Letters on England

Voltaire (1694 - 1778)

Voltaire spent his early thirties in England as an exile following the Bastille imprisonment for his satires. With passionate admiration, he then wrote this series of letters in English putting forward his views on the 18th century England, in contrast with the feudal society of his home country, encompassing aspects of religion, politics, sciences, and literature. The book was published in England and the free England received these philosophical, political, critical, poetical, heretical, and diabolical letters with delight, whereas in France, the book was denounced and publicly burnt in Paris as scandalous, contrary to religion, to morals, and respect for authority. - Summary by IstXA

Genre(s): Letters

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 00 INTRODUCTION Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:07:07
Play 01 LETTER I. ON THE QUAKERS Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:14:46
Play 02 LETTER II. ON THE QUAKERS Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:07:11
Play 03 LETTER III. ON THE QUAKERS Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:11:11
Play 04 LETTER IV. ON THE QUAKERS Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:12:50
Play 05 LETTER V. ON THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:08:26
Play 06 LETTER VI. ON THE PRESBYTERIANS Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:04:58
Play 07 LETTER VII. ON THE SOCINIANS, OR ARIANS, OR ANTITRINITARIANS Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:05:41
Play 08 LETTER VIII. ON THE PARLIAMENT Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:08:52
Play 09 LETTER IX. ON THE GOVERNMENT Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:12:26
Play 10 LETTER X. ON TRADE Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:05:09
Play 11 LETTER XI. ON INOCULATION Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:12:58
Play 12 LETTER XII. ON THE LORD BACON Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:14:30
Play 13 LETTER XIII. ON MR. LOCKE Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:19:49
Play 14 LETTER XIV. ON DESCARTES AND SIR ISAAC NEWTON Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:15:08
Play 15 LETTER XV. ON ATTRACTION Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:27:04
Play 16 LETTER XVI. ON SIR ISAAC NEWTON’S OPTICS Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:11:59
Play 17 LETTER XVII. ON INFINITES IN GEOMETRY, AND SIR ISAAC NEWTON’S CHRONOLOGY Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:17:43
Play 18 LETTER XVIII. ON TRAGEDY Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:18:36
Play 19 LETTER XIX. ON COMEDY Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:13:29
Play 20 LETTER XX. ON SUCH OF THE NOBILITY AS CULTIVATE THE BELLES LETTRES Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:05:15
Play 21 LETTER XXI. ON THE EARL OF ROCHESTER AND MR. WALLER Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:15:44
Play 22 LETTER XXII. ON MR. POPE AND SOME OTHER FAMOUS POETS Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:13:46
Play 23 LETTER XXIII. ON THE REGARD THAT OUGHT TO BE SHOWN TO MEN OF LETTERS Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:10:34
Play 24 LETTER XXIV. ON THE ROYAL SOCIETY AND OTHER ACADEMIES Xiaoyan Arrowsmith
00:14:56