Fragile Lives

The lives of ordinary Parisians in the eighteenth-century are the topic of this vivid and important study. Through the experiences of men, women and children, Arlette Farge traces the solidarities and conflicts which arose between men and women, rich and poor, masters and servants, neighbours and colleagues. The author deals with three arenas of conflict and solidarity: the home, the workplace and the street. By examining these interwoven lives, Farge is able to challenge our conventional perception of everyday experience in the eighteenth century, of the aspirations of women both within the family and as abandoned mistresses, of the behaviour of the crowd as active and passive participants in street violence, and of the workshop as the arena for social conflicts. The author vividly describes a society, in the process of mutation, which was gradually reconstructing a new set of values.