Voltaire's radical Enlightenment: Editing and re-interpreting the Lettres sur les Anglais
Lead Research Organisation:
UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
Department Name: Voltaire Foundation
Abstract
The overall aim of this Fellowship is to enable the in-depth research for a new critical edition of Voltaire's Lettres sur les Anglais (1733-1734), the first ever comprehensive scholarly study of all versions of the text. My ambition is then to use this research as a launchpad to rethink more broadly Voltaire's standing within the European Enlightenment.
Voltaire's Lettres sur les Anglais, a work made up of some 24 short chapters, are a masterpiece of the early Enlightenment and a pivotal text for the standard narrative of how English thought (Bacon, Locke, Newton) shaped eighteenth-century French, and so European, culture. Surprisingly, given its obvious importance, the work has been little studied in recent years. Hardly known in the nineteenth century, the work was rediscoved and 'reinvented' by the eminent critic Gustave Lanson, who in 1909 published the edition which is still authoritative today under the title Lettres philosophiques. This edition is now outmoded both in its scholarly assumptions and its ideological approach. My project is therefore to prepare a new critical edition of the Lettres sur les Anglais, to appear in three volumes in the definitive Oxford Complete works of Voltaire published by the Voltaire Foundation (of which I am general editor). This edition will take full account, for the first time, of all versions of the text and will be accompanied by extensive annotation and commentary. It will be complemented by a comprehensive interpretation of the text in a separate volume, constituting in effect a stand-alone monograph.
The history of the work is complex, because Voltaire published three different versions within the space of twelve months. The first appears in 1733 in London, in English translation, under the title Letters concerning the English nation; the second, in French in London the following year, Lettres écrites de Londres; and the third appeared later the same year, 1734, in Rouen, under the title Lettres philosophiques. Each of these three editions presents a distinct text differing in significant ways from the other two. Voltaire is obliged, for reasons of censorship, to abandon the title Lettres philosophiques, and after the 1730s, the Lettres sur les Anglais (as Voltaire himself referred to the work) become submerged in various miscellaneous collections, so that the identity of the book is eclipsed.
This study of the text will explore in new depth the genesis of the work and the nature and extent of its influence. It is important now to re-examine the importance of English thought for Voltaire, from the perspective of modern interpretations of the Enlightenment. The Lettres are not purely a satire against Ancien Régime France written for a French readership; the work is also aimed at a broader European readership, and makes a pivotal contribution to the growth and nature of the European Enlightenment. Neither is it simply a work about England, and the work should also be studied from a broader historiographical perspective. It is in the Lettres sur les Anglais, in the context of the Quarrel of the Ancients and Moderns, that Voltaire begins to develop his thinking about the history of cultures, and my research will focus therefore on the decisive importance of the journey to England for the evolution of Voltaire as a historian.
Voltaire's Lettres sur les Anglais, a work made up of some 24 short chapters, are a masterpiece of the early Enlightenment and a pivotal text for the standard narrative of how English thought (Bacon, Locke, Newton) shaped eighteenth-century French, and so European, culture. Surprisingly, given its obvious importance, the work has been little studied in recent years. Hardly known in the nineteenth century, the work was rediscoved and 'reinvented' by the eminent critic Gustave Lanson, who in 1909 published the edition which is still authoritative today under the title Lettres philosophiques. This edition is now outmoded both in its scholarly assumptions and its ideological approach. My project is therefore to prepare a new critical edition of the Lettres sur les Anglais, to appear in three volumes in the definitive Oxford Complete works of Voltaire published by the Voltaire Foundation (of which I am general editor). This edition will take full account, for the first time, of all versions of the text and will be accompanied by extensive annotation and commentary. It will be complemented by a comprehensive interpretation of the text in a separate volume, constituting in effect a stand-alone monograph.
