Customer Reviews (1)

The Art of Historiography
Fritz Stern has compiled a wide-ranging collection of original source materials written by historians, ancient and modern, that illuminate the nature of history as a discipline and a process. Beginning with Voltaire and Barthold Niebuhr and progressing through Macaulay, Jaures, Turner, Trevelyan, Beard, Barzun, and ending with C. Vann Woodward, Stern focuses on different roles history has assumed over a period of thousands of years as well as the various genres and subtopics in which history has made itself a home. These topics include cultural history, economic history, literature, positivism, materialism, scientific history, relativism and others. Stern opens each chapter and discussion of a new historian with insightful preliminary and background information that helps to set the historian in a better context than if it were not to appear. Other than this, his presence is undetectable, which speaks to his ability as a historian himself to remain detached from his work.

Any university level historiography course needs this work either as a main text or as a supplementary text given its survey-like nature. Stern opens each chapter and discussion of a new historian with insightful preliminary and background information that helps to set the historian in a better context than if it were not to appear. Each featured historian presents or engages a new variety of history, as the title enunciates, and provides further evidence of the depth and breadth of history as a scholarly subject as well as a process spread out over time.

The intense and quite complex nature of the selections make this book a perfect fit for an upper level university or graduate level historiography course. Furthermore, any reader who wishes to supplement any knowledge of history would be well served by this work. High school students intending to pursue history as a major might also read this as a prelude to what lies ahead. ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Poetry / General; ... Read more

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Born in the final years of the seventeenth century, and dying a decade before the beginning of the French Revolution, Voltaire was a quintessential figure of the eighteenth century. He was the most popular and influential dramatist of his time, creating successful works in all the most appealing genres of the period--comedy, tragedy, opera, comic opera, and court spectacle. This book chronicles his life and dramatic achievements and thus illuminates much of eighteenth century culture. His theatrical biography involves all aspects of acting and staging in amateur and society theatre as well as on major professional stages and performances at court. His extended visits to England and Germany are covered in chapters that also provide an introduction to the theatre of the period in those countries, and his international interests and correspondence provide insights into the eighteenth century theatre in places such as Italy, Russia, and Denmark. ... Read more

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This Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Classic includes a glossary and reader's notes to help the modern reader appreciate Voltaire's complex approach to the human condition.FRANCOIS-MARIE AROUET VOLTAIRE'S satiric attack, Candide, first appearing in 1759, mocked the Enlightenment notion that this is the best of all possible worlds and that suffering is merely the result of free will. Through the misadventures of philosopher and teacher Dr. Pangloss and his student Candide as they travel the world-fleeing invasions, earthquakes, pirates, and brutal executions-we learn that the true meaning of life is to "cultivate your garden."One of the world's most widely read classics, Candide is as rich and relevant today as it was when Voltaire wrote it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Voltaire at his most sarcastic
This was required reading for a graduate course in the Humanities.A great story and important historical work in literature.Voltaire was a Renaissance Christian humanist who played a role in the development of the Enlightenment.

On the one hand, the structure of his novel Candide is Homeric, it is the journey narrative, the hero with a thousand faces, but it is a satirical restructuring of that classical motif of the hero on a quest.What is the importance of the quest in Candide?What is the quest about in the classical sense?The quest is about learning.In the classical sense the hero leaves, has to acquire some sort of knowledge, learn a set of skills that is going to help him or her enact the quest surmount the obstacles that they encounter at one point or another, and the finally what does the hero have to accomplish?What is out there the "Holy Grail" The prize, the whole quest is about attaining some sort of ultimate end or some sort of ultimate knowledge.Does it end there?No, you got to go back with that knowledge, because the quest is never just about attaining the goal, it's about bringing it home to make everybody better, to restore the community.The individual quest, the heroic quest in the classical sense always has a larger social corrective end.The purpose of the individual, the function of the individual all depends on his ability to return to the collective, whatever it is that he has found that he has acquired that is going to change the way things are.Now how does that compare to the journey or quest narrative in Candide?Contrary to the notion of what prepares us for the world, OK here is the important structure of the journey or the quest, and the critique of knowledge by Voltaire.It is contrary to the idea of the knowledge that we acquire prepares us for the world.That each new bit of knowledge that we acquire, prepares us for the next step, and prepares us for the next stage.Contrary to the idea that life is somehow to be understood or that human history is somehow to be understood as a journey organized around progress, around betterment advancement acquiring new knowledge more knowledge more science more learning, we're getting better again, Candide tells the story that goes in the opposite direction.So, then you acquire knowledge and then you spend the rest of the journey finding out that the knowledge is useless, bit by bit, and every lesson you've acquired has to be cast aside, everything you learn you have to abandon.Instead of gaining and getting better, it is throwing off, letting go, and getting worse.Where does Voltaire want us in the end to think of the notion and narrative of progress?


