Witness to the Revolution: Jean-Baptiste Louvet, 1760-1797

One of the least likely survivors of the Jacobin purge of the National Convention in early 1793 was Jean-Baptiste Louvet, the author of the popular eighteenth-century romance Les Amours du Chevalier de Faublas. Had it not been for the upheaval caused by the revolution in 1789, Louvet undoubtedly would have continued to build his promising literary career. Few of his readers could have imagined that this frail, young man would be elected as a deputy in the national assembly, where he dared to oppose powerful Jacobin leaders like Robespierre. His limited formal education and background as a bookstore clerk set Louvet apart among his legally trained friends in the Brissotin/Girondin faction; yet his intelligence, courage, and loyalty led them to appreciate his skills and friendship. Louvet would be the only one among the group to survive the proscription of the Girondins and life as a fugitive. He returned to Paris following the Jacobins’ downfall in July 1794, to serve again in the National Convention and then in the newly elected government of the Directory.