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Fatal Purity - by  Ruth Scurr (Paperback) - 1 of 1

Fatal Purity - by Ruth Scurr (Paperback)

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About this item

Highlights

  • "Judicious, balanced, and admirably clear at every point.
  • About the Author: Born in 1971, Ruth Scurr studied at Oxford and Cambridge, where she currently teaches politics and history.
  • 448 Pages
  • Biography + Autobiography, Historical

Description



About the Book



Against the dramatic backdrop of the French Revolution, historian Scurr tracks Robespierre's evolution from lawyer to revolutionary leader. This is a fascinating portrait of a man who identified with the Revolution to the point of madness, and in so doing changed the course of history.



Book Synopsis



"Judicious, balanced, and admirably clear at every point. This is quite the calmest and least abusive history of the Revolution you will ever read." --Hilary Mantel, London Review of Books

Since his execution by guillotine in July 1794, Maximilien Robespierre has been contested terrain for historians. Was he a bloodthirsty charlatan or the only true defender of revolutionary ideals? The first modern dictator or the earliest democrat? Was his extreme moralism a heroic virtue or a ruinous flaw?

Against the dramatic backdrop of the French Revolution, historian Ruth Scurr tracks Robespierre's evolution from provincial lawyer to devastatingly efficient revolutionary leader, righteous and paranoid in equal measure. She explores his reformist zeal, his role in the fall of the monarchy, his passionate attempts to design a modern republic, even his extraordinary effort to found a perfect religion. And she follows him into the Terror, as the former death- penalty opponent makes summary execution the order of the day, himself falling victim to the violence at the age of thirty-six.

Written with epic sweep, full of nuance and insight, Fatal Purity is a fascinating portrait of a man who identified with the Revolution to the point of madness, and in so doing changed the course of history.



Review Quotes




"Ruth Scurr does for Robespierre and the French Revolution what Quentin Bell did for Virginia Woolf and Bloomsbury: she apprehends the complete personality of the man, the moment, and the movement. A work of genuine scholarship and political literature, Fatal Purity is an electrifying biography of an epoch's vaulting ambitions and wounded pride, radical vision and terrifying uncertainty, bracing heroism and decimating energies." --Corey Robin, author of Fear: The History of a Political Idea



About the Author



Born in 1971, Ruth Scurr studied at Oxford and Cambridge, where she currently teaches politics and history. A prominent literary critic, she has written for The New York Review of Books and The Times Literary Supplement. Fatal Purity is her first book.

Dimensions (Overall): 8.4 Inches (H) x 5.5 Inches (W) x 1.2 Inches (D)
Weight: 1.15 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 448
Genre: Biography + Autobiography
Sub-Genre: Historical
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
Format: Paperback
Author: Ruth Scurr
Language: English
Street Date: April 17, 2007
TCIN: 82961635
UPC: 9780805082616
Item Number (DPCI): 247-16-8400
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
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Shipping details

Estimated ship dimensions: 1.2 inches length x 5.5 inches width x 8.4 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 1.15 pounds
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Q: What is the main focus of the biography?

submitted by AI Shopping Assistant - 5 days ago
  • A: The biography focuses on Maximilien Robespierre's transformation from lawyer to revolutionary leader during the French Revolution.

    submitted byAI Shopping Assistant - 5 days ago
    Ai generated

Q: How is Robespierre portrayed in this biography?

submitted by AI Shopping Assistant - 5 days ago
  • A: Robespierre is depicted as a complex figure, exhibiting both extreme moralism and paranoid tendencies.

    submitted byAI Shopping Assistant - 5 days ago
    Ai generated

Q: What genre does this book belong to?

submitted by AI Shopping Assistant - 5 days ago
  • A: Fatal Purity is categorized under Biography and Autobiography, specifically the Historical sub-genre.

    submitted byAI Shopping Assistant - 5 days ago
    Ai generated

Q: Who is the author of the book?

submitted by AI Shopping Assistant - 5 days ago
  • A: Ruth Scurr, a historian and political educator, is the author of Fatal Purity.

    submitted byAI Shopping Assistant - 5 days ago
    Ai generated

Q: What significant event is tied to Robespierre's life?

submitted by AI Shopping Assistant - 5 days ago
  • A: Robespierre's life is significantly tied to the French Revolution and his eventual execution by guillotine.

    submitted byAI Shopping Assistant - 5 days ago
    Ai generated

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