Of course, you know that Candide is steeped in so many of the political and philosophical controversies of the 1750's.One of his big critiques is of the philosopher Leibnitz who said that `this is the best of all possible worlds," the idea championed by Leibnitz was a simple version of the philosophy espoused by enlightenment philosophers that the existence of any evil in the world was a sign that god was not entirely good or very powerful.The idea of an imperfect god would be nonsensical.So if you are a philosopher who takes for granted that god exists, you would have to conclude logically; and here is where humanities and Christianity really start messing with each other in all kinds of obvious ways, that god is perfect if you logically conclude that god exists.Therefore, his creation, the world, and man must also be perfect.According to many enlightenment philosophers, people perceived imperfections of the world only because they do not get the plan.This is a teleological idea of the world.Now obviously Voltaire does not accept this theory, or that god or any god has to exist.Therefore, he makes fun of the idea that the world is completely good.Much of the novel is a satire addressed to the notion that the optimists who witness countless horrors and unbelievable injustice such as floggings, robberies, and earthquakes will always find a way to write it off.They will say, `oh well there must be part of a plan, even though none of these calamities seem to serve any good at all it must point to human cruelty ignorance and barbarism and points to the indifference of the natural world.Pangloss the philosopher in the book throughout the story is always trying to find some justification forthe terrible things that he sees and the arguments that he makes seem increasingly to be absurd, like his quote that "Syphilis needed to be transmitted from the new world to Europe so that Europeans couldtaste new world delicacies.What other things is Voltaire criticizing here that connects to some of the debates that define the enlightenment period of the 1750's Religion?Religion- He criticizes the whole hypocrisy of religion.In the book, Voltaire has a parade of corrupt hypocritical religious leaders who are like the Pope that has a daughter (should have been celibate).Hard line Catholic inquisitors, a Franciscan monk who should have vow of poverty but is a jewel thief.Here Voltaire provides countless examples of the immorality and hypocrisy of religious leaders, he does not really condemn believers per say, he is really out to attack church leadership and church hierarchy.For example Jacques, who is an Anabaptist is arguably one of the most generous and humane characters.

