Voltaire: A Very Short Introduction

— —

Nicholas Cronk (Professor of French Literature in Oxford, a Fellow of St Edmund Hall, and Director of the Voltaire Foundation)

Voltaire

A Very Short Introduction

Nicholas Cronk (Professor of French Literature in Oxford, a Fellow of St Edmund Hall, and Director of the Voltaire Foundation)

$21.95

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Oxford University Press
23 February 2017

Biography; Prose: non-fiction; Philosophy; Western philosophy: Enlightenment

Series: Very Short Introductions

Voltaire (1694-1778), best remembered as the author of Candide, is one of the central actors -- arguably the defining personality -- of the European Enlightenment. In this Very Short Introduction, Nicholas Cronk explores Voltaire's remarkable career and demonstrates how his thinking is pivotal to our notion and understanding of the Enlightenment. In a fresh and modern examination of his writings, Cronk examines the nature of Voltaire's literary celebrity, demonstrating the extent to which his work was reactive and practical, and therefore made sense within the broader context of the debates to which he responded. The most famous living author in Europe in the 18th century, Cronk emphasises Voltaire's skills of 'performance' as a writer and his continued relevance today. He concludes by looking not only at Voltaire's impact in literature and philosophy, but also his influence on French political values and modern French politics. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

By: Nicholas Cronk (Professor of French Literature in Oxford a Fellow of St Edmund Hall and Director of the Voltaire Foundation)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 174mm, Width: 113mm, Spine: 12mm
Weight: 138g
ISBN: 9780199688357
ISBN 10: 0199688354
Series: Very Short Introductions
Pages: 144
Publication Date: 23 February 2017
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

1: The actor 2: The Epicurean 3: The Englishman 4: The scientist 5: The courtier 6: The Swiss exile 7: The patriarch 8: The after-life Further reading Index

Nicholas Cronk is Professor of French Literature in Oxford and Director of the Voltaire Foundation. For the last decade, he has been general editor of the Complete Works of Voltaire. He is also currently President of the French Societe des etudes voltairiennes, based at the Sorbonne. He has published many editions of individual Voltaire texts, and over fifty articles on Voltaire, in English and French. He has also edited a number of books on Voltaire, including Voltaire and the 1760s (2008), and Les 250 ans de Candide (with N. Ferrand, 2013). He also recently edited the CambridgeCompanion to Voltaire (2009) and has edited and introduced two Voltaire works in the Oxford World's Classics series.

Reviews for Voltaire: A Very Short Introduction

[a] brilliant new study ... To squeeze Voltaire into a mere 124 pages of text plus notes is quite the achievement. And yet this book is bursting with complex ideas, perspectives and opinions ... Cronk is perfectly placed to present the most up-to-date imaginable overview of Voltaire, and of Voltaire studies ... His Very Short Introductio is the promise of a very long Voltairean legacy yet to come. * Professor Siofra Pierse, Revue Voltaire *