Synopses & Reviews
Novelists, artists, and philosophers of the eighteenth century understood pleasure as a virtueand#8212;a gift to be shared with oneand#8217;s companion, with a reader, or with the public.and#160;In this daring new book, Thomas Kavanagh overturns the prevailing scholarly tradition that views eighteenth-century France primarily as the incubator of the Revolution.and#160; Instead, Kavanagh demonstrates how the art and literature of the era put the experience of pleasure at the center of the cultural agenda, leadingand#160;to advances in both ethics and aesthetics.
Kavanagh shows that pleasure is not necessarily hedonistic or opposed to Enlightenment ideals in general; rather, he argues that the pleasure of individuals is necessary for the welfare of theirand#160;community.
Review
"Informed by rigorous and original philosophical interpretations yet written in a style that is incisive, fluid and swift, this book is exactly what a book on pleasure should be: it leaves us completely fulfilled yet asking for more."and#8212;Elena Russo, Johns Hopkins University
Review
"Kavanagh makes a persuasive case for putting the literature and art of the Enlightenment in France in the context of Epicurean and Stoic philosophy."and#8212;Jay Caplan, Amherst College
Review
"Scholarly, challenging, and pleasant at the same time."and#8212;Pierre Saint-Amand, Eighteenth Century Fiction
About the Author
Thomas M. Kavanagh, the Augustus R. Street Professor of French and department chair at Yale University, is the author of Dice, Cards, Wheels: A Different History of French Culture. He lives in Woodbridge, CT.