What else does Voltaire criticize or satirize?Wealth- money corrupts; Candide seems to have more problems when he has lots of money.Things get worse he gets unhappy.An interesting point, Voltaire was deeply involved in a debate with the many deep thinkers of his time, most notably was Rousseau, who lambasted the aristocracy.Voltaire himself really moved very comfortably among aristocratic circles and interestingly the French enlightenment philosophy really took off among the French aristocracy.Since they had the leisure time to contemplate so many of the new ideas in reason, science and rationalism and his notions of progress and advancement were ideas that were principally championed and discussed by members of the French aristocracy.Therefore, it was among some of the idle members of the French aristocrats that these enlightenment philosophers were able to find their most ardent followers.Despite the fact that the church and the state were not more often that not completely allied with each other, kings could be attracted on occasion to arguments that seemed to undermine the authority of the church.The fact that the aristocrats were very much unaware of the precariousness of their position tended to make them overconfident.Dabbling in some new ideas that were part of the enlightenment movement caused them not to take seriously the kind of jeopardy they were in or what the enlightenment would lead to in the championing of the common man and the overthrow of the French aristocracy.Because they found these ideas somewhat new, interesting, and exciting and they did not really see this as at all leading inexorably to the demise of the aristocratic class.Now of course it was thinkers like Rousseau not at all like Voltaire on this particular point that made his chief adversary.Rousseau distrusted the aristocrats out of a hunger to overthrow the class but because he believed that people of wealth betrayed decent traditional values.Rousseau opposed the theatre, which is Voltaire's lifeblood; he shunned the aristocracy, which Voltaire very much courted.He courted their attention he courted their interests.Rousseau argued for something dangerous like democratic revolution, and Voltaire argued that equality was impossible it would never come about.Rousseau argued that inequality was not only natural but that if it were taken too far it would make any decent government a total impossibility.Voltaire was very charming and witty, which led largely to his success in moving about aristocratic and social circles.Rousseau insisted on his own correctness and was not a charming person to be around; he was very intense and very serious about his ideas.Voltaire endlessly repeated the same handful of core enlightenment notions, where as Rousseau was a deeply original thinker.Who was always challenging his own way of thinking contradicting himself, coming up with ideas on the equality of education, the family, the government, and the arts in a matter that was much more radical than Voltaire was ever willing to go along with.They were both skeptics, and Voltaire is nothing if not a skeptic.

What does Voltaire do with the idea of philosophy in Candide?Philosophy- What is the value of philosophical speculation?It is useless for Voltaire; it is one of Pangloss' biggest flaws.Abstract philosophical argument is not based on any real world evidence.In the chaotic world of this novel, philosophical speculation repeatedly proves to be useless, and at times even dangerous.Time and again it prevents the characters from making any useful assessment of the world around them, it prevents them from bringing about any kind of change, it prevent them from thinking that they might try to bring about some social change.Pangloss is the character most susceptible to this kind of foolishness.Example, while Jacques is drowning, Pangloss stops Candide from saving him by proving that the bay was formed for Jacques to drown in.Therefore, at the end of course at the novels conclusion Candide rejects Pangloss' philosophies.If philosophical speculation is useless, what does Voltaire suggest you put in its place?Hard practical work in general.Therefore, it is somewhat surprising in that sense that this judgment against philosophy that is portrayed in the book becomes very dramatic when we think about Voltaire's own status as a philosopher.

What about the garden at the end of the novel?At the end of the novel Candide defines happiness in raising vegetables.On the one hand it is indicative of the turning away from the following of philosophy, from the abstract speculative nature of philosophy towards something hands on something pragmatic.Does the garden have a symbolic resonance to it?Is it related to the Garden of Eden?For Adam and Eve the garden is the beginning of their troubles, here it is the end of their troubles.It is the end of the narrative the end of their quest, their journey, and the end of their travails.This is where they wind up this is where they retreat.In the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve do not have to work to have fruits of the garden; this garden requires work, and constant tending.In that I think the garden here represents much, more in a very different way than the biblical garden represents.An embrace of life, but an embrace of life of what?For all the horror, hardships, and nightmares that these characters experience throughout the entire course of the text, at the end, they embrace life; they take it they say yes.

The status of knowledge in Voltaire, what do we know?The garden is a final retreat from activism, or social engagement in the world.Finally, what Voltaire is saying is look go back to the basics.Do not try to change, analyze the world, or try to speculate about the nature of our existence.Retreat into your own sphere and do not mess with the world around you, because ultimately you are powerless, to do anything in this world.I think Voltaire is commenting on in a sense the Utopian impulse and imagination.Specifically as it influenced enlightenment philosophers of the period with respect to the notion of progress and advancement.

Recommended reading for anyone interested in history, psychology, philosophy, and literature.

... Read more

Product Description
Candide, Voltaire's magnum opusis a literary work which, for its biting wit and insightful portrayal of the human condition, has often been mimicked by later authors and adapted for the stage (the most notable of which is Leonard Bernstein's 1956 comic operetta) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Voltaire at his most sarcastic
This was required reading for a graduate course in the Humanities.A great story and important historical work in literature.Voltaire was a Renaissance Christian humanist who played a role in the development of the Enlightenment.

