Susan Dunn is Professor of French Literature and the History of Ideas at Williams College. She is author of "Nerval et le roman historique" (Minard).

"Written with a clear focus, a strong narrative line, and a critical tone, Susan Dunn's book mobilizes an array of contemporary writers and political theorists to provide a counter-voice, which modulates into her own voice, to nineteenth-century French intellectuals."—Michael Walzer, Institute for Advanced Study

• ForewordAcknowledgmentsIntroduction3Pt. IPolitical MythsCh. 1Louis XVI and the Cult of Human Sacrifice15Ch. 2Louis XVI and Joan of Arc38Ch. 3Michelet and Lamartine: Regicide, Passion, and Compassion67Pt. IILiterary MythsCh. 4Louis XVI and His Executioners95Ch. 5Victor Hugo, Kingship, and Louis XVI116Ch. 6Camus and Louis XVI: A Modern Elegy for the Martyred King140Conclusion165Index171

Susan Dunn is Professor of French Literature and the History of Ideas at Williams College. She is author of "Nerval et le roman historique" (Minard).

"Written with a clear focus, a strong narrative line, and a critical tone, Susan Dunn's book mobilizes an array of contemporary writers and political theorists to provide a counter-voice, which modulates into her own voice, to nineteenth-century French intellectuals."—Michael Walzer, Institute for Advanced Study

• ForewordAcknowledgmentsIntroduction3Pt. IPolitical MythsCh. 1Louis XVI and the Cult of Human Sacrifice15Ch. 2Louis XVI and Joan of Arc38Ch. 3Michelet and Lamartine: Regicide, Passion, and Compassion67Pt. IILiterary MythsCh. 4Louis XVI and His Executioners95Ch. 5Victor Hugo, Kingship, and Louis XVI116Ch. 6Camus and Louis XVI: A Modern Elegy for the Martyred King140Conclusion165Index171

Susan Dunn is Professor of French Literature and the History of Ideas at Williams College. She is author of "Nerval et le roman historique" (Minard).

"Written with a clear focus, a strong narrative line, and a critical tone, Susan Dunn's book mobilizes an array of contemporary writers and political theorists to provide a counter-voice, which modulates into her own voice, to nineteenth-century French intellectuals."—Michael Walzer, Institute for Advanced Study

• ForewordAcknowledgmentsIntroduction3Pt. IPolitical MythsCh. 1Louis XVI and the Cult of Human Sacrifice15Ch. 2Louis XVI and Joan of Arc38Ch. 3Michelet and Lamartine: Regicide, Passion, and Compassion67Pt. IILiterary MythsCh. 4Louis XVI and His Executioners95Ch. 5Victor Hugo, Kingship, and Louis XVI116Ch. 6Camus and Louis XVI: A Modern Elegy for the Martyred King140Conclusion165Index171