Voltaire: Philosophical Letters: Or, Letters Regarding the English Nation

Description

In his Philosophical Letters,Voltaire provides a pungent and often satirical assessment of the religion, politics, science, and arts of the England he observed during his nearly three-year exile. In addition to the Letters, this edition provides a translation of Voltaire's "Proposal for a Letter about the English," a general Introduction, chronology, notes, and bibliography.

John Leigh is a Fellow of Fitzwilliam College, and University Lecturer in the Department of French, at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. Prudence L. Steiner took her Ph.D. in American Literature at Harvard University, where she served as Lecturer and Director of the Harvard Extension School Writing Program.

This fluid new translation, with abundant explanatory notes and an insightful Introduction to Voltaire's literary strategies, will make an excellent edition for students, as well as a useful resource for scholars. --Ann Blair, Harvard University This crisp new translation captures the spirit of Voltaire's original, and John Leigh's introductory essay provides essential insights into the myriad ways in which this groundbreaking work of the French Enlightenment solicits the approval and--even more importantly--the complicity of its intended readers. --John Iverson, Whitman College