The Marquis

June 30, 2014
A celebrated figure in the U.S., yet all but forgotten in his native France, Lafayette played a major role in the two great 18th-century revolutions, the American and French. An aide to George Washington and a general at Yorktown in his early 20s, Lafayette returned to France, where he led an unfulfilling life at court. Caught up in the French Revolution, he commanded the National Guard during the revolution’s early phase, was huzzah’d by Parisian crowds, narrowly escaped the guillotine, and went into exile. During the Napoleonic era, he returned from exile to live out his life as a progressive farmer, returned in triumph to the U.S., and died back in Paris. Auricchio (Adélaïde Labille-Guiard: Artist in the Age of Revolution) treats the man quite sympathetically in this fine biography. Naïve, often unctuous, desperately ambitious, always seeking preferment, the Marquis remained a moderate, risking both position and reputation. But in trying both to ride some of the world’s tides while holding others back, he comes off here as not entirely likable, though a man of much merit. Lafayette still deserves more attention in France, but he’s found just the right American biographer in Auricchio. Maps & illus.

Starred review from August 15, 2014
A new biography of the Marquis, as well as a serious study of the differences between two of the most important revolutions of the millennium. Gilbert du Motier, aka Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834), is one of America's great Revolutionary heroes, but Auricchio (Adelaide Labille-Guiard: Artist in the Age of Revolution, 2009) explains the mixed reviews he received during his homeland's revolution. Though Lafayette was a member of the nobility, as a non-Parisian, he was not readily accepted at court-until he married Adrienne de Noailles, whose family not only opened doors, but also, by their untimely deaths, left him a very rich man. When he heard of the American struggle for freedom, he knew it was his destiny to assist. His wealth and ties to France's government helped ensure his appointment to the staff of Gen. George Washington. The attachment between him and Washington is well-documented, with the Army's leader tempering the zeal of the young hothead. The real enlightenment of the man begins with Lafayette's role in the French Revolution. Here, Auricchio picks up the devotion of the young hero as he was expecting to return to the adulation of his countrymen. His moderation served only to defeat him; even his Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was considered too radical. At first, he was a calming factor, but neither the left nor the right accepted him; he was either too radical or too conservative. France was not a new country like America with a clean slate to build a radical new government; she relied on her traditions and royalty and rejected the idea of constitutional monarchy and, with it, Lafayette. In a sharp and moving biography, Auricchio captures the essence of the "French hero of the American Revolution-the Hero of Two Worlds, the Apostle of Liberty."

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June 1, 2014
One hundred and eighty years after his death, Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, remains a fascinating but elusive figure. He was hailed and idealized by Americans as a stalwart champion of liberty for his role in both the American and French revolutions, and his legacy and achievements are far less celebrated in his native France. Auricchio admirably separates the man from the myth while examining some of the elements used to build the myth, at the same time often sympathetic and attracted to her subject's laudable qualities. Lafayette, the scion of one of the oldest French aristocratic families, arrived in America as a 19-year-old youth imbued with Enlightenment ideals concerning political liberty and a thirst for glory. He quickly established an enduring father-son relationship with George Washington and served him and the American cause with distinction. Returning to France, he was caught up in revolutionary politics but often seemed befuddled by France's fast turn to radicalism and violence, and he eventually ran afoul of the Jacobins and, later, Napoleon. This is a fine reexamination of both the character and career of a compelling, but in some ways a sad, historical figure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

Starred review from September 15, 2014

Nearly 180 years after his death, Lafayette (1757-1834) is revered as a hero of the American Revolution--having received posthumous honorary U.S. citizenship--but largely ignored in his native France. In America, he was the visible symbol of Franco-American cooperation. Even after he returned to France, Lafayette corresponded with many revolutionary notables such as George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. However, during the turmoil in France, the officer was perceived as too republican since he favored constitutional monarchy. As the French Revolution intensified, he was considered too conservative and even seditious. He fled the country but was imprisoned in Austria in 1792. It was only after the downfall of French politician Maximilien de Robespierre and the lobbying efforts of Lafayette's wife that he was freed in 1797. (He was not allowed to return to France until two years later.) The rest of his life was a codicil to his revolutionary experience. Auricchio's (history, The New School) lively biography may not supersede Louis Gottschalk's classic account Lafayette in America, but the author's use of the iconography of the day adds a welcome dimension to a salutary story. VERDICT A first-rate work that should appeal to history readers of all kinds. [See Prepub Alert, 4/7/14.]--David Keymer, Modesto, CA

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2014

Americans know the Marquis de Lafayette as the French hero of the American Revolution who volunteered to fight under George Washington and subsequently negotiated increased French support that helped win the war. But there's more to him than that, as evidenced by this biography from Auricchio, an 18th-century French history specialist. Note that Lafayette's 1780 journey back from France with support and troops will be re-created in 2015 on a specially built replica of his ship, L'Hermione.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2014

Nearly 180 years after his death, Lafayette (1757-1834) is revered as a hero of the American Revolution--having received posthumous honorary U.S. citizenship--but largely ignored in his native France. In America, he was the visible symbol of Franco-American cooperation. Even after he returned to France, Lafayette corresponded with many revolutionary notables such as George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. However, during the turmoil in France, the officer was perceived as too republican since he favored constitutional monarchy. As the French Revolution intensified, he was considered too conservative and even seditious. He fled the country but was imprisoned in Austria in 1792. It was only after the downfall of French politician Maximilien de Robespierre and the lobbying efforts of Lafayette's wife that he was freed in 1797. (He was not allowed to return to France until two years later.) The rest of his life was a codicil to his revolutionary experience. Auricchio's (history, The New School) lively biography may not supersede Louis Gottschalk's classic account Lafayette in America, but the author's use of the iconography of the day adds a welcome dimension to a salutary story. VERDICT A first-rate work that should appeal to history readers of all kinds. [See Prepub Alert, 4/7/14.]--David Keymer, Modesto, CA

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.