed this tragedy (Barbara B. Diefendorf, Beneath the Cross: Catholics and Huguenots in Sixteenth-Century Paris (New York, Ny.: Oxford University Press, 1991), p. 4). In her view, this exclusive focus on the political dynamic fails to adequately take into account the popular pressures that were exerted on the king and court during this period. In fact, Diefendorf's chief contention in this book is that the period prior to and extending through the massacre of Huguenots in Paris on 24 August 1572 can only be properly understood when one factors in both the political and religious aspects of this turbulent era. In other words, Diefendorf hopes to steer a middle course through the historiographical landscape of the "Wars of Religion" during this period, and she hopes to avoid both the purely political or the purely religious interpretation of the motivation that shaped these conflicts.

Because Diefendorf attempts to approach the religious conflicts of sixteenth-century France from a variety of perspectives, the book alternates between narrative and analytic modes of presentation. In the opening chapters of the book, she analyzes what preexisting social, economic, political and religious tensions contributed to the conflicts. Diefendorf argues that Paris in the mid-sixteenth century was a city that was substantially weakened by the internal strains of 1) the increasing poverty among the working class and the poor, 2) a growing indebtedness among the population along with the concomitant possibility of losing one's property, 3) the price inflation of essential commodities, and 4) an increasing indigent population that was dependent on public support (Diefendorf, Beneath the Cross, pp. 21-22). She also argues that maintaining order in the Capitol city was becoming increasingly difficult due to the overlapping jurisdiction of the various authorities. Further, the social equilibrium between the governing elite and the masses was demonstrating its increasingly fragile character. From a religious perspective, Diefendorf analyzes the complexities of Parisian Catholicism during this era. She argues that Catholic piety demanded religious unity (both personal and public) as a vital condition for individual and collective salvation since society was perceived an organic whole (Diefendorf, Beneath the Cross, p. 38). Additionally, Diefendorf analyzes the religious processions of the era and argues that they vividly reinforced the perception in the minds of the people of the inseparable relationship between the civic authority, the monarchy, and the Catholic faith (Diefendorf, Beneath the Cross, p. 48). To the Catholics of mid-sixteenth century Paris, Diefendorf argues that unity in the body of Christ demanded a unified city and State under the aegis of Catholicism. She asserts that all of these factors (social, economic, political, and religious) contributed to an increasingly volatile environment that provides the crucial framework for understanding the religious conflicts of this era.

Diefendorf then provides a vivid narrative account of the cycle of religious malice and violence, beginning in 1557, that finally culminated in the massacre of the Protestants in Paris in 1572 (Diefendorf, Beneath the Cross, pp. 49-106). It was during this cycle of war and peace, Diefendorf argues, that religious hatred intensified to such a degree that the murderous events of St. Bartholomew's Day can be legitimately conceived of as a natural extension of the trajectory begun years earlier. What fueled this extreme animus? In answer to this question, Diefendorf examines the Reformed Christianity of Paris and the militant Catholicism (which she labels "extremist" and contrasts with moderate Catholicism) of the day. Examining the extant sermon manuscripts from the Catholic pulpits of the day, Diefendorf paints a seditious picture of Catholic preachers, whom inflamed the masses in their religious hatred of the practitioners of the new religion. She implicates these inflammatory Catholic preachers in ultimately exerting the pressure upon the civic authorities and monarchy that eventually led to the massacre of Saint Bartholomew's Day.

In the final analysis, Diefendorf argues that the massacre of the Parisian Protestants was not pursued by all Catholics equally, but rather was primarily engineered by the radical and extremist faction of Parisian Catholics who exerted important pressure upon the king and civic authorities and who took the city to the brink of anarchy in their murderous enterprise.

