I recently completed reading this
wonderful study of books that impacted the early Enlightenment (1699-1780)
under the general rubric of social history.
The primary source material was bespoke databases of archival materials from the era , an example of the rapidly expanding efforts in the digital humanities, providing insightful reactions to the content, both public and private, at the time of publication and during the 18th Century. The author is masterful in presenting the publishing
history of key authors and works, the drama that was publishing during the
18th Century, reader reactions, Government and Religious
reactions, and the influence of the published content on the evolution of
Enlightenment thought. This is one
of the most enjoyable reads I have completed in the past few years!
The Content via Chapter Titles.
List of Illustrations
Preface
1. The Enlightenment Reading Public
2. Fénelon's Adventures of Telemachus (1699)
3. Montesquieu's Persian Letters (1721)
4. Voltaire's History of Charles XII (1731) &
Montesquieu's Considerations on the Greatness and Decline of the
Romans (1734)
5. Voltaire's Philosophical Letters (1733-1734)
6. Richardson's Pamela (1740)
7. Hume's Essays Moral, Political, and Literary (1741-1742)
8. Graffigny's Letters from a Peruvian Woman (1747)
9. Montesquieu's Spirit of the Laws (1748)
10. Rousseau's Emile (1762)
11. Smith's Wealth of Nations (1776)
12. Raynal's Philosophical and Political History of the Two
Indies (1770-1780)
Focusing
on 12 authors (and their publications) I was excited to learn about the
original publication, early translations, and reception of these classic enlightenment
works in the 18th century and beyond. For many years I have acquired first edition
first printings of key books that have greatly influenced my intellectual (and
life) journey and while every book discussed in this book are one’s I would
covet for my private library they are all to expensive for my collecting budget! As I studied the content, I kept finding
motivation to search for Open Access digital facsimiles of these true First
Editions to experience the content as a reader of the time did. The artifact, the typography, the content as
was experienced upon publication places me within the aura of initial
publication and that means something, at least to me. I can’t own an original,
but I hoped to be able to experience on screen, the experience of reading that first
appearance (in English translation where necessary). I often wonder if the earliest publication of
works that are still important to read, but now, with the look and feel of 21st
Century publication practice, impacts the reader experience differently. While modern editions certainly are helpful
for the reading experience today, the extra effort it takes to experience the
original publication must impact the reader’s reaction to the content and ideas
on offer. That is often my main
motivation to acquire a First Edition and while that is a slow and often
expensive quest to acquire a book I have come to appreciate; I enjoy reading or
browsing digital editions as a viable alternative to the physical artifact. The books presented here included a few I was
unfamiliar with, most notably, The Life and Adventures of Telemachus, Pamela:
or Virtue Rewarded, and Letters of a
Peruvian Princess. Three titles added to my TBR list and if possible, I hope
to read them in digital facsimile and not a contemporary reprint!
I
hope to be able to continue this focus by posting a link to the original
publications, in English, so that others may easily access these key titles
from the 18th Century. Today
I share one to get me started as I am still searching for and befuddled that
the Benjamin Franklin edition of Pamela: or Virtue Rewarded is not
available online and I really want to read a digital facsimile of that particular
artifact, the first novel printed in Colonial America. Seems like a missed
opportunity for digitizing Franklin’s key printing efforts. While my overall goal is to focus on the first
appearance in English, publishing practice in the 18th Century makes
this difficult to pursue. In the end, I
accepted the complex publishing history and am linking to translations from
that era, or at least, shortly after, that are available and represent an early complete translation of
respected editions.
François de Salignac de La Mothe Fénelon, The Adventures of Telemachus was
first published in French in 1699. While
originally an authorized publication celebrated for story and writing, the
popular book eventually was banned for reasons involving an attack on Royalty
and Religion which finally caused the French authorities to ban the book which,
as is often the case, propelled it into best seller status in France and in
translation. I am sharing the
The Adventures of Telemachus, The son
of Ulysses, Fénelon,
François de Salignac de La Mothe-, Manchester, UK, Thomas Johnson (Publisher),
Translator- John Hawksworth, 1847, Retrieved from The
Internet Archive, California Digital Library Collection (accessed 03/19/2023)
Critique of
the Monarchy? A Religious purpose? For children/young adults? Popularized
political philosophy? A grand tale
adored by young and old readers?
A collection
of illustrations from 1808:
From the Art Institute of Chicago website:
“These twelve drawings depict scenes from the French novel The Adventures of Telemachus (Les aventures de Télémaque) by François Fénelon. First published in 1699, it was one of the most popular books of the 1700s and 1800s. Telemachus is the son of Ulysses from Homer’s Odyssey, the first four books of which describe the hero’s search for his father. Fénelon invented further adventures for Telemachus, in which he undergoes many trials while accompanied by his tutor, Mentor, who is actually the goddess Minerva (the embodiment of wisdom) in human disguise. A scathing critique of autocratic government and a diatribe against war, the book denounces luxury and decadence and calls for the simplicity and equality Fénelon believed ancient Greece best exemplified.(The Art Institute of Chicago, accessed 05/30/2023
As I
explored the digital edition, I discovered a set of illustrations from the same
era available from The Art Institute of Chicago’s digital collection. I was amused by viewing the illustrations as
I read through the content of Book 4!
While a publication 148 years after the original publication in French,
this appeared to me to be a fine edition that met my interest in reading an
early complete English translation.
