Le lettere filosofiche di Voltaire

The "Philosophical Letters" are a literary phenomenon created by their author himself. They were originally intended to be published simultaneously in English and French. For some unproven reason, the French edition (probably the original) was lost. The officially recognized edition is the English one. One of the fathers of the French language wrote one of his first major works in English. However, through reconstruction based on the English edition, with the aid of marginal notes in books written and owned by Voltaire, as well as through references he makes to the "Letters Concerning the English Nation" in his vast collection (22,000 letters), Voltaire scholars have managed to reconstruct a French version of them. His work focuses on the customs and habits of the English people. Voltaire fully embraced English culture during his years of exile. He went to the theatre every night and learned English. English critics consider his English to be among the best of any foreigner who ever learned the language. Voltaire speaks not only about old religions but also about new ones, a sceptic who viewed every form of religion with prejudice. He treats the ancient ones with wisdom, but modern ones with detached detachedness. His foundation of knowledge of religions other than Catholicism was based on Calvinism and Huguenotism. The Quakers initially shock him, but a positive transformation occurs in Voltaire as he sees them form an equal society in Pennsylvania. Voltaire's view evolves from prejudiced to optimistic. Voltaire discusses other aspects of English society, from academies to vaccination, from comedy to tragedy. He discusses the enemies of the theatre. The most important sections concern his ability to publish the works of Locke and especially Newton throughout Europe, adopting various cunning strategies of publishing in tolerant venues, publishing under a false name, and denying that he had disseminated his ideas in disguise. His influence in the European courts is greater than it seems. Finally, Voltaire is one of the first rich, important and influential men to have intervened in important trials against innocent (Calvinist) victims and to have paved the way for the future French left-wing intellectuals of the 1960s.