Description
Book SynopsisIn this highly original and provocative contribution to Diderot scholarship, Professor O’Gorman analyses Diderot’s three satirical works: Le Neveu de Rameau, Satire première, and Lui et Moi. A brillant satire in dialogue, Le Neveu de Rameau is Diderot’s masterpiece. Subjected to intense critical scrutiny since it first appeared in a German translation by Goethe in 1805, it remains one of the most enigmatic works in French literature. Although it is universally recognized as one of the outstanding literary monuments of the French 18th century, there is no agreement among scholars as to its structure, its literary form, or the author’s meaning in the dialogue. Professor O’Gorman proposes a radical new theory of the overall meaning of the dialogue. His careful analysis of the text traces Diderot’s ideas to sources in ancient literature and discloses several levels of meaning hitherto unsuspected. The discussion of Satire première is supplemente
