Voltaire historiographer: narrative paradigms

By Siofra Pierse

Voltaire's historical works reflect his own changing roles and preoccupations from conteur to campaigner. His groundbreaking historical output of thirty-eight texts, composed throughout his long career as a writer, is now receiving renewed critical attention.

In the first study to explore the whole range of Voltaire's writings in this domain, S ofra Pierse looks at the irreducible ambiguity of the term histoire, both factual truth and the way it is represented - 'history' and 'story'. She discusses how Voltaire's theories of history interact with other, more literary considerations, and analyses how a search for truth overlaps with a desire to create a compelling narrative that engages the reader in a deeper, collaborative, and polemical project.

In Voltaire historiographer: narrative paradigms, S ofra Pierse brings to light how the philosophe exploits the potential of history not simply to record the past, but to influence the present and shape the future.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0729409325
• ISBN13: 9780729409322
• Release Date: May 2008
• Publisher: Voltaire Foundation in Association with Liver
• Length: 297 Pages
• Weight: 0.93 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.2"