On the one hand, the structure of his novel Candide is Homeric, it is the journey narrative, the hero with a thousand faces, but it is a satirical restructuring of that classical motif of the hero on a quest.What is the importance of the quest in Candide?What is the quest about in the classical sense?The quest is about learning.In the classical sense the hero leaves, has to acquire some sort of knowledge, learn a set of skills that is going to help him or her enact the quest surmount the obstacles that they encounter at one point or another, and the finally what does the hero have to accomplish?What is out there the "Holy Grail" The prize, the whole quest is about attaining some sort of ultimate end or some sort of ultimate knowledge.Does it end there?No, you got to go back with that knowledge, because the quest is never just about attaining the goal, it's about bringing it home to make everybody better, to restore the community.The individual quest, the heroic quest in the classical sense always has a larger social corrective end.The purpose of the individual, the function of the individual all depends on his ability to return to the collective, whatever it is that he has found that he has acquired that is going to change the way things are.Now how does that compare to the journey or quest narrative in Candide?Contrary to the notion of what prepares us for the world, OK here is the important structure of the journey or the quest, and the critique of knowledge by Voltaire.It is contrary to the idea of the knowledge that we acquire prepares us for the world.That each new bit of knowledge that we acquire, prepares us for the next step, and prepares us for the next stage.Contrary to the idea that life is somehow to be understood or that human history is somehow to be understood as a journey organized around progress, around betterment advancement acquiring new knowledge more knowledge more science more learning, we're getting better again, Candide tells the story that goes in the opposite direction.So, then you acquire knowledge and then you spend the rest of the journey finding out that the knowledge is useless, bit by bit, and every lesson you've acquired has to be cast aside, everything you learn you have to abandon.Instead of gaining and getting better, it is throwing off, letting go, and getting worse.Where does Voltaire want us in the end to think of the notion and narrative of progress?


Of course, you know that Candide is steeped in so many of the political and philosophical controversies of the 1750's.One of his big critiques is of the philosopher Leibnitz who said that `this is the best of all possible worlds," the idea championed by Leibnitz was a simple version of the philosophy espoused by enlightenment philosophers that the existence of any evil in the world was a sign that god was not entirely good or very powerful.The idea of an imperfect god would be nonsensical.So if you are a philosopher who takes for granted that god exists, you would have to conclude logically; and here is where humanities and Christianity really start messing with each other in all kinds of obvious ways, that god is perfect if you logically conclude that god exists.Therefore, his creation, the world, and man must also be perfect.According to many enlightenment philosophers, people perceived imperfections of the world only because they do not get the plan.This is a teleological idea of the world.Now obviously Voltaire does not accept this theory, or that god or any god has to exist.Therefore, he makes fun of the idea that the world is completely good.Much of the novel is a satire addressed to the notion that the optimists who witness countless horrors and unbelievable injustice such as floggings, robberies, and earthquakes will always find a way to write it off.They will say, `oh well there must be part of a plan, even though none of these calamities seem to serve any good at all it must point to human cruelty ignorance and barbarism and points to the indifference of the natural world.Pangloss the philosopher in the book throughout the story is always trying to find some justification forthe terrible things that he sees and the arguments that he makes seem increasingly to be absurd, like his quote that "Syphilis needed to be transmitted from the new world to Europe so that Europeans couldtaste new world delicacies.What other things is Voltaire criticizing here that connects to some of the debates that define the enlightenment period of the 1750's Religion?Religion- He criticizes the whole hypocrisy of religion.In the book, Voltaire has a parade of corrupt hypocritical religious leaders who are like the Pope that has a daughter (should have been celibate).Hard line Catholic inquisitors, a Franciscan monk who should have vow of poverty but is a jewel thief.Here Voltaire provides countless examples of the immorality and hypocrisy of religious leaders, he does not really condemn believers per say, he is really out to attack church leadership and church hierarchy.For example Jacques, who is an Anabaptist is arguably one of the most generous and humane characters.