The history of the work is complex, because Voltaire published three different versions within the space of twelve months. The first appears in 1733 in London, in English translation, under the title Letters concerning the English nation; the second, in French in London the following year, Lettres écrites de Londres; and the third appeared later the same year, 1734, in Rouen, under the title Lettres philosophiques. Each of these three editions presents a distinct text differing in significant ways from the other two. Voltaire is obliged, for reasons of censorship, to abandon the title Lettres philosophiques, and after the 1730s, the Lettres sur les Anglais (as Voltaire himself referred to the work) become submerged in various miscellaneous collections, so that the identity of the book is eclipsed.
This study of the text will explore in new depth the genesis of the work and the nature and extent of its influence. It is important now to re-examine the importance of English thought for Voltaire, from the perspective of modern interpretations of the Enlightenment. The Lettres are not purely a satire against Ancien Régime France written for a French readership; the work is also aimed at a broader European readership, and makes a pivotal contribution to the growth and nature of the European Enlightenment. Neither is it simply a work about England, and the work should also be studied from a broader historiographical perspective. It is in the Lettres sur les Anglais, in the context of the Quarrel of the Ancients and Moderns, that Voltaire begins to develop his thinking about the history of cultures, and my research will focus therefore on the decisive importance of the journey to England for the evolution of Voltaire as a historian.
Planned Impact
The principal outcomes of this research project, the edition in the Complete works of Voltaire and the international conference, are primarily aimed at the academic community. Nevertheless the issues at the heart of the project, Enlightenment values, questions about English and European identities, and the history of science, are ones that can interest the educated public. Alongside the main research activities, I plan to disseminate the results to a broader audience via different media: on radio programmes, through public lectures, in a paperback edition, and in a magazine article, addressing key themes that I believe will 'speak' to members of the broader public.
1. Voltaire and England
I have considerable experience in talking about Voltaire on BBC radio, most recently on the Radio 4 programme 'In Our Time,' which draws an estimated two million listeners every week. My proposal is to use this connection to suggest a programme on the theme 'Voltaire and England', for which the connection with the Lettres sur les Anglais is obvious. The use of this medium would enable a large number of members of the general public to come into contact with the new conclusions I will draw about Voltaire and his Lettres in an enjoyable and approachable way. The theme is a popular one: programmes and articles exploring questions of national identity, perceptions of nationality and of how one nation influenced another have become a genre in their own right. The questions raised around 'Voltaire and England' will further form the basis for a public lecture in London at the Institut français, where I would develop the idea from a more strictly French angle. Finally, I have approached the magazine History Today to propose a popular article for one of their 2015 or 2016 issues, on the idea of Voltaire as 'presenter' or 'spin doctor' of English ideas in France. History Today has a circulation of roughly 30,000 and will potentially reach a different audience from that of the radio programme.
2. Voltaire and science
Another important theme in the Lettres sur les Anglais is scientific progress, as represented by the thought of Bacon, Locke and Newton. By a happy coincidence, the Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities (TORCH) has chosen for 2015 the theme of the humanities and science, and I will contribute to this by organising a public dialogue with American Newton specialist J. B. Shank, in which we shall discuss Voltaire's role as a populariser of scientific thought in the eighteenth century. The tone of this event will be unlike that of an academic conference, and the discussion should be entertaining and engaging. I am also exploring the possibility of giving a public lecture on this theme at the Royal Society.
3. Lettres sur les Anglais as a work
It strikes me as fundamental, in rethinking the work that has, until now, been known as the Lettres philosophiques, that not only the academic community, but also the general public should become aware of the shift that I will be proposing concerning this work's profound and lasting significance. The Lettres are, after all, a major Voltaire text and one with which many French people, as well as those who have studied eighteenth-century French literature or Enlightenment thought, have a passing acquaintance. It is therefore vital that the text and main lines of my interpretation should be made generally available in a form that will be accessible - both intellectually and financially - to students, teachers and members of the general public. For this reason an affordable paperback edition is essential, and the Voltaire Foundation will grant paperback rights for the text to a French publisher known for their good quality, mass-market productions of literary works. The obvious choice is Gallimard's 'Folio' collection, with whom I already have contacts.
