The Great Cat Massacre and Other Essays

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Understanding Enlightenment thinkers through bizarre anecdotes.

"The Great Cat Massacre and Other Essays" could be a good read for a history enthusiast looking to gain a deeper understanding of Enlightenment thinkers through unconventional stories and thought-provoking questions. Darnton's essays are not just informative; they are fascinating and almost absurd. Through these anecdotes, he provides insight into the minds of 18th century French printers, writers, and townspeople. Readers may find themselves laughing, arguing, and thinking deeply about the Enlightenment period.

  • Los Angeles Times Book Prize for History (1984)
  • National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee for General Nonfiction (1984)
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.

The Great Cat Massacre and Other Essays

Regular price
Unit price
per
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ISBN: 9780394729275
Authors: Robert Darnton
Publisher: Vintage
Date of Publication: 1985-02-12
Format: Paperback
Related Collections: Creative Nonfiction, History
Goodreads rating: 3.89
(rated by 2605 readers)

Description

When the apprentices of a Paris printing shop in the 1730's held a series of mock trials and then hanged all the cats they could lay their hands on, why did they find it so hilariously funny that they choked with laughter when they reenacted it in pantomime some twenty times? Why in the 18th century version of "Little Red Riding Hood" did the wolf eat the child at the end? What did the anonymous townsman of Montpelier have in mind when he kept an exhaustive dossier on all the activities of his native city? These are some of the provocative questions Robert Darnton attempts to answer in this dazzling series of essays that probe the ways of thought in what we like to call "The Age of Enlightenment."
 

Understanding Enlightenment thinkers through bizarre anecdotes.

"The Great Cat Massacre and Other Essays" could be a good read for a history enthusiast looking to gain a deeper understanding of Enlightenment thinkers through unconventional stories and thought-provoking questions. Darnton's essays are not just informative; they are fascinating and almost absurd. Through these anecdotes, he provides insight into the minds of 18th century French printers, writers, and townspeople. Readers may find themselves laughing, arguing, and thinking deeply about the Enlightenment period.

  • Los Angeles Times Book Prize for History (1984)
  • National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee for General Nonfiction (1984)
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.