Book details
A little reading. A little wonder.
The Fall of RobespierreThe Fall of Robespierre
The French revolutionary Maximilien Robespierre has risen to prominence within the new French National Convention. A radical Jacobin, he oversees the draconian planning and implementation of the Reign of Terror, including mass arrests and summary executions. But as his policies result in more and more bloodshed, he begins to fear that a conspiracy is afoot—one that will eventually turn the Convention, and the very policies he champions, against him. Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey wrote this poetic drama less than three months after Robespierre was guillotined in the Place de la Révolution. Originally Coleridge was to write the first act, Southey the second, and Robert Lovell the third; but Southey was displeased with Lovell’s contribution, so Southey rewrote it himself.
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A way into this story.
The French revolutionary Maximilien Robespierre has risen to prominence within the new French National Convention. A radical Jacobin, he oversees the draconian planning and implementation of the Reign of Terror, including mass arrests and summary executions. But as his policies result in more and more bloodshed, he begins to fear that a conspiracy is afoot—one that will eventually turn the Convention, and the very policies he champions, against him. Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey wrote this poetic drama less than three months after Robespierre was guillotined in the Place de la Révolution. Originally Coleridge was to write the first act, Southey the second, and Robert Lovell the third; but Southey was displeased with Lovell’s contribution, so Southey rewrote it himself.
Start with a question.
What stands out in the opening section?