Letters on the English
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Voltaire studied in England between 1726 and 1728. He grew quite fluent in English, and eventually published Letters Concerning the English Nation (also known as Letters on the English) in that language in 1733. It was a series of essays concerning his thoughts on the religion, politics, and culture of England. He later (circa 1778) rewrote the entire text in English and published it as Letters on the English. Most modern English versions are based upon a translation of the French text, rather than Voltaire's own English version.
In some ways, the book can be compared with Democracy in America by Alexis De Tocqueville, in how it flatteringly explains a nation to itself from the perspective of an outsider.
[edit] External links
- Letters on The English at Internet Modern History Sourcebook
- Letters Concerning the English Nation ISBN 0-19-283708-7
