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Fatal Purity: Robespierre and the French Revolution Paperback – April 17, 2007

by Ruth Scurr (Author)

4.4 396 ratings

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"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.

Print length

448 pages
Language

English
Publication date

April 17, 2007
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.99 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

0805082611
ISBN-13

978-0805082616
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“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.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Holt Paperbacks; First Edition (April 17, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0805082611
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0805082616
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.99 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #476,712 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #227 in Historical France Biographies
- #713 in French History (Books)
- #2,409 in Political Leader Biographies

Customer Reviews:
4.4 396 ratings

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Ruth Scurr
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Ruth Scurr is an historian, biographer and literary critic. She teaches history and politics at Cambridge University, where she is a Lecturer and Fellow of Gonville & Caius College. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Her first book, Fatal Purity: Robespierre and the French Revolution won the Franco-British Society Literary Prize in 2006 and was listed among the 100 Best Books of the Decade in The Times in 2009. Her second book, John Aubrey: My Own Life, was shortlisted for the Costa Biography Prize and James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 2015. She reviews regularly for the Times Literary Supplement, The Spectator, the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal. She was a Booker Judge in 2007, a Samuel Johnson Prize Judge in 2014 and is a member of the Folio Prize Academy.
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4.4 out of 5

396 global ratings

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Gilligan

Outstanding Scholarship, Compelling Read

Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2023

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I've become a bit obsessed with the French Revolution of late and one of the highlights of my journey is Robespierre and the French Revolution by Ruth Scurr. This is an exceptional and thorough examination of one of the most turbulent periods in history. Scurr's in-depth exploration of Maximilien Robespierre's life and role in the French Revolution offers readers a fresh and insightful perspective on an enigmatic figure.

One of the most compelling aspects of Scurr's approach is her meticulous research. She leaves no stone unturned as she delves into Robespierre's personal life, early years, political career, and his rise to power during the revolution. The book is meticulously researched, drawing from a wide range of sources including letters, diaries, and historical accounts, providing a comprehensive and well-rounded understanding of the man and his times.

Scurr's writing style is engaging and accessible, capturing the complexity of the French Revolution and the many layers of Robespierre's character. She avoids presenting a black-and-white portrait of Robespierre, instead painting him as a multifaceted individual whose ideology and actions were shaped by the tumultuous events of his time. This nuanced approach to the subject matter adds depth and richness to the narrative and keeps readers invested in Robespierre's story.

Furthermore, Scurr does an excellent job of contextualizing Robespierre within the broader historical and political landscape of the French Revolution. She offers a detailed analysis of the social and political climate leading up to the revolution and carefully examines how Robespierre's beliefs and ideologies intertwined with the larger revolutionary movement.

One of the strengths of this book is its exploration of the contradictions and complexities of Robespierre's character. Scurr explores his reputation as both the "Incorruptible" and the "Tyrant," allowing readers to understand the internal tensions and contradictions that shaped his life and decisions. This nuanced portrayal of Robespierre as a man driven by idealism and revolutionary zeal, yet plagued by paranoia and a growing thirst for power, is both thought-provoking and haunting.

If there is one minor criticism to be made about Fatal Purity, it is that at times the narrative becomes dense and bogged down by excessive detail. While the meticulous research is commendable, there are moments where the abundance of information can overwhelm readers and detract from the overall flow of the book. Nonetheless, this is a minor flaw in an otherwise outstanding piece of historical writing.

In conclusion, Fatal Purity: Robespierre and the French Revolution is a captivating and deeply researched account of one of history's most controversial figures. Ruth Scurr's comprehensive examination of Robespierre's life and role during the French Revolution offers valuable insights into the complex forces that shaped this pivotal moment in history. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the French Revolution, political ideology, and the complexities of human nature.

