The Age of Voltaire Lib/E: A History of Civlization in Western Europe from 1715 to 1756, with Special Emphasis on the Conflict Between Religion and Philosophy(9 Story of Civilization Lib/E)

The Age of Voltaire, the ninth volume of the Story of Civilization, is an in-depth examination of France and England in the first half of the eighteenth century. In this masterful work, listeners will encounter the English ideas that inspired the Enlightenment in France--skepticism, scientific experiment, constitutional government, "natural rights," and individual liberty; the salons of Paris, where the wits and thinkers of all Europe gathered to exchange ideas; the philosophes--intellectuals, playwrights, and poets who consulted and consorted with kings and queens; Voltaire himself--the incarnation of the Enlightenment and a devotee of reason who still defended religious faith; Mme. Pompadour, patron of the philosophes, who seduced King Louis XV and through him influenced French policy; the Augustan Age in English literature--Alexander Pope's poetry, Jonathan Swift's satires, and the novels of Samuel Richardson and Henry Fielding; and the growing parasitism of the aristocracy and rising power of the commercial class.

About the Author :
Will Durant (1885-1981) was an award-winning American writer, historian, and philosopher. He and his wife were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1968 for Rousseau and Revolution, and he was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Durant spent over forty years writing the critically acclaimed eleven-volume Story of Civilization, the later volumes with the help of his wife, Ariel. He sought to revitalize history by unifying and humanizing the great body of historical knowledge, which had become voluminous and fragmented into esoteric subcategories. He also strove to bring philosophy to the common man. Durant was a champion of human rights, social reform, and the brotherhood of man long before they became well-known issues. Ariel Durant (1898-1981) was a Russian-born American researcher and writer and the coauthor of the eleven-volume Story of Civilization with her husband Will Durant. Ariel and Will Durant were jointly awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1968 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977. Ariel was named the 1977 Woman of the Year by the City of Los Angeles. Grover Gardner is an award-winning narrator with over a thousand titles to his credit. Named one of the "Best Voices of the Century" and a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, he has won three prestigious Audie Awards.

Review :
"A fine work of popularization...The Durants show an acute appreciation of the quality of this particular period." -- "New Yorker" "The Durants provide a period panorama par excellence, a compound of history and biography in which indeed man makes history, not history the man. Voltaire becomes the pivot for the age, with his deification of reason and anti-clerical stance...They are at their enthusiastic best when filling out the portraits of their immense cast, but their compass, their comprehension of the political, social, economic, scientific, philosophic, artistic realities, set in the perspective of their theme, offer a unified over-view of life in France, England, Middle Europe...A popular cultural spectacular." -- "Kirkus Reviews"