tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post1853954636976882877..comments2024-02-29T02:54:19.767-05:00Comments on Babbling Books: Lafayette by Harlow Giles Unger Brian Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-6976832551003502612013-07-18T05:44:17.963-04:002013-07-18T05:44:17.963-04:00Thanks Maria.
Lafayette was an important figure,...Thanks Maria. <br /><br />Lafayette was an important figure, but I think that one gets more out of the exploration of his life after one has become versed in the lives of America's other Founders. At least for me, much of his connections to those people are the most interesting. The same is probably true in regard to Lafayette and the major characters of the French Revolution and Lafayette. I admit that I am little weak in regard to those figures.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-78540739391070047052013-07-17T23:52:14.992-04:002013-07-17T23:52:14.992-04:00Hi, Brian!
Another EXCELLENT post on a major hist...Hi, Brian!<br /><br />Another EXCELLENT post on a major historical figure!! I congratulate you on choosing this book and sharing your thoughts on it with us! <br /><br />The American Revolution certainly is a topic that should be of paramount importance to every American, so I have been inspired by your example, and will add this book, as well as others on this subject, to my TBR shelf on Goodreads.<br /><br />From the quotes you've presented here, t seems that Unger has the wonderful ability to make Lafayette and his times come alive! History, after all, need not be dull. In the right hands, it can become as exciting as the best fiction!<br /><br />Thanks for your terrific analysis of this book!! : )Maria Beharhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13635809880830316283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-1287249302501309552013-06-24T21:54:54.225-04:002013-06-24T21:54:54.225-04:00Hi caroline - It seems that these days he is not t...Hi caroline - It seems that these days he is not too well remembered in either nation. Though a look at US map shows how popular he was in America.<br /><br />I actually have not read too many hostile biographies, even when I read one on Pol Pott!Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-54687754003369485292013-06-24T12:57:35.908-04:002013-06-24T12:57:35.908-04:00Strange enough, I knew nothing of Lafayette. I nev...Strange enough, I knew nothing of Lafayette. I never associated him with the French Revolution. So that was quite interesting. That he has been so close to the inner circle of Washington. <br />Many biographers tend to get carried away. Some are very hostile towards their subject which is weird as well. <br />Carolinehttp://beautyisasleepingcat.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-30313993779309032112013-06-23T08:53:22.143-04:002013-06-23T08:53:22.143-04:00Hi Ryan - I think that your points are related. Th...Hi Ryan - I think that your points are related. Though I would not go to far as to overgeneralize about American opinion as a whole, there is a segment of American society that expresses a bigotry towards all things French. The downplaying of Lafayette's and French influence in the American Revolution is undoubtedly a symptom of that.<br /><br /><br />This is a complicated issue however, there are countertrends. When it comes to historians, there is a generalization that has some truth behind it, that American historians pour uncritical love upon Lafayette' where European historians have been much more critical of him. I say there is truth to this based upon my own readings.<br /><br />As to French attitudes toward the French Revolution, I just do not know enough to have an opinion.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-63133817740789197352013-06-23T00:07:06.091-04:002013-06-23T00:07:06.091-04:00Do you supposed that LaFayette has been white-wash...Do you supposed that LaFayette has been white-washed from American history because he didn't fit the revolutionary, go-it-alone-all-by-ourselves narrative? I've always suspected so. Had he been an American, he'd be on money.<br /><br />On a side note, it has always struck me as odd the modern American hate for France given their common (and entirely intertwined) revolutionary history. Both America and France think their revolutions occurred in a historical vacuum but that couldn't be more from the truth.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07998996750944114185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-20786324582866189582013-06-22T09:57:22.665-04:002013-06-22T09:57:22.665-04:00Hi Naida - Interesting how to some degree Lafayett...Hi Naida - Interesting how to some degree Lafayette is not all that remembered. One thing that strikes me, look at any map of large part of America, so many places are named after him. Not just towns but streets, parks, squares, etc. Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-14750909102620313122013-06-22T09:53:45.609-04:002013-06-22T09:53:45.609-04:00Hi Sharon - Thanks for your kind words. The contra...Hi Sharon - Thanks for your kind words. The contrasts and similarities between the Revolutions are indeed fascinating. Unger does actually delve a bit into why each Revolution began in a similar circumstances but ended so differently. One of his interesting contentions was that it was in part related to the difference in literacy rates between the two nations at the time. Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-51914671718857403712013-06-22T09:49:25.025-04:002013-06-22T09:49:25.025-04:00Hi Violet - I am OK with biographers and historian...Hi Violet - I am OK with biographers and historians injecting opinions and views as it is part of the way we look at subjects. I do think that it is important that they make clear that they are expressing opinions and also keeping to a high standards of research, scholarship and presentation. Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-75860402035047949972013-06-22T08:55:54.161-04:002013-06-22T08:55:54.161-04:00Hi Brian, fantastic post. I really don't know ...Hi Brian, fantastic post. I really don't know anything about Lafayette but your post makes him sound like a fascinating historical figure.