3 people found this helpful

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Lehigh History Student

Solid Biography but could use a little balance

Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2007

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This is an excellent biography of Robespierre that really gives the reader an inside look at the French Revolution. The style of writing is very easy to read and personal so the reader feels like they are present at the events. I would recommend having at least a cursory knowledge for the revolution before reading this as she does assume some knowledge for events that Robespierre is not directly involved with. The biggest drawback to the book and the main reason for the four stars is that it is very pro-Robespierre and this comes from a reliance on his sisters journal (Catharine) as a primary source. Some further work which would have been done had this been an academic book would have been better. Nonetheless it is comprehensive and well done. The analysis of the terror is very unique and the bloodletting that so many focus on is explained very well here. This is a great start to understanding Robespierre and despite the fawning praise it is well worth the read.

11 people found this helpful

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lilly

Portrait of a tyrant

Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2013

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I found this book to be one of the most interesting books I have read on the French Revolution and Robespierre. However, I think Scurr's effort to present all sides of Robespierre wound up being an exercise in futility. I walked away from this book with the impression that there was only one side to Robespierre and that was of a selfish, self righteous, arrogant tyrant. No matter what facts are presented about his childhood or private relationships with the Duplays or his siblings these facts cannot excuse or explain his supercilious nature. This is a man who condemned his friend Camille Desmoulins (who also may be considered to have blood on his hands) because he had the temerity to suggest that the Terror had gone too far and must be brought to an end. An opinion that Robespierre considered traitorous and anti revolutionary. An opinion that must be punished by death. But worse still, he felt it necessary to also condemn Desmoulins 23 year old wife to death. She followed her husband to the guillotine one week later leaving their 18 month old son, Robespierre's own godchild, an orphan. This was done in the name of revolutionary purity. This was done despite him receiving an impassioned letter (only a snippet of it is quoted in the book) from Lucille's (Desmoulins) mother reminding him of how he had bounced their son on his knee and questioning how he could justify his actions. It is interesting to note that his career followed a similar trajectory as other tyrants such as Lenin and Mao. Yet no one today would try to defend or explain their bloody purges. He too rid himself of political enemies by condemning them to death. He too suggested antirevolutionary thoughts must be ferreted out and punished. He too compiled lists of people who should be considered enemies of the state. Lists which held all those around him in a state of abject fear. His level of narcissism knew no bounds. He preached against the ancien regime's policy of condemning criminals' families along with the criminal. Yet he conveniently condemned not only Desmoulins wife but the family of his would be assassin to the guillotine. He believed in freedom of the press until the press began to turn against the revolution. While Scurr tries to give a balanced portrait, even she admits that there is no explanation for some of his cruelty and that certainly no one can deny his murderous tendencies. She emphasizes his incorruptibility and postulates that if his intention was to create a fair, just and equal society, could his actions be condemned outright. However, at the conclusion of the book I felt that no civilized society could or should excuse what he did even if in his mind it was for a greater France. I think even Machiavelli would agree.

There is also another fascinating facet to Robespierre not mentioned in the book. Robespierre was of the steadfast opinion that Marie Antoinette must be executed for the good of the revolution. After his execution his room was searched and underneath his bed in a box they found the meager belongings she left behind at the Conciergerie prison. Included in these belongings was a final poignant letter that was to be sent to her sister-in-law asking her to look after her children. Studies show that serial killers often keep trinkets from their victims. Interesting!?

9 people found this helpful

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Reader

Everyone writes books today

Reviewed in Germany on October 26, 2022

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This is one of those many books written by a Halbgebildete. Just two examples. On p.29 Mrs Scurr says that the nobility paid no taxes and the third estate carries the whole tax burden. Really Mrs Scurr? Don't you know that towards the end of the ancien régime the nobility paid quite a lot of tax? Ever heard of e.g. the vingtième?
Or take p.25. There Mrs Scurr writes that at the Louis le Grand, the school Robespierre went to, 'the curriculum still centered, as it had done for decades. on the classic literatures of Greece and Rome'. For decades? Mrs. Scurr, it had centered on the ancients not for decades, but for centuries.
These are not little mistakes. They make clear that Mrs Scurr has insufficient grounding in her topic. She should read more, and write less.