This book paints a complex portrait of the religious wars of mid-sixteenth century France, and it is made all the more interesting by the engaging narrative the author provides of the religious conflicts of the era. The author demonstrates her point well concerning the militant influence of extremist Catholic preachers by citing the extant sermons available which seem to substantiate her point. Although the author is probably correct in noting the dual influence of politics and religion in the conflicts of the period, the book suffers from a few weaknesses. First, her use and interpretation of the Catholic processions seems tenuous at best. Would the average Catholic observing these processions have made the same conclusion regarding the inseparable nature of Catholic faith and crown as a result of merely observing these processions as Diefendorf alleges? Additionally, this reviewer truly wonders how independently the masses actually acted in the St. Bartholomew's day massacre. In spite of Diefendorf's valiant efforts, the suspicion of a higher level of monarchical involvement lingers in the mind of this reviewer. Perhaps the greatest weakness, however, is the author's failure to adequately substantiate the existence of a "moderate faction" within Parisian Catholicism. Surely there were Catholics who were more militant in their faith than others, but was there a sizable moderate faction in existence who would have actively opposed their militant brethren in any substantive way? This reviewer doesn't find any conclusive proof in Diefendorf's book to establish such a premise. It is true that later historical developments in France (which Diefendorf does not address in this work) would seem to support this thesis. On the other hand, the history of the massacre and the triumphant procession of the king and court before the approving masses after the slaughter suggest perhaps the opposite conclusion.

Diefendorf's work shines as an excellent book on the battle between the Catholics and the Hugenots in 16th Century Paris. She has clearly done a lot of work on the subject. While the book can be long winded at times, she tries to keep the reader interested with many anecdotes. Truly a fantastic work. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Calvinist or Catholic history or to anyone interested in French history.

I bought this book a couple years ago, and I still enjoy looking through it today. Besides being an excellent historical account on the origins of the Tank watch, it also includes a detailed chronological picture catalogue of all Tank watches produced by Cartier. I recommend it to anyone who owns or admires the Tank and wants to learn more about the origins of this much-copied Cartier classic.

This book is great! It is essential to the collection of any Cartier Collector. It takes the reader through the history of the Cartier Tank Watch, beginning in the early 1900s. It shows different models and how they've changed as style has. A great Coffee table book, one to show style, sophistication, and chic. ONE TRENDY BOOK!

Picking up this book after reading several others on D-Day and Normandy I thought it might be fairly lightweight. On the contrary, it is a very useful little volume and gives quite a lot of new information which I did not find elsewhere. The tactic of assembling contributions from eight different authors (over eleven chapters) is very effective, and most of them write clearly and concisely. Possibly the best chapter was the one by Edward Marolda on Operation Neptune - an aspect of D-Day often neglected by other books. The sixth chapter has some provocative views from Charles Kirkpatrick in which he is critical of the performance of both American and British soldiers in Normandy. I am always rather uneasy about armchair generals who are disparaging of the prowess of troops, some of whom now lie in cemeteries in France. In any case these opinions tend to contradict the evidence of some later chapters about the Normandy campaign (by other authors). However,I would recommend any D-Day enthusiast add this book to their collection.

Eleven authors, eleven chapters in 202 pages. A very concise and no doubt fully accurate account of the Overlord Operation: The cross-channel attack initiating the grand plan to destroy the Germany army on the continent of Europe. My interest in this book was initiated by its mention of the plan "Bodyguard". Churchill observed in October, 1943: "In wartime truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies". The purpose behind such design was to confuse the Germans and force them to spread their defenses. The overall disinformation and deception plan was codename Operation Bodyguard. The Allies initial assault was to be made with 5 divisions. In France the Germans had 60 divisions available or otherwise identified for defense of its Western Wall. Although the Allies had achieved both air and sea supremacy, the Axis ground forces could readily defeat a 5 division frontal assault -if they knew where it was to be. (Bodyguard refers to the overall disimformation and deception plan. Central to it was Fortitude, a plan to make the Germans think the Allied army was twice as large as actual.) The importance of Patton to Overlord is related to the following passage, quoted verbatum:

Thus, the Germans focused on Patton as the certain leader of the main invasion If any one piece of the deception and disimformation plan had been discovered the whole of Bodyguard likely would have crumbled and from the pieces the Germans would have divined or discovered the need to concentrate their forces in Normandy and most certainly would have driven the invasion forces back into the sea. Gen. Patton was the center jewel of the deception plan and since it worked he should have received far greater credit for the success of D-Day than history has chosen to give. NOTE: THE COVER'S PROMISED FORWARD BY Winston S. Churchll IS MISSING FROM THIs EDITION.

Before Rousseau, Sade, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Celine, Artaud, and Genet there was Francois Villon, medieval poet, thief, and murderer who disappeared from history's radar altogether in 1463 and was never heard from again. This short, intimate biography discusses Villon's life with an eye to the wider context of his times. One problem I had is that the book spent so much time examining the historical circumstances of medieval Paris that it often lost sight of Villon's life. Which is fine: medieval Paris was a dark and fascinating place, and the book includes intriguing glimpses of contemporaries like Gilles de Rais, an aristocrat infamous for sodomizing and killing hundreds of lower class French boys lured to his estates with promises of food and jobs. However, at only 225 pages (and several pictures) this doesn't leave much room to discuss the very full life of Villon himself--it left me wanting more. Contrary to a previous admirable review, "Danse Macabre" does include healthy doses of Villon's poetry accompanied with text in the original French.

