How the French Invented Love: Nine Hundred Years of Passion and Romance
Cultural historian Yalom traces the French view of love through the literature and history of the country via the lives of significant figures, both real and imagined, especially writers and their characters. Beginning with courtly love and the quintessential lovers, Abelard and Héloïse, she demonstrates how the French concept of love developed and changed over the years while never losing the unique elements that make romance in France different from anywhere else in the world. Racine’s character, Phaedre, the love letters of Julie de Lespinasse, the person and writings of George Sand, and, of course, Cyrano de Bergerac embody the nuances of romantic gallantry, passion during the revolution, love between men, existentialism and amorousness, and twentieth-century ardor. Don’t doubt that this is a serious, scholarly work, even as Yalom lightens the tone by inserting asides that illuminate her own wry view of the world. This superbly realized and wonderfully engaging work of analytical cultural history creates a class by itself. --Danise Hoover