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Legacy of death
262 pages, Unbound
Published January 1, 1973
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 23, 2024
Well written and interesting. But the author does seem intent on portraying her subjects sympathetically, causing this reader to wonder about her objectivity.
December 14, 2014
This was an extraordinarily fascinating read, despite the morbid topic. Levy spent years studying primary sources, and her writing creates a highly accessible history of the role of a French executioner. WARNING: There are descriptions in this review of methods of execution that may not be suitable for all readers.
To be fair, there are parts of this book that are not for those who are squeamish, particularly the descriptions of the methods used by the official executioners in the 15th and 16th centuries, or the particular workings of the guillotine. However, none of it is described in excess, but in a straightforward, clinical manner that is necessary in order to understand the justice system and the cultural attitudes toward capital and corporal punishment in France.
Levy spends much time on the Sanson family, the somewhat hereditary holders of the office of the Executioner of Paris. Despite the fact that their livelihood was dependent on physically punishing criminals, the Sansons also spent much time examining the bodies of the executed, and from this derived a working medical knowledge of the human body. Most of the Sansons were also healers and dealt in treating illnesses, usually only charging fees from wealthier patients. For some of the Sansons, this was a way they were able to personally atone for the violence they committed in the commission of their official work.
Of note in this book is the history of the guillotine, including its development. It was not invented by Guillotin as most believe, but Guillotin, a doctor, advocated its use because it was more "humane" than other methods of execution. Unlike drawing and quartering, hanging, etc. it was a quick way to ensure a person was put to death, with as little pain as possible. Prior to the guillotine, only noble condemnees were entitled to be put to death by beheading, usually via a sword. This was not always successful, depending on the angle of the weapon and strength of the executioner, or how still the victim held. Guillotin hoped that this "killing machine" would be more efficient and offer the same "courtesy" of quick death to all people, not just those with titles.
The book covers more than just the Sanson family, but also talks about how executions figured into French society. Public executions were actually a sort of public entertainment, and it was customary for onlookers to pelt the condemned with eggs and garbage as they rode in bar covered carts, or tumbrels, to the gallows. During the Terror phase of the French Revolution, when thousands were killed via the guillotine, many of the condemned went to their deaths with silence and bravery, which Levy posits may have fueled the demand for these public executions, as it numbed the public to the horror of the ritual. One exception was Madame du Barry, former mistress of Louis XV, who screamed and cried as she was brought to her death, and it was noted that her obvious fear and panic had a dampening effect on the watching crowd.
Another interesting episode that came about via the Terror was the wax museum of Madame Tussaud. Madame Tussaud was a 14 year old girl apprenticed to her uncle who made sculptural portraits of the wealthy. During the Terror, she made a quiet deal with Sanson the executioner to have the heads of the executed aristocrats brought to her and she would create wax replicas before returning the heads to be buried properly. Eventually, she and her family fled France and set up shop in England, and her business continues today, with wax figure museums across the globe.
Levy wrote the book in the early 1970s, and also mentions that the guillotine was still the official method of execution for capital cases in France at the time of her writing. The last public execution took place in the early 1930s, and after that, the guillotine was used within the walls of prisons. The last guillotining in France took place in 1979, and the death penalty was abolished there in 1983.
I did have some questions left after reading this book, and found a very well researched website called the Bois de Justice, which is run by someone who makes replica guillotines, but also has an excellent history of the guillotine on the site. WARNING: this site contains very graphic images, including two films of guillotine executions. I couldn't stand to watch them, but what I found valuable was the information about the history of the guillotine outside of France, particularly in the French colonies.
To be fair, there are parts of this book that are not for those who are squeamish, particularly the descriptions of the methods used by the official executioners in the 15th and 16th centuries, or the particular workings of the guillotine. However, none of it is described in excess, but in a straightforward, clinical manner that is necessary in order to understand the justice system and the cultural attitudes toward capital and corporal punishment in France.
Levy spends much time on the Sanson family, the somewhat hereditary holders of the office of the Executioner of Paris. Despite the fact that their livelihood was dependent on physically punishing criminals, the Sansons also spent much time examining the bodies of the executed, and from this derived a working medical knowledge of the human body. Most of the Sansons were also healers and dealt in treating illnesses, usually only charging fees from wealthier patients. For some of the Sansons, this was a way they were able to personally atone for the violence they committed in the commission of their official work.
Of note in this book is the history of the guillotine, including its development. It was not invented by Guillotin as most believe, but Guillotin, a doctor, advocated its use because it was more "humane" than other methods of execution. Unlike drawing and quartering, hanging, etc. it was a quick way to ensure a person was put to death, with as little pain as possible. Prior to the guillotine, only noble condemnees were entitled to be put to death by beheading, usually via a sword. This was not always successful, depending on the angle of the weapon and strength of the executioner, or how still the victim held. Guillotin hoped that this "killing machine" would be more efficient and offer the same "courtesy" of quick death to all people, not just those with titles.
The book covers more than just the Sanson family, but also talks about how executions figured into French society. Public executions were actually a sort of public entertainment, and it was customary for onlookers to pelt the condemned with eggs and garbage as they rode in bar covered carts, or tumbrels, to the gallows. During the Terror phase of the French Revolution, when thousands were killed via the guillotine, many of the condemned went to their deaths with silence and bravery, which Levy posits may have fueled the demand for these public executions, as it numbed the public to the horror of the ritual. One exception was Madame du Barry, former mistress of Louis XV, who screamed and cried as she was brought to her death, and it was noted that her obvious fear and panic had a dampening effect on the watching crowd.
Another interesting episode that came about via the Terror was the wax museum of Madame Tussaud. Madame Tussaud was a 14 year old girl apprenticed to her uncle who made sculptural portraits of the wealthy. During the Terror, she made a quiet deal with Sanson the executioner to have the heads of the executed aristocrats brought to her and she would create wax replicas before returning the heads to be buried properly. Eventually, she and her family fled France and set up shop in England, and her business continues today, with wax figure museums across the globe.
Levy wrote the book in the early 1970s, and also mentions that the guillotine was still the official method of execution for capital cases in France at the time of her writing. The last public execution took place in the early 1930s, and after that, the guillotine was used within the walls of prisons. The last guillotining in France took place in 1979, and the death penalty was abolished there in 1983.
I did have some questions left after reading this book, and found a very well researched website called the Bois de Justice, which is run by someone who makes replica guillotines, but also has an excellent history of the guillotine on the site. WARNING: this site contains very graphic images, including two films of guillotine executions. I couldn't stand to watch them, but what I found valuable was the information about the history of the guillotine outside of France, particularly in the French colonies.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews