Life of Napoleon

William Hazlitt is one of the foremost writers of the English language. His fame as a critic, essayist and social commentator ranks with the likes of Samuel Johnson and George Orwell. He considered his justly famous Life of Napoleon as his most important work. In this, the first volume of the work, William Hazlitt devotes the vast majority of the work to the vital historical background: Napoleon's family, the history of Corsica, where he grew up, as it affected him and his family, and above all the history of the French Revolution up to the siege of Toulon: the National Assembly, the Constitution, the invasion of France by the First Coalition, the execution of Louis XVI, the Convention, and the Reign of Terror. While this approach has the disadvantage of spending the vast majority of this volume on subjects other than Napoleon himself, it has the great advantage of leaving the reader thoroughly versed in the historical setting that framed Napoleon's life. When he emerges onto the stage of history, at the siege of Toulon, we know exactly what setting he is stepping into. Hazlitt was a life-long admirer of Napoleon and of the French Revolution, but his admiration was not blind. He shows the full extent of the French Republic's descent into the madness of the Reign of Terror and seeks the cause of it in the natural response of human beings to a toxic mix of fear and temptation, in a setting of political and institutional chaos inside the country, combined with existential threats of invasion and repression from all the major powers of Europe. His analysis is both passionate and clear-sighted. While a firm champion of human rights, human liberty, and human progress, he does not flinch from a clear presentation of the horrors human nature can commit. The Life of Napoleon was originally published in four volumes in 1828-1830, not long before Hazlitt's death. It was later republished in a limited edition of six volumes by the Grolier Society. This audiobook is based on that edition.

William Hazlitt is one of the foremost writers of the English language. His fame as a critic, essayist and social commentator ranks with the likes of Samuel Johnson and George Orwell. He considered his justly famous Life of Napoleon as his most important work. In this, the second volume of the work, William Hazlitt takes us through the history of Napoleon's campaigns in Italy and Egypt. In the course of these campaigns, and in Napoleon's life in Paris between them, we can see a young, brilliant military leader starting to transform himself from a leader of armies into a leader of nations. His brilliant successes on the battlefield bring him to the adoring attention of the French people and the rather alarmed attention of the French government. The Directory finds him to be a very valuable asset and a substantial threat, both at the same time. Hazlitt was a life-long admirer of Napoleon and of the French Revolution, but his admiration was not blind. His analysis is both passionate and clear-sighted. At this stage in Napoleon's career, he focuses more on the great evens, less on the man and his mind. It is an appropriate focus; at this stage in his life, Napoleon's whole existence was wrapped up in those great events, his personal life was submerged in them. Hazlitt sometimes transcends and sometimes falls victim to the prevailing attitudes of his day. His thinking sometimes juxtaposes highly progressive ideas with casual bigotry. His text has been left as he wrote it; it is valuable to hear and remember that even great minds have held ideas we prefer to think we have overcome. The Life of Napoleon was originally published in four volumes in 1828-1830, not long before Hazlitt's death. It was later republished in a limited edition of six volumes by the Grolier Society. This audiobook is based on that edition.

William Hazlitt is one of the foremost writers of the English language. His fame as a critic, essayist and social commentator ranks with the likes of Samuel Johnson and George Orwell. He considered his justly famous Life of Napoleon as his most important work. In this, the sixth volume of the work, William Hazlitt takes us through Napoleon's captivity on the island of St. Helena, his decline and his death. Napoleon is no longer involved in the great affairs of France and Europe, which gives Hazlitt the opportunity to focus as never before on Napoleon the man. We see the Emperor who once battled the combined nations of Europe engaged in constant war against the petty tyranny of the English governor of the island while preparing his memoirs and longing for his family, who were never allowed to visit him. In the end, death claims him. Hazlitt was a life-long admirer of Napoleon and of the French Revolution, but his admiration was not blind. His analysis is both passionate and clear-sighted. At this stage in Napoleon's career, he focuses more on the great events, less on the man and his mind. It is an appropriate focus; at this stage in his life, Napoleon's whole existence was wrapped up in those great events, his personal life was submerged in them. Hazlitt sometimes transcends and sometimes falls victim to the prevailing attitudes of his day. His thinking sometimes juxtaposes highly progressive ideas with casual bigotry. His text has been left as he wrote it; it is valuable to hear and remember that even great minds have held ideas we prefer to think we have overcome. The Life of Napoleon was originally published in four volumes in 1828-1830, not long before Hazlitt's death. It was later republished in a limited edition of six volumes by the Grolier Society. This audiobook is based on that edition.