A Pocket Philosophical Dictionary

Voltaire
Translated by John Fletcher and Introduction and Notes by Nicholas Cronk

Oxford World's Classics

One of the landmarks of European Enlightenment thought, Voltaire's Pocket Philosophical Dictionary is concerned primarily with religious dogma and intolerance and remains highly relevant today.
This is the only available English translation of Voltaire's original Pocket Philosophical Dictionary of 1764, expanded in successive editions until it became less coherent, and the edition that provoked widespread condemnation and controversy.
The only translation based on the definitive French critical edition.
The new translation by John Fletcher is readable and accurate and is accompanied by a contextualizing introduction by Nicholas Cronk that considers France and Europe in the 1760s, the nature of Voltaire's engagement in political debate, literary style, contemporary reaction, the lasting impact of the work and its continuing relevance to debates on religious intolerance.
Includes up-to-date bibliography and full notes.

A Pocket Philosophical Dictionary

Voltaire
Translated by John Fletcher and Introduction and Notes by Nicholas Cronk

Description

Here is the only available English translation of one of the landmarks of European Enlightenment thought, Voltaire's 1764 edition of A Pocket Philosophical Dictionary. Highly entertaining and still highly relevant, the "dictionary" actually consists of a sequence of short essays, arranged in alphabetical order, covering everything from Apocalypse and Atheism to Tolerance and Tyranny. The unifying thread of these articles is Voltaire's vitriolic critique of established religion: ridicule of established dogma, attacks on superstition, and pleas for toleration. Witty and ironic, this is very much a work of combat, part of Voltaire's high-profile political struggle in the 1760s to defend the victims of religious and political intolerance. This new translation is based on the definitive French edition of 1764 that provoked widespread controversy and condemnation. In his Introduction Nicholas Cronk considers the nature of Voltaire's engagement in political debate, literary style, contemporary reaction, the lasting impact of the work and its continuing relevance to debates on religious intolerance. The volume also includes an up-to-date bibliography and full explanatory notes.

A Pocket Philosophical Dictionary

Voltaire
Translated by John Fletcher and Introduction and Notes by Nicholas Cronk

Oxford World's Classics

Author Information

John Fletcher is Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Kent. Nicholas Cronk is Professor of French Literature and Director of the Voltaire Foundation at the University of Oxford.