As a poet living in Paris during 15th century, Francois Villon did not leave a large literary legacy (about 3300 lines). His work rarely appears in anthologies. Perhaps because of the graphic sexual subject matter of some poems, few risked faithful translation of his work until the past twenty years. Not that Villon was a hack. After all, this is the author of one of the widely quoted lines in French poetry: (trans) "But where are the snows of years gone by?" In Danse Macabre, Aubrey Burl fashions a thoroughly engrossing depiction of the life and times of a talent poet whose work was overshadowed by frequent scandal.

Had Villon lived in the present, the mixture of art and misbehavior would raise few eyebrows. We have grown accustomed to musicians and writers as poster children for depravity. None the less, few can rival Villon's criminal record (murderer, thief, pimp, corruptor of innocence). He left few laws and social mores unscathed.

First, and foremost, Danse Macabre is a lively biography of Villon. Burl tells the tale of a complex and fascinating character, often using Villon's poetry to buttress inferences and to give him a "voice." The historical context is carefully drawn. We see a Paris with streets of mud, rife with disease, and roamed by packs of wolves. Torture and executions were elevated to art forms, presumably all in the name of justice. Add to that mix a man of limited means, struggling to survive, consumed by a substantial sexual appetite, but with a gift for poetry. Not surprisingly, his poems were sympathetic to human foibles and frailty. It all makes for lively reading. However, this is not historical figure being used as an embryo for a fanciful, sensational story. Aubrey Burl interprets history, based on extensive research, rather than re-writing it. Scholarship is evident on every page.

The poetry of Francois Villon constitutes a small fraction of Danse Macabre. When I purchased the book, I was hoping for a healthy dose of poetry with the history. I came away with a detailed portrait of the poet, but left hungry for his poetry. Burl cannot be faulted for my preconceived notions. Even a talented writer of fiction would be challenged to create a more interesting and complicated a character as Villon. Enjoy.

This book is mildly interesting and informative, even though it pales in comparison to DK's Eyewitness book about the Renaissance. Perhaps the Impressionist movement wasn't as interesting as the Renaissance for some reason. All I know is that this book isn't nearly as good.

The invention of photography effectively made painting pictures of reality obsolete. The realistic movement in art no longer mattered when the handcrafted originality of art could be replaced by the mass production of photography. When Paul Cezanne offered the idea that the view contains the viewer and that realism should be revised to include our uncertainty in the perception of things, the result was an emphasis not on painting reality but rather of the effect of perceiving it. Eventually this would lead to the Dada, Abstract and Postmodern art, but first came the Impressionists, which is the topic of this fascinating book in the Eyewitness Art series by Jude Welton.

Essentially Welton provides a short but detailed course in Impressionism. Artists are presented within the context of the developing artistic movement, including: Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Gustave Caillebotte Alfred Sisley, Camille Pissarro, Mary Cassat, Berthe Morisot, and Edgar Degas. Actually, we encounter all of these artists at various points throughout the book, as the styles of each evolved and Impressionism went through various stages as well. Although this complicates things more than organizing the book artist by artist, you do get a much better sense of what Impressionism meant in all of its diversity. Welton covers key moments in the movement, such as the rebellion against the Salon, the revolution in color, and the inspiration provided by Japanese art. Again, the result is we learn the whys behind the movement. I especially appreciated the attention to detail, where enlargements of key segments of particular paintings are used to explain artistic techniques and stylistic concerns.

When it comes to Impressionism I know that I like Monet and there are several other artists I enjoyed at the Chicago Art Institute. Welton gives me a critical understanding of my aesthetic appreciation. I have no artistic skill beyond drawing, but I can still appreciate the level of comprehension Welton provides me in this book and I will track down her Eyewitness Art book on Monet. The back of this book includes key biographical dates in the history of the key Impressionist artists, which artists participated in the various Impressionist exhibitions between 1874-1886, a list of where the painting reproduced in this book can be viewed on exhibit, and a glossary (which includes a couple of examples of broken color and pointillist technique). Having enjoyed this volume I will be interested in finding out about other artists and art movements from books in this series.

