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ahmed92kira's review against another edition
2.0
عبارة عن مقالات عن احوال الانكليز الاجتماعية والسياسية والادبية والدينية بزمن فولتير
ما عجبني لان حسيت الموضوع مضلل ... توقعته فلسفة (تناول بعض المواضيع الفلسفية ولكنها قليلة بالنسبة لباقي الكتاب) ولكن كان اكثره وصف تاريخي للمواضيع اللي طرحها
ما عجبني لان حسيت الموضوع مضلل ... توقعته فلسفة (تناول بعض المواضيع الفلسفية ولكنها قليلة بالنسبة لباقي الكتاب) ولكن كان اكثره وصف تاريخي للمواضيع اللي طرحها
zmb's review against another edition
4.0
Voltaire employs his usual blend of wit, satire, and humor to both elevate the liberal institutions of England over the still feudal Ancient Regime of France while also gently mocking the English in turn. He candidly discusses:
Religion: he is strongly in favor of religious tolerance, very strong (comparatively, at least) in England compared to France, but pokes gentle fun at odd English sects like the Quakers.
Government: in which he deplores the aristocracy of France compared to the meritocracy of England.
Science: in which he has the most unmitigated praise for English scientists, mostly Newton.
Literature: in which Shakespeare is a slightly barbaric English version of Corneille - how culture and language colors our views!
And, lastly, a discussion(/repudiation) of some of Pascal's Pensees, in which he endeavors to defend the human race against Pascal's Jansenist/Calvinist despair at the depravity of human nature. Which seemed sort of out of place in a collection of writings(/propaganda) discussing England, but fits in well with his philosophy and may have also been inspired by the Calvinists of various stripes he saw in England.
All in all, it's an funny, insightful, and thoroughly Voltairian work.
Religion: he is strongly in favor of religious tolerance, very strong (comparatively, at least) in England compared to France, but pokes gentle fun at odd English sects like the Quakers.
Government: in which he deplores the aristocracy of France compared to the meritocracy of England.
Science: in which he has the most unmitigated praise for English scientists, mostly Newton.
Literature: in which Shakespeare is a slightly barbaric English version of Corneille - how culture and language colors our views!
And, lastly, a discussion(/repudiation) of some of Pascal's Pensees, in which he endeavors to defend the human race against Pascal's Jansenist/Calvinist despair at the depravity of human nature. Which seemed sort of out of place in a collection of writings(/propaganda) discussing England, but fits in well with his philosophy and may have also been inspired by the Calvinists of various stripes he saw in England.
All in all, it's an funny, insightful, and thoroughly Voltairian work.
nicholasgrantgarcia's review against another edition
2.0
Perfect for the 18th century reader, but not for me. Boring.
santino1215's review against another edition
5.0
Book 42 out of 200 books
"Letters on England" or "Letters on the English" by Voltaire
Voltaire's passion for English culture took a wave on him as he wrote this collection of over a dozen letters and essays, regarding on not only about the culture of the nation that he was exiled to, but the way people lived, what people believed in and finally, the religious tolerance that he spent his life fighting for, alongside writing.
MY THOUGHTS:
So this is my 2nd Voltaire book to review. By reading this book, you'd see the clever and moronic, as the French authorities would point out, in Voltaire. I decided to give this book five stars instead of four, not because of the fact that it is a personal favorite of mine, but because of the fact that the prose of this oeuvre was easy-going and easy to navigate.
By far this is one of the most passionate works in Literature depicting a writer's love for another country, the other being only Henry James.
I learned a lot, to be honest- Calvinism and Quakerism still exist to the modern day, if Voltaire were alive he'd be happy to know. And also, the last essays Regarding Locke and Newton, you can tell that Voltaire was heavily influenced by Newton's ideas. Fitting to know too that, if not for Voltaire, the Apple story wouldn't have survived.
So yes, this book is a must read for philosophically driven people. Voltaire wasn't only a playwright, philosopher and writer, but also a traveler.
"Letters on England" or "Letters on the English" by Voltaire
Voltaire's passion for English culture took a wave on him as he wrote this collection of over a dozen letters and essays, regarding on not only about the culture of the nation that he was exiled to, but the way people lived, what people believed in and finally, the religious tolerance that he spent his life fighting for, alongside writing.
MY THOUGHTS:
So this is my 2nd Voltaire book to review. By reading this book, you'd see the clever and moronic, as the French authorities would point out, in Voltaire. I decided to give this book five stars instead of four, not because of the fact that it is a personal favorite of mine, but because of the fact that the prose of this oeuvre was easy-going and easy to navigate.
By far this is one of the most passionate works in Literature depicting a writer's love for another country, the other being only Henry James.
I learned a lot, to be honest- Calvinism and Quakerism still exist to the modern day, if Voltaire were alive he'd be happy to know. And also, the last essays Regarding Locke and Newton, you can tell that Voltaire was heavily influenced by Newton's ideas. Fitting to know too that, if not for Voltaire, the Apple story wouldn't have survived.
So yes, this book is a must read for philosophically driven people. Voltaire wasn't only a playwright, philosopher and writer, but also a traveler.
jamesm's review against another edition
3.0
Generally very enjoyable to read a Frenchman's take on 18th century England. Two parts stood out:
The letters on Quakers were particularly interesting - there's something especially cool about reading an account of a rather normal interaction in the 18th century. It is easy to imagine Voltaire discussing the finer points of Christian theology over dinner. It's far too easy to think of past generations as fervent religious zealots, but Voltaire reminds us that indeed discourse did occur, even if it wasn't commonplace.
The letters discussing the current state of science and explaining recent scientific discoveries were just as interesting - Newton and Locke were in living memory, and Bacon not long out, so Voltaire provides a fascinating perspective on how they were perceived at the time (spoiler: it's not particularly different from how they're perceived in the present day)
I didn't find the letters on stage performances and poetry particularly gripping, though this may have more to do with my lack of knowledge/interest in these fields rather than the writings being of any lower quality than those described above. Nonetheless, it made the last quarter or so a bit of a slog, hence the three star rating.
The letters on Quakers were particularly interesting - there's something especially cool about reading an account of a rather normal interaction in the 18th century. It is easy to imagine Voltaire discussing the finer points of Christian theology over dinner. It's far too easy to think of past generations as fervent religious zealots, but Voltaire reminds us that indeed discourse did occur, even if it wasn't commonplace.
The letters discussing the current state of science and explaining recent scientific discoveries were just as interesting - Newton and Locke were in living memory, and Bacon not long out, so Voltaire provides a fascinating perspective on how they were perceived at the time (spoiler: it's not particularly different from how they're perceived in the present day)
I didn't find the letters on stage performances and poetry particularly gripping, though this may have more to do with my lack of knowledge/interest in these fields rather than the writings being of any lower quality than those described above. Nonetheless, it made the last quarter or so a bit of a slog, hence the three star rating.
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