Life in Paris before the Revolution

The chapter describes Colson’s life and his neighborhood in Paris before the Revolution, prefiguring how this experience would impact both during the Revolution. It describes the rooms in which Colson resided, the other residents living in the same apartment, the Rue des Arcis on which the apartment was located, and the general character of his neighborhood in central Paris, with its small stores and craft shops. The population mix was typical of what would come to be called in the Revolution the “sans-culottes.” The chapter also follows Colson as he circulated in Paris outside his immediate neighborhood, visiting clients, shopping, and stopping for refreshments and meals, including such key sites he frequented as the Palais Royal, the Place de Grève, the City Hall, the Châtelet, the Pont-Neuf, and the Palace of Justice.