Montesquieu and His World

Selected Correspondence
Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-1-009-74608-3
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 225 Seiten, Gewicht: 500 g

Montesquieu is among the most important figures in the history of political thought, yet his published writings reveal next to nothing regarding his personal life. This volume provides the first English translations of letters revealing the character, lifestyle, and ambitions of this titled aristocrat, landowner, feudal lord, wine producer, and influential author. The letters chosen include intimate details regarding his marriage, family life, dalliances, and literary ambitions alongside frank assessments of French and European politics, warfare, and religion that would have aroused government censors if made public. We learn how eagerly Montesquieu sought entry into Parisian social circles after publishing his Persian Letters (1721), and we see how greatly he valued friendships with Parisian women whose influence at court could protect writers criticizing the existing order. In sum, the letters translated for this volume provide crucial context for his published work, illuminating how his life experiences shaped his worldview.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Weitere Mitwirkende

Carrithers, David

Stewart, Phillip

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction; Note on the texts; Selected correspondence; Montesquieu chronology.

Über Autor(innen)

Carrithers, David
David Carrithers is the Adolph Ochs Professor emeritus of Government at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. He is the author of numerous book chapters and articles assessing Montesquieu's thought and editor or co-editor of five volumes assessing Montesquieu's importance. He is a contributor to the Cambridge Companion to Montesquieu and co-translator of Montesquieu. Discourses, Dissertations, and Dialogues on Politics, Science, and Religion (Cambridge, 2020).

Stewart, Phillip
Philip Stewart is the Benjamin E. Powell Professor emeritus of Romance Studies and Literature at Duke University. He has worked on numerous aspects of Enlightenment literature, philosophy, and art, including L'Invention du sentiment (2010) and Éditer Rousseau: enjeu d'un corpus (2012). He is a co-editor of Montesquieu's correspondence in the ongoing Oeuvres complètes and has published Montesquieui's Correspondance choisie (2015) with Classiques Garnier.