What else does Voltaire criticize or satirize?Wealth- money corrupts; Candide seems to have more problems when he has lots of money.Things get worse he gets unhappy.An interesting point, Voltaire was deeply involved in a debate with the many deep thinkers of his time, most notably was Rousseau, who lambasted the aristocracy.Voltaire himself really moved very comfortably among aristocratic circles and interestingly the French enlightenment philosophy really took off among the French aristocracy.Since they had the leisure time to contemplate so many of the new ideas in reason, science and rationalism and his notions of progress and advancement were ideas that were principally championed and discussed by members of the French aristocracy.Therefore, it was among some of the idle members of the French aristocrats that these enlightenment philosophers were able to find their most ardent followers.Despite the fact that the church and the state were not more often that not completely allied with each other, kings could be attracted on occasion to arguments that seemed to undermine the authority of the church.The fact that the aristocrats were very much unaware of the precariousness of their position tended to make them overconfident.Dabbling in some new ideas that were part of the enlightenment movement caused them not to take seriously the kind of jeopardy they were in or what the enlightenment would lead to in the championing of the common man and the overthrow of the French aristocracy.Because they found these ideas somewhat new, interesting, and exciting and they did not really see this as at all leading inexorably to the demise of the aristocratic class.Now of course it was thinkers like Rousseau not at all like Voltaire on this particular point that made his chief adversary.Rousseau distrusted the aristocrats out of a hunger to overthrow the class but because he believed that people of wealth betrayed decent traditional values.Rousseau opposed the theatre, which is Voltaire's lifeblood; he shunned the aristocracy, which Voltaire very much courted.He courted their attention he courted their interests.Rousseau argued for something dangerous like democratic revolution, and Voltaire argued that equality was impossible it would never come about.Rousseau argued that inequality was not only natural but that if it were taken too far it would make any decent government a total impossibility.Voltaire was very charming and witty, which led largely to his success in moving about aristocratic and social circles.Rousseau insisted on his own correctness and was not a charming person to be around; he was very intense and very serious about his ideas.Voltaire endlessly repeated the same handful of core enlightenment notions, where as Rousseau was a deeply original thinker.Who was always challenging his own way of thinking contradicting himself, coming up with ideas on the equality of education, the family, the government, and the arts in a matter that was much more radical than Voltaire was ever willing to go along with.They were both skeptics, and Voltaire is nothing if not a skeptic.

What does Voltaire do with the idea of philosophy in Candide?Philosophy- What is the value of philosophical speculation?It is useless for Voltaire; it is one of Pangloss' biggest flaws.Abstract philosophical argument is not based on any real world evidence.In the chaotic world of this novel, philosophical speculation repeatedly proves to be useless, and at times even dangerous.Time and again it prevents the characters from making any useful assessment of the world around them, it prevents them from bringing about any kind of change, it prevent them from thinking that they might try to bring about some social change.Pangloss is the character most susceptible to this kind of foolishness.Example, while Jacques is drowning, Pangloss stops Candide from saving him by proving that the bay was formed for Jacques to drown in.Therefore, at the end of course at the novels conclusion Candide rejects Pangloss' philosophies.If philosophical speculation is useless, what does Voltaire suggest you put in its place?Hard practical work in general.Therefore, it is somewhat surprising in that sense that this judgment against philosophy that is portrayed in the book becomes very dramatic when we think about Voltaire's own status as a philosopher.

What about the garden at the end of the novel?At the end of the novel Candide defines happiness in raising vegetables.On the one hand it is indicative of the turning away from the following of philosophy, from the abstract speculative nature of philosophy towards something hands on something pragmatic.Does the garden have a symbolic resonance to it?Is it related to the Garden of Eden?For Adam and Eve the garden is the beginning of their troubles, here it is the end of their troubles.It is the end of the narrative the end of their quest, their journey, and the end of their travails.This is where they wind up this is where they retreat.In the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve do not have to work to have fruits of the garden; this garden requires work, and constant tending.In that I think the garden here represents much, more in a very different way than the biblical garden represents.An embrace of life, but an embrace of life of what?For all the horror, hardships, and nightmares that these characters experience throughout the entire course of the text, at the end, they embrace life; they take it they say yes.

