At first glance, one might not think these two important works are about the same national experience during overlapping periods from 1870 to 1945, and their differences testify to the very diverse results historians can obtain from using completely different sets of sources. Anne Cova studies the elite discourse of parliamentary debates and political pressure groups to analyze legislative processes that culminated in the pronatalist Family Code of 1939. Her sources portray the French as preoccupied, if not obsessed, with falling birthrates and the consequent need to protect motherhood. Charles Rearick uses song lyrics, stage performances, film scenes, and film reviews to understand how the French viewed themselves through periods of tragedy and disappointment and thus as a method to understand national character. Reading these books together offers an unexpectedly rich opportunity for deepening our understanding of French character and behavior.