I've traveled in several areas of France -- new to Provence, and chose Luberon per Fodor...basic advice in this book on Provence was on the mark -- i.e. find a location/village and stay put, making day trips (for trips of 4-7 days). This worked great. Fodor small hotel recommendation was perfect -- was able to find its web site and check it out.

Note: skip Avignon --- was there one night to pick up car -- Europcar great service/handy location -- during theatre festival -- carnival atmosphere, dirty city -- worth only one night/day -- but did find great little residential guest house, via web -- not Fodor.

Very comprehensive guide of France, great for those who would like to tour ALL of France, or those that want to tour little-known areas in the countryside.

Divided into 16 chapters on regions of France and two extra chapters on France itself and its history, this has to be one of the most thorough tour guides on the subject. Probably the best part is the various options it offers for hotels and restaurants - no matter what you budget is. Some hotels are large mansions, while others are just small family houses. The book also offers many enchanting walks through France's greatest cities, from Paris to Strasbourg and Lyon. Also, for the more sociable type, there are listings of opera houses, theatres, clubs, and casinos - and for the window-shoppers, a section on shopping.

The guide also includes over 50 pages of maps and over 50 vactation itineraries, and includes a "Smart Traveler's Tips" section. Overall, this is a great book and it does an excellent job at reviewing not only Paris and Provence, but also the lesser-traveled regions.

Being a veritable Kiki virgin before I read this book, I found Kiki's Memoirs more than helpful in showing the atmosphere of 1920's Paris. I did, however, agree with Ernest Hemingway's sentiments from his introdution-it is impossible to translate Kiki's words very well. It seems like Samuel Putnam was unable to get more than four sentences out without putting in an exclamation mark. This breaks the narrative up considerably. I would have given this book three stars, but I loved the Man Ray photos in it. The real strength of this book lies in the artwork.

This is Kiki in Kiki's own voice, no one could say it better.This is a wonderful book for those who love Bohemian Paris, and even those who don't.

The photographs within these covers are gorgeous - it's a perfect souvenir of Paris. In fact, if you buy this, you can think about leaving your camera at home. The text, translated from the French (original title 'Art de Vivre a Paris') is a bit gushy, and you might wonder, as I did, how much has indeed been lost in the reinterpretation. Never mind. Living In Paris has been in and out of print, so when it's available, get it! It's still cheaper than taking 5 rolls of your own shots to the Fotomat. And these are the pictures you'll wish you had taken.

I'm surprised the other reviewer only gave this 3 stars. I think the photograghy is sumptuous and the text is quite lovely. These are the spots I remember and go back to in my imagination.

The contemporary layout of this book fails to disguise its unimaginative contents.A notable example of this is can be found in the "After dark" chapter which is limited to notes on the Moulin Rouge and karaoke bars (Jazz joints are mentioned elsewhere in the book but, with no names or addresses, the reader is left in the dark).For an overview of the city the book is useful but a visitor will find Lonely Planet's Paris Condensed is cheaper, is easier to carry and has more useful maps and information.

This book is a great guide to get you to the "must-see" places that you don't want to miss if you can only make a short stay. There are color photos of everything, and very clear directions on how to get there. There are also good maps of the subway routes, the city, and the tourist sites. Very easy to use format, and it doesn't miss any of my favorite places.

This is the story of Ormond, an orphan who is raised and influenced by several very different men. It is a reflective story, but not a slow-read. You learn how Ormond chooses his values and learns how to judge people based upon his own opinions and beliefs, not what others try to tell him. It is a good novel, worth reading, not necessarily a great "adventure" but more a life story about how a young boy grows up and becomes a man---one with morals, when those around him sometimes lack all morality.

Edgeworth's Ormond is a great book, comparable to the best of Scott and Austen. In it, we follow the young Ormond from his wealthy adolescence with his uncle; a sojourn with another, more eccentric uncle in the Black Islands; to a grand tour of Paris before the revolution; and to his mature return to Ireland. The mirroring of political tensions in pre-revolutionary France with conflicts between Irish political factions are further complicated by Ormond's own allegiance to the English mililary.

This novel is more than a romance, more than a coming-of-age novel, and more than a historical novel. It possesses the same melange of styles one would expect from an heir of Sterne and Swift, and a progenitor of Le Fanu, Joyce, and Beckett. If you have read all of Austen and wonder what to read next, Ormond should be a delight.