Recollections of the Private Life of Napoleon — Volume 10

Louis Constant WairyProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.9
Word count
135K words
Chapters
14

Tags

English Originals Political and Military Leaders Palace IntrigueServant RecollectionsAntiheroYears of ExileClose to PowerPersonal ObservationsValet MemoirNapoleonic CourtEarly Modern EuropePrivate Perspective

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Recollections of the Private Life of Napoleon — Volume 10 by Louis Constant WairyAuthor: Wairy, Louis Constant, 1778-1845,Language: English, Class: DC: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: France, Andorra, Monaco, Release Date: Dec 1, 2002

Editor's review

This book is the English public-domain electronic text of the tenth volume in Louis Constant Wairy's series of recollections of Napoleon's private life, released free of charge by Project Gutenberg. Wairy served at Napoleon's side for many years, and his recollections carry the firsthand flavor of close observation. This volume continues the series' narrative mode, centered on daily routines, court observations, and the words and deeds of its figures, and is suitable as supplementary reading for the social history of the Napoleonic era and the history of court life. Its value lies not in providing a systematic military history or analysis of political institutions, but in presenting the detailed atmosphere and personal perspective around the center of power, allowing readers to sense the warmth and limitations of the memoir genre. As a volume-by-volume electronic text, it suits readers with some background knowledge of the Napoleonic era who wish to read selected volumes, or to read it alongside formal historical materials in order to identify the subjective elements in personal memory.

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Reading tips

  1. Begin by browsing the volume's table of contents and chapter titles, then choose passages related to your interests for close reading.
  2. Note the people and events involved as you read, and use a chronology of the Napoleonic era for reference and understanding.
  3. Read together with adjacent volumes in the series, and pay attention to subjective tendencies and hearsay elements in the memoir.
  4. Use the search function of the Gutenberg electronic edition to quickly locate key names and scenes.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14

FAQ

Is this book a complete narrative or a volume-by-volume fragment? This is the tenth volume in Wairy's series of recollections of Napoleon's private life, an English electronic text released volume by volume. Its content consists mainly of the court observations and daily records covered in this volume, not a complete general history; it is advisable to read it with reference to other volumes in the series or related historical materials.
Can I understand it without background on the Napoleonic era? You can read it, but the memoir involves many figures and court scenes, and without background it is easy to lose the thread. It is advisable to first learn the broad outline of Napoleon's life and the court system, then read this volume for smoother understanding.
What are the usage features of the Gutenberg edition? Project Gutenberg provides free electronic texts that are easy to search, copy, and read on screen, suitable for selective reading or excerpting material as needed. However, this edition is an English public-domain e-book and does not include notes or introductions by modern scholars, so readers must supply the background themselves.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Louis Constant Wairy Author · French · 1778–1845

Wairy, Louis Constant (1778–1845), commonly known as "Constant," was a Frenchman and Napoleon's personal valet. He served as valet to the First Consul from 1800, was promoted to chief valet to the Emperor in 1806, accompanied Napoleon on his campaigns, and witnessed his abdication in 1814. In 1830 he published a six-volume memoir, Recollections of the Private Life of Napoleon, which records the daily life and words of Napoleon's court from an eyewitness perspective and remains an important primary source for the study of Napoleon's court life. The library holds 14 of his works, mostly complete or partial editions of this memoir; public information on his early life and education is limited.