Studies in Eighteenth-century French Literature

Book excerpt: These Studies in Eighteenth-Century French Literature presented to Robert Niklaus were written by former students and colleagues and by his friends, to mark his retirement in 1975. The articles all relate to the French Enlightenment, Professor Niklaus's main academic interest, but vay in approach and subject. Six articles deal with aspects of the works of Diderot: his philosophy, aesthetics, narrative art and style. There are articles on Voltaire - his social, political and philosophical attitudes - and on Montesquieu, among others. The book as a whole is evidence of the continuing vitality of the Enlightenment and makes a fitting complement to Professor Niklaus's own important and lively contribution to eighteenth-century studies.