A Brief History of France
When we think of France, we tend think of fine food and wine, the elegant boulevards of Paris or the chic beaches of St Tropez. Yet, as the largest country in Europe, France is home to extraordinary diversity. The idea of 'Frenchness' emerged through 2,000 years of history and it is this riveting story, from the Roman conquest of Gaul to the present day, that Cecil Jenkins tells: of the forging of this great nation through its significant people and events and and its fascinating culture. As he unfolds this narrative, Jenkins shows why the French began to see themselves as so different from the rest of Europe, but also why, today, the French face the same problems with regard to identity as so many other European nations.
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Cecil Jenkins has written an easy-to-read short history that will be of great use to those that have little to no knowledge of modern France. I would also suggest it is a good refresher for anyone looking to reread after a long absence from reading any French history. As usual with these “A Brief History” series we get things short, sharp but concise. The history is presented in chronological order, we are presented with two maps but there are no illustrations. A time line of events would have been handy. The end notes and bibliography are competent. The title A Brief History of France People, History and Culture is relevant as both its peoples and their cultural impact are well covered.
This history was published in 2011 so is fairly recent and thus useful to those looking for anything fairly topical. I had recently listened to a podcast on revolutionary France hence my need to read a brief history. One criticism I would make is that it has not given enough pages to pre Sun King era France. The text proper is 309 pages and pre Sun King ends at page 64. The final two chapters also make France's more recent history after de Gaul feel positively tame compared to its very turbulent past.
Be that as it may, the seemingly recent idyllic times have to be better than the turbulent but very interesting history that is France in the past.
Recommended to anyone that needs to read a useful overview of this iconic nation. Vive la France.
