George IV: Inspiration of the Regency

Parissien, Steven

ISBN 10: 0312284020 / ISBN 13: 9780312284022

Published by St. Martin's Press, 2002

About this Item

First edition. Book is in very good condition. Text body is in near fine condition.

Seller Inventory # ABE-1598363025305

Bibliographic Details

• Title: George IV: Inspiration of the Regency
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0312284020
• ISBN 13: 9780312284022
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

A father of modern celebrity, King George IVof England is contextualized against the cultural backdrop of his age: The Regency.

 

Already a byword for taste and extravagance when he became Prince Regent in 1811, George IV remains as vivid and notorious a figure today as he was in his own time. He provided the monarchs who followed him with a lesson in how and how not to conduct oneself. In many ways a strikingly modern sovereign, he attempted to manipulate his public image to divert attention from the less savory aspects of his private life. His ultimate mistake was to actually believe in the image he had manufactured rather than in the depressing reality. Steven Parissien brings us George IV against the cultural backdrop of his age, showing how his legacy still affects our contemporary view of the monarchy.

Reviews

Parissien's biography of King George IV is a thoroughly researched analysis of how George came to be "one of the most despised" monarchs of all time. His childhood is described as "spartan" and "unnecessarily harsh." His father, George III, spent little time preparing his son for his future role, and it is likely that this played a part in his later indolence and debauchery. With many deficiencies to choose from, Parissien (Yale Univ.) is most troubled by George IV's inconstancy. Whether with friends, women, or political principals, self-gratification was always his ultimate imperative. His more positive critics tried to portray him as a great patron of art and architecture, and he himself tried to promote the fictional image of himself as military hero, incredibly believing he largely contributed to Napoleon's defeat. But Parissien shows how George's obsession with emulating the French monarchy with all its unpopularity and excesses reveals his inept "political wisdom." Even his own daughter wasn't spared from his utter selfishness. Mercilessly caricatured later in life, George IV left the legacy of a lecherous glutton who "sundered the contract between monarch and nation." This detailed work will most likely appeal to those who regularly read historical biography, though it is accessibly written and contains some juicy tidbits. Recommended for large public libraries. Isabel Coates, Canada Customs & Revenue Agency, ON
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.