The status of knowledge in Voltaire, what do we know?The garden is a final retreat from activism, or social engagement in the world.Finally, what Voltaire is saying is look go back to the basics.Do not try to change, analyze the world, or try to speculate about the nature of our existence.Retreat into your own sphere and do not mess with the world around you, because ultimately you are powerless, to do anything in this world.I think Voltaire is commenting on in a sense the Utopian impulse and imagination.Specifically as it influenced enlightenment philosophers of the period with respect to the notion of progress and advancement.

Recommended reading for anyone interested in history, psychology, philosophy, and literature.

... Read more

Product Description
Un forastero llamado Dalessius llega a un puerto con el corazon de Voltaire en un frasco y la obsesion no menos terrible por una mujer. Con estos elementos iniciales y el trasfondo de las ruinas del Antiguo Regimen, ocassionadas por la Revolucion Francesa, la novela consgue colocar a Voltaire y al arte de la la renovacioon de ese arte. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Do not buy this edition
As an avid reader of military history, I was keen to learn more on King Charles XII of Sweden. Unfortunately I am none the wiser on recieving my copy of this book. In fact calling it a book is a stretch, it is a photocopy of a book, a badly copied photocopy of a book. In some sections ink blotches cover parts of the text, rendering them unreadable. In other sections the text is barely visible, again rendering it unreadable. If you wish to study King Charles XII, find another publication.

the history of a hero, written as history ought to be written
Why should one read a book by a 18-th century Frenchman on some obscure 18-th century king of Sweden?

The author: whenever I read Voltaire, the great writer, historian, poet and philosopher of the enlightment, I'm fascinated by his vivid style of writing and his choice of subject; here Voltaire writes the history of Charles XII, king of Sweden, and he writes this history as history ought to be written:
concisely, vividly and separating fact from fiction.

The subject: there are at least three reasons to be interested in Charles XII:
(1) The first time I heard of Charles XII was when I read that Napoleon, while sitting in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, and beginning to realize that his Russian adventure may not turn out as favorable as he had hoped, studied Voltaire's history of the Charles XII - for good reason: Charles XII was the first whose arms had made all of Europe tremble, until he invaded Russia and failed as miserably as Napoleon would in 1812 and Hitler in 1941-45; in all three cases the Russian invasion exhausted the resources of the invader and led, at the end of the day, to his downfall.
(2) The great rival of Charles XII was nobody less than the fascinating Russian reformer Peter the Great.
(3) Charles XII was according to Voltaire not a great man, but "the most extraordinary man, perhaps, that ever appeared in the world": the young king Charles XII read the histories of Ceasar and Alexander the Great, and when a great European alliance was formed to annihilate the Swedish empire which the young king had inherited, he set out from Sweden in 1700 in search of glory, and, as daring and courageous as man can be, he found plenty of glory on Europe's battlefields.

In sum, I found this book highly interesting and can recommend it to all readers with an interest in history in general and the Napoleonic/Hitlerite invasion of Russia in particular.
... Read more

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That adorably evil plush toy from another world is back and this time he's taking on the land of the rising sun! This time, Voltaire turns his usual sardonic spin towards Japanese culture. Sushi, Godzilla movies, karaoke and knife-wielding Japanese ex-girlfriends all get skewered in this all new collection of Deady misadventures! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Deady is not a half bad series
When I started looking into the Deady Series it did at first seem not only interesting, but something different.

I don't want to say that this is the worst comic you can get your hands on. But it seriously depends if your into preverted and odd humor which can be seen in all of the Deady Books. The art style itself is very different from what you would normaly see in more traditional americanized comics.




