The Great Protector Of Wits

The Great Protector of Wits provides a new assessment of baron d’Holbach (1723–1789) and his circle. A challenging figure of the European Enlightenment, Paul-Henri Thiry d’Holbach was not only a radically materialistic philosopher, a champion of anticlericalism, the author of the Système de la nature – known as ‘the Bible of atheists’ –, an idéologue, a popularizer of the natural sciences and a prolific contributor to the Encyclopédie, but he also played a crucial role as an organizer of intellectual networks and was a master of disseminating clandestine literature and a consummate strategist in authorial fictions. In this collective volume, for the first time, all these different threads of d’Holbach’s ‘philosophy in action’ are considered and analyzed in their interconnection. Contributors to this volume: Jacopo Agnesina, Nicholas Cronk, Mélanie Éphrème, Enrico Galvagni, Jonathan Israel, Alan Charles Kors, Mladen Kozul, Brunello Lotti, Emilio Mazza, Gianluca Mori, Iryna Mykhailova, Gianni Paganini, Paolo Quintili, Alain Sandrier, Ruggero Sciuto, Maria Susana Seguin, and Gerhardt Stenger.

"The world of the 18th century salon has long been lauded as a meritocratic setting where writers, philosophers, and women created the Enlightenment. Based on a thorough study of archival sources and using methodology derived from cultural history, social history, and the history of literature, The World of Salons proposes a completely new reading of salons' sociability in eighteenth-century Paris. It challenges the commonly accepted vision of salons as literary circles that were part of the Republic of Letters. It argues, instead, that salons were institutions of worldly sociability, had helped shape 'the world' (le monde) and high society. They have been essential places where the aristocratic elites of the capital met and interacted with literary figures. These interactions based on the mastery of the codes of polite conversation but also on the circulation of news and of personal reputations are the subject of this book. The World of the Salon looks at the way in which eighteenth-century social elites redefined themselves through their practices of worldly sociability. It highlights why some men of letters of the Enlightenment attended the salons. Moving from the salons to worldliness permits taking on some broader debates as well. What relations did worldly sociability maintain with the public sphere? How did the Parisian nobility use the idea of worldly merit and the figure of the man of the world (homme du monde) to preserve its social preeminence? Was the new political culture characterized by an appeal to the public compatible with the monarchical apparatus and with court intrigues? The World of the Salons is suitable for an Anglophone audience of early modern European cultural, political, and intellectual historians"--Provided by publisher.

"Sterne" by H. D. Traill is a comprehensive biography that delves into the life and literary achievements of Laurence Sterne, the renowned 18th-century English author. Traill provides a nuanced portrayal of Sterne's complex personality, his innovative writing style, and the cultural and social context of his time. With meticulous research and engaging storytelling, this biography sheds light on Sterne's impact on the literary world and his enduring influence on subsequent generations of writers. "Sterne" is an enlightening read for literature enthusiasts, offering a deeper appreciation for the life and works of this influential figure.

Originally published in 1879, Henry James's Hawthorne has been out of print for many years. Cornell University Press is proud to make this American classic available again in a new paperback edition. In this critique of one literary genius by another, James not only considers Hawthorne as a man and a writer, for whom he has a tender, if critical, regard, but he uses his subject as a vantage point from which to present his views on American culture. With his customary urbanity, James assesses the place of the writer in nineteenth-century America, and touches upon the antithetical values of the Old World and the New. Hawthorne's preoccupation with evil and guilt, his portentous imagination and his otherworldliness are brought out in the critique of his works, together with James's keen appreciation of Hawthorne's remarkable gifts.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1882.