Jean-Paul Marat: Prophet of Terror

"Baker, an experienced historian on Early Modern Europe and J.E. Wallace Sterling Professor in Humanities at Stanford University, aims to 'make sense of those 'sublime words of the prophet-Marat,' the radical journalist and martyred deputy who notorious calls for blood gave voice to some of the most frightful impulses of the French Revolution.'"

"The book covers three phases of Marat's life, beginning in the 1760s as a medical practitioner in Neuchâtel and London. During this phase, Marat seemed to be equally interested in serious scientific experimentation and in finding recognition for his achievements."

Keith Michael Baker's comprehensive 27-chapter biography examines Jean-Paul Marat's transformation into a radical revolutionary figure. The work traces three distinct phases of Marat's life beginning in the 1760s when he worked as a medical practitioner in Neuchâtel and London. During this early period, Marat pursued scientific experimentation and sought recognition for his achievements, but faced rejection from the scientific establishment despite engaging with works by Isaac Newton and Benjamin Franklin. Baker, a Stanford historian specializing in Early Modern Europe, contextualizes Marat's eventual radicalization and his role as author of the influential pamphlet The People's Friend. The biography balances scholarly rigor with accessibility, providing insight into how Marat became associated with the French Revolution's most violent period and the frightful impulses his rhetoric represented.

Read at World History Encyclopedia