Good overview for beginners

This course, though certainly long with its 25 hours, is nonetheless a rather succinct overview of the French Revolution (the most important points, surely), and an even quicker overview of the Empire (which lasted practically as long as the Revolutionary period, but seems to be covered in half the amount of time).

If you have a limited amount of knowledge of the French Revolution, this course will definitely help you understand what needs to be known. It's indeed thorough enough as an overview, and admittedly delves into the most important aspects of that important period in human history. I really enjoyed listening to such a well-crafted course. But it is a beginner's course. Each important theme is discussed in a 30 minute lecture, so naturally, you won't get the details. Obviously, a character like Robespierre, or an event like the War in the Vendée, two subjects I happen to know a fair share amount about, could easily fill a 25 hour lecture on their own. Napoleon could fill 100 hours of course.

So perhaps if you find a particular lecture in this course interesting, know that there is much more in that theme to read about, and I'd encourage you to pick up a more detailed book on any particular sub-subject of this course. I couldn't help feeling kind of left out at times when Suzanne Desan skimmed over some subjects I liked and that I know we have much more material on. Sometimes I felt disappointment when she didn't mention a particular detail which I deemed important.

Anyway, Suzanne Desan's lecture remains very good for what it is. Her performance could be better though. It feels too much like she's reading. I personally prefer a more improvisational tone when I'm listening to a class, or a history podcast. When Mrs Desan adds a joke or two, it sounds slightly off. One remark she made really stuck to me because it just came out of the blue. At one point she expressed the irony that the Revolutionaries would make their oath in a Tennis court, considering how "France isn't a very athletic nation"... Uh, what? What a weird thing to say. I'm aware of French stereotypes, but I wasn't aware of this one...

I know this review sounds more negative than positive, so let me be clear. It's a very good introduction course to the Revolution. The last third or so of the course concerns the Empire and that's somewhat lacking. But the Revolution is covered in all of its most important aspects. You should definitely pick this up if you're a beginner on this subject, or if you're confused and need a good overview to help you piece everything together. You'll come out of this with a much better understanding of this period.

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