... Read more

Product Description
This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Volume: 42; Original Published by: E.R. Du Mont in 1901 in 386 pages; Subjects: History / Europe / France; History / Europe / Russia & the Former Soviet Union; Literary Criticism / European / French; ... Read more

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Voltaire's "Letters" show his scientific and philosophical interests, as well as his admiration for the tolerance and freedon of speech in England. ... Read more

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Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Voltaire versus the Procrustean bed of modern psychotherapy
Well researched and filled with interesting details, this work nevertheless suffers from the author's commitment to illustrating psychological principles through his interpretations of Voltaire's life.As is often the case in such works the reader ends up having to separate the imposed theory from the narrative.A pity that Voltaire isn't around to aim his wit at the intellectual system used here to illuminate the author's agenda more than the subject, a unique genius.

New Views on Voltaire
New Views on Voltaire

Although dead for 230 years, Voltaire continues to intrigue, entertain, and enlighten people from all callings.Where did his aggressive attachment to Reason and determination to fight for individual freedom arise from, and what was within the writer that compelled him to perceive the world so critically and then comment so sharply on it?The tendency has been to refer to Voltaire's position in society, to his intelligence, and to historical factors that led to the Age of Enlightenment.But the essence of Man lies within his soul, mind, and personal experiences, the various foundations of his psychological make-up and subsequent reactions, and not in historical conditions and movements.

It is this personal and psychological essence of Voltaire that Alexander Nemeth astutely perceives and closely analyzes in Voltaire's Tormented Soul:A Psychobiographic Inquiry.It is a detailed view of Voltaire, the person, which, first, presents a clear idea of what the poet/philosophe accomplished with his satire socially, philosophically.But, then the inquiry takes readers deeply and intimately into a consideration of how his mind worked in response to personal relationships, experiences, and inner needs.In essence we are in the analyst's clinical office observing Voltaire on the "couch."

This is a fascinating book for all sorts of people--scholars of literature, history, French culture, and, of course, psychology.But the clarity of the presentation makes it also a lively and accessible read for non-academics.Voltaire, himself, as well as the various personalities he associates with (family, love interests, political figures, royalty, members of various societal strata) come to life, and the events make for a compelling narrative. All are thoroughly and scientifically scrutinized in a fashion that lifts the analysis well above the realm of casual speculation and places it on the plateau of convincing conclusions about the workings of Voltaire's mind.

Nemeth, an eminent clinical psychologist, uses his eclectic knowledge of psychology and history to ferret out the nuances of Voltaire's mind.He employs the writings of Voltaire, as well as extensive commentary by his contemporaries, reports of events, and studies by historians and other scholars.Included, also, are definitions of the terminology, theory, and practice of psychological analysis which add clarity to the study.
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Customer Reviews (1)

Handsome vehicle for Voltaire's famous satire
This is a facsimile edition of the very first book ever published by Random House in 1928.It is a handsome book with line drawings by Rockwell Kent on just about every page.There are drawings of the first letter of each chapter, much of them showing the agony suffered by some of the people Candide met during his fanciful adventures.After many of the sentences there is a tiny drawing of some character from the text!The text itself is set in an unusual but fairly readable type designed by Lucian Bernhard.

As for Voltaire's famous story, I must say I was somewhat disappointed.Perhaps I should have read this in the 18th century when it caused such a sensation because of the scandalous way that Voltaire satirized the church, the clergy, and just about everybody else in any position of power or influence.Reading it now, it seems a bit tame.All the horrors and stupidities Voltaire describes seem almost commonplace considering what we have experienced since he made his attack on optimism in 1759.Today we can look back at two world wars, at the Holocaust and Hiroshima, at the war in Vietnam, at terrorism and the latest stupidity in Iraq.Nothing in Candide can compare to these real historical events that have so sorely tested human optimism.We can even look back to the French Revolution and the revolutions that followed in the 19th century, which in a sense Voltaire predicted with his devastating critique of the corrupt and degenerate European society.Or we can recall the Catholic priests and Ted Haggard from yesterday's headlines.Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.

