Recollections of the Private Life of Napoleon — Volume 11

Louis Constant WairyProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.8

Word count: 184K words
Chapters: 19

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 11 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 volume is the English public-domain electronic text of the eleventh volume in Wairy's series of recollections of Napoleon's private life, released by Project Gutenberg. As a continuation of the memoirs of Napoleon's valet, this volume still focuses on court routine, the words and deeds of its figures, and observations in private settings, offering readers a detailed perspective beyond official histories and helping them understand the interpersonal atmosphere and daily life around Napoleon's power. Its reading value lies in the immediacy and personal tone of the memoir form, while readers should also note that private recollections may contain idealization, rumor, and memory bias. As a volume-by-volume eBook, it suits readers with some background knowledge who wish to read selected volumes, or as supplementary material for teaching the social and cultural history of the Napoleonic era; reading it alongside serious historical scholarship better realizes its reference value.

Who it's for

A good fit for

History enthusiasts interested in Napoleon's private life and court details
Modern history students who need memoir-type primary material
Readers accustomed to English public-domain eBooks who enjoy fragmented reading
Readers who have finished the first ten volumes of the series and wish to continue

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a systematic understanding of the course of the Napoleonic Wars and political institutions
Readers who read only Chinese translations and are not used to English originals
Readers expecting a coherent, complete narrative rather than volume-by-volume material

Reading tips

Read through in the order of the chapters in the volume, noting recurring figures and scene clues.
Record times, places, and relationships while reading, to facilitate comparison with a Napoleonic chronology.
Read this volume alongside adjacent volumes in the series, comparing the continuity and differences of the recollections.
For doubtful anecdotes, consult other historical sources, cultivating the habit of critically reading memoirs.

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.

FAQ

Does Volume 11 overlap with Volume 10?

As volumes in the same series, each covers a period or theme in segments, and the contents generally connect in sequence; some background explanations may recur. Reading in series order is recommended; if reading this volume alone, browse the table of contents first to understand the period and themes it covers.

How reliable is this memoir as a historical source?

Wairy's recollections as a valet have first-hand observational value, but private recollections inevitably carry subjectivity, rumor, and later memory bias. They are suitable as reference for details and for conveying atmosphere, but should not be used alone as historical evidence; they are best used in comparison with scholarly works.

Is it suitable as classroom teaching material?

It can serve as supplementary reading for the court life and social culture of the Napoleonic era, helping students appreciate the characteristics of the memoir genre and the limitations of historical sources. However, because it is an English volume-by-volume electronic text without annotations, teachers need to provide background explanations and guided reading questions.

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.