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The Ancient Regime

Hippolyte Taine

  • History
  • Book language: English
  • 519 pages

A historical study and the first volume of Taine's Origins of Contemporary France. It examines the institutions, privileged classes, court life and social conditions of France before the Revolution, seeking to explain how the old order worked and weakened. Listen for its detailed, analytical portrait of a vanished world.

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Text source: gutenberg.org · The work is in the public domain.

Opening of the book

THE ORIGINS OF CONTEMPORARY
FRANCE, VOLUME 1
THE ANCIENT REGIME
by Hippolyte A. Taine
Text Transcriber's Note: The numbering of Volumes, Books,
Chapters
and Sections are as in the French not the American edition.
Annotations by the transcriber are initialled SR.
Svend Rom, April 2000.
HTML Producer's Note: Footnote numbering has been changed
to
include as a prefix to the original footnote number, the
book and
chapter numbers. A table of contents has been added with
active
links.
David Widger, June 2008
CHAPTER II. THE PRIVILEGED CLASSES.
I. Number of the Privileged Classes.
II. Their Possessions, Capital, and
Revenue.
III. Their Immunities.
IV. Their Feudal Rights.

V. They may be justified by local and
general services.
CHAPTER
III.
LOCAL
SERVICES
DUE
BY
THE
PRIVILEGED CLASSES.
I. Examples in Germany and England.—
These services are not rendered by
II. Resident Seigniors.
III. Absentee Seigniors.
CHAPTER
IV.
PUBLIC
SERVICES
DUE
BY
THE
PRIVILEGED CLASSES.
I. England compared to France.
II. The Clergy
III. Influence of the Nobles..
IV. Isolation of the Chiefs
V.
The
King's
Incompetence
and
Generosity.
VI. Latent Disorganization in France.
BOOK SECOND. MORALS AND CHARACTERS.
CHAPTER I. MORAL PRINCIPLES UNDER THE ANCIENT
REGIME.
The Court and a life of pomp and
parade.
I. Versailles.
The Physical aspect and the moral
character of Versailles.
II. The King's Household.
III. The King's Associates.
IV. Everyday Life In Court.
V. Royal Distractions.
VI. Upper Class Distractions.
VII. Provincial Nobility.
CHAPTER II. DRAWING ROOM LIFE.
I. Perfect only in France
II. Social Life Has Priority.
III. Universal Pleasure Seeking.
IV. Enjoyment.
V. Happiness.
VI. Gaiety.
VII. Theater, Parade And Extravagance.
CHAPTER III. DISADVANTAGES OF THIS DRAWING ROOM

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Contents

  1. THE ORIGINS OF CONTEMPORARY FRANCE, VOLUME 1
  2. THE ANCIENT REGIME by Hippolyte A. Taine
  3. INTRODUCTION
  4. PREFACE:
  5. THE ANCIENT REGIME
  6. PREFACE BY THE AUTHOR: ON POLITICAL IGNORANCE AND WISDOM.
  7. BOOK FIRST. THE STRUCTURE OF THE ANCIENT SOCIETY.
  8. CHAPTER I. THE ORIGIN OF PRIVILEGES.
  9. I. Services and Recompenses of the Clergy.
  10. II. Services and Recompenses of the Nobles.
  11. III. Services and Recompenses of the King.
  12. CHAPTER II. THE PRIVILEGED CLASSES.
  13. I. Number of the Privileged Classes.
  14. II. Their Possessions, Capital, and Revenue.
  15. III. Their Immunities.
  16. IV. Their Feudal Rights.
  17. V. They may be justified by local and general services.
  18. CHAPTER III. LOCAL SERVICES DUE BY THE PRIVILEGED CLASSES.
  19. I. Examples in Germany and England.—These services are not rendered by
  20. II. Resident Seigniors.
  21. III. Absentee Seigniors.
  22. CHAPTER IV. PUBLIC SERVICES DUE BY THE PRIVILEGED CLASSES.
  23. I. England compared to France.
  24. II. The Clergy
  25. III. Influence of the Nobles.
  26. IV. Isolation of the Chiefs
  27. V. The King's Incompetence and Generosity.
  28. VI. Latent Disorganization in France.
  29. BOOK SECOND. MORALS AND CHARACTERS.
  30. CHAPTER I. MORAL PRINCIPLES UNDER THE ANCIENT REGIME.

and 95 more chapters

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