The French Revolution

What Hacker News says

1. zozbot234Jul 2020
   The French Revolution, A History by Thomas Carlyle. It is a truly massive undertaking, an 'in depth' account if there ever was one; and Carlyle's focus on the 'various types' of people involved is quite clear.
   thread
2. eesmithNov 2022
   The 1902 Britannica as well - https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediabri06kell/page/254/... .

   Also, October 29, 1896 "The Youth's Companion" p 583 at https://archive.org/details/sim_youths-companion_1896-10-29_... . The details have changed a bit from the Britannica story.

   That in turn cites Edith Lichel's 1895 "The Story of Two Salons." https://archive.org/details/storytwosalons00sichgoog/page/n1... , which does not give further citations.

   The Britannica biography says 'On the evening of the 7th April 1794 — not, as Carlyle says, on a " bleared May morning,"'. Using Carlyle" and "bleared May morning" as search terms finds it comes from "The French Revolution" by Thomas Carlyle, first published in 1837.

   However, while that does describe the story of how Condorcet was identified, it does not mention omelettes or eggs only "asks breakfast". Quoting https://archive.org/details/frenchrevolutio16carlgoog/page/n...

   > Condorcet has lurked deep, these many months; Argus-eyes watching and searching for him. His concealment is become dangerous to others and himself; he has to fly again, to skulk, round Paris, in thickets and stone-quarries. And so at the Village of Clamars, one bleared May morning, there enters a Figure, ragged, rough-bearded, hunger-stricken; asks breakfast in the tavern there. Suspect, by the look of him! "Servant out of place, sayest thou?" Committee-President of Forty-Sous finds a Latin Horace on him: "Art thou not one of those Ci-devants that were wont to keep servants? Suspect!" He is haled forthwith, breakfast unfinished, towards Bourg-la-Reine, on foot: he faints with exhaustion; is set on a peasant's horse; is flung into his damp prison-cell: on the morrow, recollecting him, you enter; Condorcet lies dead on the floor. They die fast, and disappear: the Notabilities of France disappear, one after one, like lights in a Theatre, which you are snuffing out.

   Show morethread
3. lurquerApr 2021
   Oftentimes, intentionally using superfluous words, particularly obscure words, is important in building mood.

   Lovecraft for instance. And Robert Howard (author of Conan).

   And, the granddaddy of all: Thomas Carlyle whose “French Revolution” is packed with metaphor, simile, superfluous words, and convoluted sentences... indeed, he made fun of the way he writes in “Sartur Resartus” in a hilarious fashion.

   thread
4. muxatorOct 2018
   > The first historical description of the line only appeared in 1837, in Thomas Carlyle’s The French Revolution

   I grew up in a country where probably nobody has ever seen that 1837 book, and almost everyone systematically refuses the very concept of a line.

   Instead, people "optimize" their way towards their target, be it the door of a public transport bus or the physician's office.

   Pretending not having seen you, they literally pass sideways, over and - if necessary - under you, if you happen to be on their way for more than a couple of seconds.

   Try to affirm your rights, they'll push back with twice the physical and verbal strength. Any hope for the authority to mitigate this is an illusion, because those who are in charge of enforcing the rules are expression of that same culture, and transparently dismiss any stride towards predictability as a waste of time.

   Lines? A conquest of civilization, hope for a better humanity, prohibited dream!

   But you can have a very good pizza almost anytime...

   Show morethread