One person found this helpful

KeithS

Fascinating study of The French Revolution and Robespierre’s ideas & development.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 16, 2020

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A book for my wife, she writes:
I found this a fascinating account of the French Revolution and of Robespierre, the development of his character from someone opposed to the death penalty through to the implementation ‘The Terror’. What I found interesting was how someone with a real social conscience, concern for the people and passionate advocate of democracy and followers of the ideas of Rousseau, could turn on his friends and erstwhile supporters, Desmoulins and Danton and send them to the guillotine. The contradiction between love of and belief in ‘the people’ in the abstract and the utterly ruthless suppression of not only his enemies but close friends and co-revolutionaries was chilling and I’m my mind verging on psychopathy and yet he appears to have had genuine empathy for the poor and oppressed, empathy being an emotion lacking in psychopaths. I did not know that at the beginning of the revolution in 1789, the intention was not to overthrow the monarchy but to establish a constitutional monarchy, or thatApart from overthrowing the monarchy, or that Robespierre tried to establish a new, non-Christian religion, worshiping a Supreme Being and a new calendar and ten day week was introduced, reminding me of the Khmer Rouge’s Year Zero. The concept of thought crime and the phrase and concept of the ‘Enemy of the People’ was also born. Ruth Scurr’s book is dense with detail but very readable if you are interested in history and the history of ideas.

10 people found this helpful

patch

Robespierre

Reviewed in Canada on August 16, 2018

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A great book on the life of robespierre and the french revolution,one of the better history books.

Archie

A Wronged Revolutionary?

Reviewed in Australia on July 17, 2021

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A towering historical figure who, somehow, also evokes the image of the Wizard of Oz trying to work his magic behind the curtains. How could somebody delude himself so totally that he was the embodiment of all that could be good, in a revolutionary sense. Compared with the insensate, planned savagery of a Stalin or Franco, Robespierre comes across as almost touchingly naive.
And still, the Revolution became mired in not just gore but a mind- numbing bureaucracy that ensured only that the factions consumed each other and the system of rank exploitation endured.

Boyd Hone

Fatal Purity

Reviewed in France on January 31, 2012

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It was thanks to David Lawday's wonderful book on Talleyrand that I decided to read his DANTON (2009). This naturally led to Ruth Scurr's equally marvelous book on Robespierre, FATAL PURITY (2006). Robespierre was a pale Ichabod Crane with the asceticism of a monk; Danton, hideously ugly, had the animal needs of what Americans might call a red-blooded fullback. What strikes one is the total devotion of both men to republican ideals and their unswerving belief in the virtue of the people, upon whom all power should be conferred, sentiments which should normally have placed both men among the greatest humanists the world has known. Next I was struck by the hatred the Conventioneers had for the nobility and the clergy, one of whom quoted Diderot's words, ''The people will never be happy until the last monarch is strangled with the guts of the last priest.'' Striking too was the fact that the first constitution laid the foundation of a constitutional monarchy, giving Louis the right to veto any bill, and that this constitution was renewed even after the king had tried to flee from France. Only massacres perpetrated by the people led to Louis' eventual beheading, and even then he was condemned by a single vote, 361 out of 721. Marie Antoinette was separated from her son after being accused of incest, and on the day of her beheading the Commune offered the boy a toy guillotine. Due to the massacres perpetrated by mobs, Danton called for the Terror in hopes of restoring order by diverting the attention of the people, thereby assuaging their thirst for bloodbaths. He deeply regretted his decision when he found himself at the foot of the guillotine. Robespierre soon followed him, dying in such a manner that his death leaves one feeling sick, a tribute to Scurr's art. Two deaths out of the thousands of innocents who suffered, among them 43 orphans, children guilty of nothing, massacred during the Terror by the mob. And all for what? A few years later the same mob would be shouting Vive l'Empereur, followed by Vive le Roi, (with the advent of Louis XVIII), then came another emperor, then other kings and still another emperor. Some may shed a tear for Danton; most would applaud the extermination of Robespierre, a reaction that would have left him totally indifferent. DANTON and FATAL PURITY are incredibly powerful books about incredibly powerful times.

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