<br /><br /> The Bookwormhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10217390642323530030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-15718300829733252652013-06-22T05:19:26.410-04:002013-06-22T05:19:26.410-04:00Brian, this is a wonderful review. I never knew an...Brian, this is a wonderful review. I never knew anything about Lafayette, (except that a city in Louisiana was named after him). You make him sound like an intriguing character that I want to know more about. <br />The American and French revolutions are worthy of analysis-why one succeeded and the other turned into a blood bath. I did not realize that a French man served in the American Revolution and then participated in the French one;was successful in the one but not the other.<br />Very interesting. I am going to read this book. <br />Have a good day!Sharon Wilfonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17466621290140789056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-52829996782819271852013-06-22T01:43:47.945-04:002013-06-22T01:43:47.945-04:00I have never read much about American history, but...I have never read much about American history, but this sounds really interesting. I think it's sometimes hard for a biographer to strike a balance between hagiography and disdain. The description of Marat is amusing, but I agree with you that a writer injecting their own personal bias can be off-putting. I find it equally disconcerting when a biographer obviously dislikes his or her subject: Benita Eisler, I am looking at you for your portrayal of Byron. :) Violethttp://still-life-with-books.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-18676988021067246692013-06-21T19:12:13.628-04:002013-06-21T19:12:13.628-04:00Hi Heidi - I also, as an American Revolutionary wa...Hi Heidi - I also, as an American Revolutionary war buff knew a lot about Lafayette's American Revolutionary experience. years later, when I began to read about the French Revolution I was vey surprised to learn that he played such a prominent part.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-28314593962028038262013-06-21T09:30:16.499-04:002013-06-21T09:30:16.499-04:00After studying the American Revolution with my dau...After studying the American Revolution with my daughter, she fell in love with Lafayette. She cheered when we saw his statue in Lafayette Park in DC. I know much less about his involvement in the French Revolution. I bet this was interesting to read.Heidi’sbookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15647096496574605262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-18093120645253594072013-06-20T22:50:03.720-04:002013-06-20T22:50:03.720-04:00Hi Andrew - I have read a fair amount of biographi...Hi Andrew - I have read a fair amount of biographies of historical characters lately. Of the top of my head I would say that Joseph Ellis's American Sphinx, a biography of Thomas Jefferson was the most balanced.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-25986911019829706282013-06-20T22:47:17.013-04:002013-06-20T22:47:17.013-04:00Hi Guy -Yes Unger can be very amusing. In balance ...Hi Guy -Yes Unger can be very amusing. In balance it detracted from the book but kept it lively. I have found that some biographers are worse then others.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-70726146616552333102013-06-20T22:44:50.924-04:002013-06-20T22:44:50.924-04:00Hi Suko - Thanks for the good word!Hi Suko - Thanks for the good word!Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-39960083056501923182013-06-20T16:56:56.235-04:002013-06-20T16:56:56.235-04:00Thanks for the summary, Brian. Very interesting re...Thanks for the summary, Brian. Very interesting reading. It's a fascinating period of history, and Lafayette is a key figure to connect the French and American revolutions. <br /><br />You make a good point about biographers being too enamoured with their subjects. I think it's a common danger, and understandable when they spend so much time researching the intricacies of a person's life. Sometimes I think biographers also have an impulse to convince us that the subject is an important one, and that can lead to going overboard. I don't mind strong opinions, but the "Swiss dwarf" thing seems way over the top!Andrew Blackmanhttp://andrewblackman.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-40150427727549773562013-06-20T15:08:15.122-04:002013-06-20T15:08:15.122-04:00The name calling is hilarious! I think most biogra...The name calling is hilarious! I think most biographers are vulnerable to going overboard. After all they have to be really interested in their subjects to be willing to spend years of their lives investigating the life of someone else. <br /><br />I read a biography of a film star once whose live was soaked in scandal. The biographer very cleverly went around and asked those still living their opinion about various events, and in that way was able to piece together a better grasp of the subject, I think. Of course, this biographer didn't have that luxury. Still that name calling is hilarious. Can't help but wonder if biographers go through some sort of identity crisis unless they come up for air.Guy Savagehttp://www.swiftlytiltingplanet.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-68627576789481333802013-06-20T13:28:05.312-04:002013-06-20T13:28:05.312-04:00This sounds like a compelling book, Brian. Thanks ...This sounds like a compelling book, Brian. Thanks for your terrific review! <br /><br />(P.S. I tried to comment earlier. Please delete either comment if both arrive--thanks!)Sukohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11893742747135555499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-5746007728322443932013-06-20T11:01:18.936-04:002013-06-20T11:01:18.936-04:00Hi Petty - I guess that he is more well known amon...Hi Petty - I guess that he is more well known among American and French Revolutionary buffs. This is actually a very readable book. Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-73733035676254427772013-06-20T10:31:01.410-04:002013-06-20T10:31:01.410-04:00A historical figure I knew next to nothing of unti...A historical figure I knew next to nothing of until now, thanks for your useful summary. I would like to read up on Lafayette some more but alas feel that this probably isn't the book I'd choose.Felicity Grace Terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17852843882007267665noreply@blogger.com