The Last Libertines

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In the preface, Benedetta Craveri introduces a group of young aristocrats navigating the final days of the French monarchy, where elite members grappled with reconciling their privileged lifestyles with Enlightenment ideals of justice, tolerance, and social transformation. The narrative centers on seven emblematic characters, chosen for the compelling nature of their lives and loves, as they consciously confront the crisis of the ancien régime while envisioning a new world. These figures—duc de Lauzun, comte de Segur, vicomte de Segur, duc de Brissac, comte de Narbonnes, comte de Vaudreuil, and chevalier de Boufflers—embody aristocratic virtues such as pride, courage, elegance, culture, spiritedness, and conviviality. They are not only masters of seduction but also enlightened individuals eager to contribute to the impending societal changes. However, the arrival of the French Revolution led to their downfall, resulting in poverty, exile, and even execution. Through the intertwined lives of these seven lesser-known historical figures, Craveri illuminates a lost civilization and captures a tumultuous era that resonates with contemporary challenges.