1. Voltaire and England
I have considerable experience in talking about Voltaire on BBC radio, most recently on the Radio 4 programme 'In Our Time,' which draws an estimated two million listeners every week. My proposal is to use this connection to suggest a programme on the theme 'Voltaire and England', for which the connection with the Lettres sur les Anglais is obvious. The use of this medium would enable a large number of members of the general public to come into contact with the new conclusions I will draw about Voltaire and his Lettres in an enjoyable and approachable way. The theme is a popular one: programmes and articles exploring questions of national identity, perceptions of nationality and of how one nation influenced another have become a genre in their own right. The questions raised around 'Voltaire and England' will further form the basis for a public lecture in London at the Institut français, where I would develop the idea from a more strictly French angle. Finally, I have approached the magazine History Today to propose a popular article for one of their 2015 or 2016 issues, on the idea of Voltaire as 'presenter' or 'spin doctor' of English ideas in France. History Today has a circulation of roughly 30,000 and will potentially reach a different audience from that of the radio programme.
2. Voltaire and science
Another important theme in the Lettres sur les Anglais is scientific progress, as represented by the thought of Bacon, Locke and Newton. By a happy coincidence, the Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities (TORCH) has chosen for 2015 the theme of the humanities and science, and I will contribute to this by organising a public dialogue with American Newton specialist J. B. Shank, in which we shall discuss Voltaire's role as a populariser of scientific thought in the eighteenth century. The tone of this event will be unlike that of an academic conference, and the discussion should be entertaining and engaging. I am also exploring the possibility of giving a public lecture on this theme at the Royal Society.
3. Lettres sur les Anglais as a work
It strikes me as fundamental, in rethinking the work that has, until now, been known as the Lettres philosophiques, that not only the academic community, but also the general public should become aware of the shift that I will be proposing concerning this work's profound and lasting significance. The Lettres are, after all, a major Voltaire text and one with which many French people, as well as those who have studied eighteenth-century French literature or Enlightenment thought, have a passing acquaintance. It is therefore vital that the text and main lines of my interpretation should be made generally available in a form that will be accessible - both intellectually and financially - to students, teachers and members of the general public. For this reason an affordable paperback edition is essential, and the Voltaire Foundation will grant paperback rights for the text to a French publisher known for their good quality, mass-market productions of literary works. The obvious choice is Gallimard's 'Folio' collection, with whom I already have contacts.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Nicholas Cronk (Principal Investigator / Fellow) |
Publications
Cronk N
(2015)
UNE LETTRE INÉDITE DE VOLTAIRE A LA REINE CAROLINE (D330a)
in French Studies Bulletin
Cronk N E
(2017)
Voltaire: A Very Short Introduction
Cronk, N
(2015)
'Choses vues ou choses lues? Autour du théâtre anglais dans les Lettres sur les Anglais'
in Revue Voltaire,
| Description | As we researched into this text, we realised we could enhance the overall project by broadening the team and involving other specialisms. In particular, for the annotation of Letter 13 ('On Locke'), we brought in an international team (A. McKenna and G. Mori) who are in parallel editing the clandestine manuscript ('On the Soul') which deals with similar material but in a different way, and which may be a precursor to the printed letter. Similarly, for the annotation of Letter 25 ('On Pascal') we have brought in a young doctoral student from France (N. Fréry), who brings specialist knowledge on the reception of Pascal. Key Findings (MArch 2019) The extent and importance of Voltaire's connections with England were never in doubt, but the research carried out for this project has enabled us to recalibrate, and in some cases rewrite, that traditional narrative. In particular, we have been able to show the seminal importance of the clandestine manuscript 'Lettre sur Locke' in the evolution of Voltaire's religious thinking. Secondly, we have been able to prove the importance of Sir William Temple as a cultural and literary model for Voltaire's project - something that had not before been recognised. Voltaire's attempt to write what we would now call cultural history, attempting to provide a synthesised account of a nation's culture, has an antecedent in Temple's account of Dutch culture prepared for the English. It emerges that Voltaire's conceptions of (and preconceptions