The French Mind : 400 Years of Romance, Revolution and Renewal

`Majestic, ambitious' Literary Review ____________________________________�We are endlessly fascinated by�the�French. We are fascinated by their way of life, their creativity and sophistication, and even their insistence that they are exceptional. But how did France become�the�country it is today, and what really sets it apart? Historian Peter Watson sets out to answer�these questions in this dazzling history of France, taking us from�the�seventeenth century to�the�present day through�the�nation's most influential thinkers.�He opens�the�doors to�the�Renaissance salons that brought together poets, philosophers and scientists, and tells�the forgotten stories of�the extraordinary women who ran�these institutions, fostering a culture of stylish intellectualism unmatched anywhere else in�the�world. It's a story that takes us into Bohemian caf�s and cabarets, into chic Parisian high culture via French philosophies of food, fashion and sex, and through two explosive revolutions. The French Mind�is a history propelled by�the writers, revolutionaries and painters who loved, inspired and rivalled one another over four hundred years. It documents�the�shaping of a nation�whose global influence, in art, culture and politics, cannot be overstated. __________________________________________ `An encyclopaedic celebration of French intellectuals refusing to give up on universal principles, while remaining slim, bringing up well-behaved children and falling in love at every opportunity' The Times 'An engaging movement through time towards France's recent reckonings with extremism, exceptionalism and empire'�TLS �