Sources Used

          Through my research, I have found that revolution has been a defining factor through French history, especially from the 18^th century onwards.  I wanted to express how revolution shaped the life of young people at the time, and how their political ideology effected their stance on these revolutions.  I also made sure that I explored the social and economic virtues perceived in this time, especially those that stemmed from industrialization.  I had my story begin at the start of the July Monarchy and last through the French Second Republic, while hinting at oncoming revolutions to demonstrate how everlasting revolution was in this period of French history.  The book The History of the Nineteenth Century by William Frances Collier and The War of the Streets in Revolutionary Paris, 1830-1848 by Jill Harsin were especially useful for understanding a broader scope of nineteenth century French, as well as helping to define the aesthetic look to the world I was recollecting. 

         The reading Class Struggles in France by Karl Marx and Frederick Engles proved a powerful primary source to explore a biased view of class relations at this time.  Through my research, I found myself interested in Haute Bourgeoise versus Petit Bourgeoise, and how these classes percieved each other.  My character, Thomas Fay, would be considered in the Moyenne Bourgeoise (middle).  I decided to write my character as one who took advantage of the peasantry during industrialization, but was also taken advantage of by the monarchy himself.  I thought playing with themes of being persecutor and persecuted made for an interesting character.   I found myself very interested in barricade warfare, so I studied many paintings and used the aforementioned the Ninteenth Century to accurately portray how a typical battle would appear.  I also found the role of free-speech and the press during this time to be fascinating, so I created the character of Hugo to explore this part of French life.  My best source for this portion was The Journalists of the French Revolution by Daniel Rader, which helped me paint a picture of a journalist who was also a revolutionist.  In conclusion, themes of revolution in France are best understood with the political and social undertones that came with it, including industrialization and a broken class system.  Hence my story covers a diverse array of pieces of 19th century French life.  I am proud to have created what I believe to be an accurate story, that helps make sense of the complexities of France during this time.