It is difficult to appreciate how deliciously scandalous this was in Voltaire's time since today we are free to criticize the church and our governments, whereas in Voltaire's time such criticisms could land you in the Bastille.Voltaire's legendary reputation for rapier wit and shocking turn of phrase can be found in these pages, but much of it seems diluted because his style has so often been imitated.We have read and reread his imitators, and we have even read some who have improved upon him in some ways, people in America like Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce and H. L. Mencken.We tend to forget where they got their inspiration at least in part.An example from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (episodic in structure much like Candide, by the way) is in the rascals that Huck and Jim meet on the river, the Duke of "Bilgewater" and the "King of France," who, like the six "kings" that Candide sups with in Venice, are out and our frauds and represent the impossible, deluded aspirations of the average person.

This is the work in which we have Dr. Pangloss and his "best of all possible worlds."And this is the work which ends with Candide summing up all the philosophy he has learned in his travels with the words, "'Tis well said, but we must cultivate our gardens." ... Read more

Product Description
A supreme being named Hieronymous Poshe arrives on Earth.His mission?To find signs of intelligent life and keep his species from turning the entire globe into a colossal landing strip.Instead, he's found time and again how pathetic humans can be!Aliens, vampires, teenagers, the Goth scene itself... everyone's a target in this hilarious book!Loaded to bear with satirical dark humor by the world's leading authority, Goth rocker Voltaire! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

no thanks
I thought I could not go wrong with a comic by Voltaire, as I am a huge fan of his music. But this was a letdown.
the Illustration is very poor and thus the story line is hard to follow. Voltaire's humor within this book seems overdone, furthermore I found the satire to be unoriginal, and off-putting. It's not that I can't take a joke, but these jokes are ineffective.

Not bad, just one or two nitpicks...
I like Voltaire's art style, but I wish he'd gone with a more comic-lettering-type font when updating all the lettering, the old English font is a little jarring compared to the surrounding artwork. I also wish he'd kept the dialog balloons as-is rather than overlay them with amorphous whitespace for the text to live in. Other than that, I love the content itself. The same dark humor that permeates his music is showcased here.

-- Ben

Great satire of the goth culture!
Regardless of whether you are a goth, wish you could be one or just love reading the comics that seem to be found in the hands of goth comic fans, you will enjoy this book. Created by goth musician Voltaire, he gives his own humorous spin on the whole goth satire thing. And he does it quite well.

Focusing around the self absorbed alien Heironymous Posch, the comic quickly starts on it's intended purpose- to showcase the good, bad & ugly side of the goth culture. You see just about every single version of goth & in so doing you actually see the same stereotypes that exist in any subculture!

Now don't start thinking that Voltaire isn't capable of poking fun at himself either- he's just as likely to take a potshot at his real life self as much as he will mock any of the random characters in this book. Some people may not like this series, but then those are the people who just don't understand that any way of life can be made fun of!

Phantasmagorical!
First thing you should know about me, the lowly reviewer, is i'm a comic geek and a (somewhat former, I just don't have the energy anymore) goth. But even though I've essentailly cast off my gothic ways I still adore this book.
Our dear boy Voltaire isn't afraid of poking fun at many aspects of the overly serious goth lifestyle that really do need a poking.
It's hilarious, obsured and overall just a very good read. It's printed on high quality paper and my copy has held up very well the past three or four that it's been in my proud possesion. Though I do seem to have, tragically, misplaced it during a recent move *i'm weeping inside* It's good enough that I would consider buying it again.
The only thing I could say against it (and it's a slight one at that) is that he tends to ramble a bit in the last issue, though he makes a joke about just making the last issue up as he went along so that very well might be what happend.
A fine read, good laughs all around and very entertaining, even if you're not a goth.

Oh, and I'd recomend checking out Voltaires music aswell, very funny, my personal favs are "No one loves you when you're evil", "My future ex-girlfriend" and "Dead girls".
Happy reading :)

Pathetic
This "book" is terrible. It's not funny, "goths" are lame, and he stole the name of the greatest satirist of the eighteenth century. Lame. I recommend this book to retards and "goths", although they really are the same thing.
P.S. Goths are (well, were) actually an East Germanic tribe that conquered parts of the Roman Empire. God, do "goths" steal everything? ... Read more