James Connolly

In an increasingly depressing world, I can't offer insightful takes on current events but I can offer mild distraction via lots of puns and silliness about the French Revolution and #FrHistory

Modern French History Seminar

You can also hear much more about the book at my book launch tonight!

It takes place at the IHR in Senate House, from 5.30pm. If you can't attend, you can always watch along online!

www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

🗃️ #skystorians

Just started listening to this on the train and enjoying it a lot! Two clever, funny people I know being clever and funny - but you don't have to know them to appreciate it.

In an increasingly depressing world, I can't offer insightful takes on current events but I can offer mild distraction via lots of puns and silliness about the French Revolution and #FrHistory

YouTube video by JEPC123 James Connolly - The French Revolution stand-up - dates and origins

An extract from my stand-up routine on the French Revolution. Excuse the poor sound and image quality.

youtube.com/watch?v=SSLV...

On the way to do my stand-up set on the French Revolution at @brunelmuseum.bsky.social this evening. Really looking forward to it, and to seeing the other sets!

Bit harsh placing the WC away from Marx, too, given he was its biggest fan. (Or am I the only one using 'WC' for 'working class' in my notes?)

Great to see this well-deserved positive review of the book born of @mjgronau.bsky.social's PhD thesis (which I enjoyed co-supervising)!

As a complete dweeb goodie-twoshoes who seeks external validation, I used to love school parents' evening. Now, I've just come back from one for my son in Reception, and I get a similar feeling.

No doubt his finest shower.

Unfortunately I can't make it due to the usual childcare issues, but enjoy!

@smidbob.bsky.social is a great historian and I'm sure his book will be fascinating, as will the launch!

I've read so much about anticlericalism in French history, and yet I still don't understand what its supporters had against office workers.

(An unused joke from my comedy routine on the French Revolution, perhaps for good reason)

My four-year-old has returned from his first 100 days in school. Looking back at his achievements and policies, he's made good progress and hasn't made too many U-turns.

The story's not just a load of crêpe, then? Maybe the English confused desserts when trying to make an île flottante.

There are still tickets left for this, if anyone is interested in jokes about the French Revolution and engineering!

Thanks! 😊

Really looking forward to performing stand-up on the French Revolution at this event!

I'm doing some more open-mic stand-up tonight, so even if I bomb, that little moment makes today a win in the grand scheme of things.

My four-year-old, whilst we sat on a bench together in the park: "I love you. Even when you're angry, I love you. Even when I'm angry, I love you. Even when you're a bit annoying, I love you."

Maybe we're not completely failing as parents. I hope he feels like that forever.

'Community' also fits into Vichy's values since it replaced the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen with the Principles of the Community.

Just saw a Reform billboard with the slogan 'Family, Community, Country.' Hard to know whether they're aware that it's worryingly close to interwar pseudo-fascist and WWII Vichy France's tryptich of 'Work, Family, Country/Fatherland.'

When will Will get his flours for these puns?

I sometimes do it "for" my wife too, but a) she now understands a ridiculous amount of French, and b) it's clear that it's me being passive-aggressive to make a point, ahem.

(It was a performative switch to English, so the guy understood me and in the hope he would move to avoid my son)

Bilingual four-year-old, after I said "Be careful" as he nearly cycled into someone on the pavement: "Daddy, I don't like it when you speak in English."

Extract in French of a Croix de Feu leaflet, railing against foreigners, economic exploiters, the 'forces of evil' - written with random capital letters at the beginning of words, and many words entirely in capital letters.

A pamphlet written by supporters of the far-right extra-parliamentary league Croix de Feu from inter-war France. I was struck by the racist, incoherent, angry rantings of a disturbed individual with a penchant for odd capitalisation. It rang a bell for some reason... Je dis ça, je dis rien.

Did anyone notice?

To be fair, these are fairly similar and from the same shop. And I do have smarter shoes in my office to teach in!

Not doing much better this morning: had to rush to get my son to school, then realised a few minutes later that I'm wearing two different trainers.

Aujourd'hui, le premier des livres issus de ma thèse a été publié! Destiné à un publique francophone et plutôt littéraire, il sera accompagné d'un autre ouvrage plus historique en anglais.