The Revolutionary Self - Social Change and the Emergence of the Modern Individual, 1770-1800

The eighteenth century was a time of cultural friction: individuals began to assert greater independence and there was a new emphasis on social equality. In this surprising history, Lynn Hunt examines women's expanding societal roles, such as using tea to facilitate conversation between the sexes in Britain. In France, women also pushed boundaries by becoming artists, and printmakers' satiric takes on the elite gave the lower classes a chance to laugh at the upper classes and imagine the potential of political upheaval. Hunt also explores how promotion in French revolutionary armies was based on men's singular capabilities, rather than noble blood, and how the invention of financial instruments such as life insurance and national debt related to a changing idea of national identity. Wide-ranging and thought-provoking, The Revolutionary Self is a fascinating exploration of the conflict between individualism and the group ties that continues to shape our lives today.

About the author

Lynn Hunt is distinguished research professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. The author of numerous works, including Inventing Human Rights and Writing History in the Global Era, and a former president of the American Historical Association, she lives in Los Angeles.

Product details

• Authors: Lynn Hunt, Hunt Lynn
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 14.04.2025
• EAN: 9781324079033
• ISBN: 978-1-324-07903-3
• Dimensions: 160 mm x 236 mm x 20 mm
• Weight: 436 g
• Illustrations: 16 black-and-white illustrations
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Modern era up to 1918; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900, France, European History, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Economic History, HISTORY / Europe / France, HISTORY / Modern / 18th Century, HISTORY / Europe / Western, General & world history, Economic history, 18th century, c 1700 to c 1799, Western Europe, General and world history, C 1700 To C 1800, Western Continental Europe