Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, 1754-1838: A Bibliography

(Hardback)

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Ever since Talleyrand assumed a prominent role during the opening stages of the French Revolution, his intentions and motivations have been the subject of heated debate. His detractors have poured a torrent of hostile criticism on him, and it is only recently that a favourable trend toward him has become discernible. The book demonstrates that the debate over his achievements and merits is far from over. The volume opens with a chronology of Talleyrand's life and an introduction summarising the salient points in his career and pointing to apparent discrepancies in the Talleyrand historiography. The initial section describes the most important archival sources available in France and other countries. The second section covers Talleyrand's own publications, his parliamentary interventions and his correspondence. Contemporary pamphlets and books, many critical of Talleyrand's secularisation of Church property, are covered in the third section. The final section include works written about Talleyrand since his death as well as on topics related to him, such as his women and children, his portrayal in art and literature, and a list of drawings and lithographs dedicated to him.

Reviews

Thorough annotations and analyses make the bibliography useful for several purposes. Beginning scholars of the diplomatic history of the period will benefit from the review of repositories for diplomatic archives; students using personal memoirs may find the discussion about the authenticity and accuracy of Talleyrand's memoirs instructive. Dwyer notes that a biographer worthy of Talleyrand has yet to emerge; this bibliography will be a boon to such an individual as well as, in the meantime, to editors and scholars interested in any of the lives and events Talleyrand touched. Academic readers, all levels.-Choice
"Thorough annotations and analyses make the bibliography useful for several purposes. Beginning scholars of the diplomatic history of the period will benefit from the review of repositories for diplomatic archives; students using personal memoirs may find the discussion about the authenticity and accuracy of Talleyrand's memoirs instructive. Dwyer notes that a biographer worthy of Talleyrand has yet to emerge; this bibliography will be a boon to such an individual as well as, in the meantime, to editors and scholars interested in any of the lives and events Talleyrand touched. Academic readers, all levels."-Choice

Author Bio

PHILIP G. DWYER lectures in Modern European History at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He is currently working on a history of Prussia during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.