about) the English are in some part formed by received opinion in England about Dutch Protestant culture. The crucial finding of our research to date concerns the seminal place that the Lettres sur les Anglais occupy in the literary and intellectual history of the European Enlightenment. The work has always been seen as an influential work, but the fact that it was not reprinted after 1739 (for reasons of censorship) meant that critics jumped to the conclusion that the work's influence diminished significantly thereafter. In alliance with colleagues in Chicago and Paris, we have used cutting-edge digital humanities techniques of data searching (notably sequence alignment) to trace echoes and rewritings of the work, and have made surprising and important discoveries: for example, although the Lettres sur les Anglais or Lettres philosophiques are nowhere named in Diderot's Encyclopédie, it emerges that the text is alluded to or paraphrased on a number of occasions. Voltaire's work on England remains vitally present in French Enlightenment culture, even though censorship prevents it from being named. Q. How might the findings be taken forward and by whom? In placing the Lettres sur les Anglais in the broader context of the European Enlightenment, we can better assess both the work, and the movement of ideas of which it formed such a crucial part. In the past, the Lettres sur les Anglais have mostly attracted the interest of literary critics; in the future, in the light of our edition and the research generated by it, our hope is that the work will also attract the close interest of historians and of historians of ideas. This work invites us to reassess Voltaire's 'radical' contribution to the Enlightenment. |
| Exploitation Route | The co-existence of manuscript and print is a particular complexity of publication in the first half of the French eighteenth century. Our detailed study of the mutual dependency of Letter 13 and the manuscript 'On the Soul' is a case in point, and our work on the edition will be of interest more broadly to all those interested in print culture in the early modern period. |
| Sectors | Education Culture Heritage Museums and Collections |
| Description | "Les Lettres philosophiques de Voltaire: les problèmes et les enjeux", talk given to students at the University of Berne |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | "Les Lettres philosophiques de Voltaire: les problèmes et les enjeux", talk given to students at the University of Berne (27 May 2015). A talk & discussion about the particular problems posed by this critical edition, aimed at undergraduates and graduates. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | "Voltaire and the English", talk given at Bath Royal Literary & Scientific Institution |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | "Voltaire and the English", talk given at Bath Royal Literary & Scientific Institution, as part of a cycle of lectures on the Enlightenment, (Wednesday 14 January 2015). Aimed at presenting the Lettres sur les Anglais to a broad public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | "Voltaire's career as a scientist" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | "Voltaire's career as a scientist", lecture given at conference 'Voltaire and the Newtonian Revolution', St Cross College, University of Oxford (28 February 2015). Link to podcast of lecture: < http://www.stx.ox.ac.uk/voltaire-and-newtonian-revolution-professor-nicholas-cronk >. Aimed at presenting the subject of Voltaire and England to an academic, but non-specialist, audience |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | 'Voltaire in London:Cultural life in the 1720s' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Supporters |
| Results and Impact | Talk given at the Handel House museum, London to c 50 supporters, general public, potential donors to extend the reach of the research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Of Voltaire's London years and the Lettres sur les Anglais - blogpost |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Longer blogpost to draw attention to the outputs of the research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://voltairefoundation.wordpress.com/tag/lettres-sur-les-anglais/ |
| Description | Stories around the Lettres sur les Anglais webpages |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Stories around the Lettres sur les Anglais webpages provide additional resources to support and enrich a reading of Voltaire's Lettres sur les Anglais at an accessible level. Topics include Quakers in 18th-century England Religion in 18th-century England Inoculation Locke and the question of the soul Newtonianism Theatre Poetry The Royal Society |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://www.voltaire.ox.ac.uk |
| Description | Talk Voltaire and London |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Supporters |
| Results and Impact | Successful talk to raise funds, 3 donations received. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |