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A review by zebras54
Jacques le Fataliste by Denis Diderot
5.0
This novel by Denis Diderot was published in 1785 after the death of the author. Created between 1765 and 1780 It is partly written like a play. The main protagonists are Jacques who is servant and his nameless master. There are echoes of Cervantes Don Quijote and Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in this long dialogue. The characters are on journey somewhere in France in the 18th century. and pass the time telling stories and meeting all sorts of people who in turn tell their stories.
There is no proper plot and the book is not divided in chapters. The author chimes in as well and tells about the writing process of his novel. On paper, this kind of concept should not work, but in the hands of Denis Diderot it becomes a little gem with relatable characters, and as a reader I wanted to join in and discuss and philosophize about the human condition. The title character is a man who believes in predestination, - everything is written above - and he seems to accept this with good grace. The master sounds like a younger man who is intrigued and entertained by his companion. If I ever travelled to France in the 18th century, I will call Jacques and his companions.
I read it in French during a train journey from Coutances to Caen and back. I got the book from a book-box, so I guess it went on travels as well. I hope it wants to stay now in my library.
An English translation is available as Jacques the Fatalist
There is no proper plot and the book is not divided in chapters. The author chimes in as well and tells about the writing process of his novel. On paper, this kind of concept should not work, but in the hands of Denis Diderot it becomes a little gem with relatable characters, and as a reader I wanted to join in and discuss and philosophize about the human condition. The title character is a man who believes in predestination, - everything is written above - and he seems to accept this with good grace. The master sounds like a younger man who is intrigued and entertained by his companion. If I ever travelled to France in the 18th century, I will call Jacques and his companions.
I read it in French during a train journey from Coutances to Caen and back. I got the book from a book-box, so I guess it went on travels as well. I hope it wants to stay now in my library.
An English translation is available as Jacques the Fatalist