A Brief History of France (Brief Histories)

A Brief History of France (Brief Histories)

by Cecil Jenkins (Author)

Synopsis

When we think of France we often evoke images of fine food and wine, the elegant boulevards of Paris, the chic beaches of St Tropez. Yet, as the largest country in Europe, it is a place of huge diversity. The idea of 'Frenchness' emerged from over 2000 years of history and it is a riveting story from Roman conquest to the present day.

Cecil Jenkins tells the story of the formation of this nation through its people, great events and culture. Through this narrative he charts why the French began to see themselves as so different from the rest of Europe and why, today, they face the same problems of identity as many other nations.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 352
Publisher: Robinson
Published: 26 May 2011

ISBN 10: 1845298683
ISBN 13: 9781845298685
Book Overview: The story of France through its people, great events and culture.

Media Reviews
In this broad and ambitious drama of two millennia, the characterization of the major players brings pungency and colour to every event. From Capetian kings to Republican presidents, from anonymous cave artists to celebrated writers and intellectuals of recent times it is the personality of politics and the politics of personality which make this book a particular pleasure to recommend for any voyage of discovery of the French past and present. -- Rod Kedward, author of La Vie en Bleu: France and the French since 1900.
Author Bio
Cecil Jenkins was educated at Trinity College Dublin before becoming a French Government research scholar at the Ecole Normale Superieure de Paris. He has taught modern French literature and society at the universities of Exeter, British Columbia and Sussex, where he also served as Dean of the School of European Studies. While he has published in other fields, his writings on France include books on the Nobel Prizewinning novelist Francois Mauriac and the novelist, art historian and De Gaulle's Minister for Culture Andre Malraux.