Marc Bloch: A Life in History

by Carole Fink

Few twentieth-century scholars have achieved such widespread admiration as the French historian Marc Bloch (1886-1944). A soldier in both world wars and leader of the Resistance who was captured, tortured, and died a heroic death, Bloch epitomizes the courage and conviction of an old-fashioned good citizen who recognized his obligation to defend France not only against foreign enemies but also against those who sapped its strength from within. In 1929 Bloch co-founded the now legendary journal, the a crusading periodical devoted to removing narrow nationalistic and disciplinary barriers, extending historians' investigations to contemporary events, and covering a broad range of social, economic, and cultural phenomena. Bloch is also renowned for his three major research studies--Les rois thaumaturges (The Royal Touch), Les caractères originaux de l'histoire rurale française (French Rural History), and La société féodale (Feudal Society)--and for his two enduring personal testimonies--L'étrange défaite (Strange Defeat), his incisive account of the fall of France in 1940, and Apologie pour l'histoire (The Historian's Craft), his inspiring meditations on his life long work, written on the eve of his joining the Resistance. Carole Fink is the translator of Marc Bloch's Memoirs of War, 1914-1915 (CUP, 1988). She won the American Historical Association's George Louis Beer Prize for her book The Genoa Conference.

Genres: History, Biography, European History, Philosophy, Nonfiction, France, 20th Century

394 pages, Hardcover

First published August 25, 1989

Reviews

[Boris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the only English biographical work about Bloch, there are other introductions to the historian's life and scholarship, but they are written in French. The book provides us a comprehensive description of Bloch's academic achievement, including the publication of the Annales journal, Feudal Society, and French Rural Society. The historian's participation in the two World Wars and the Resistance were also carefully documented. The last chapter is about how Bloch influenced post-war historiography in France as the Annales School grew more and more popular. Although the appendix calls itself a selected bibliography of Bloch's publications, it is very useful if the reader wants to further his research about Bloch or areas in which he specialized.
It is very easy to read, too.

[Larn E · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the interludes of description of front movements and conflicts in the first and second world wars unhelpful punctuation in an otherwise interesting biography.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting and well written biography of a very fascinating man but also highly detailed. My senior thesis centers around him so I was glad to find a biography in English and this one not only detailed his life but also that of the men in the family back to his great-grandfather and explored in detail Bloch's achievements and his legacy. I thought it was fascinating but it would probably be too detailed for someone who was only slightly interested in him. Recommend it for anyone interested in Bloch or the Annales school of history but probably a little boring for a more general history fan.

[Julaine]

Good biography but very boring.
Date of purchase?

[Pınar · Rating 4 out of 5]

good