The life of Voltaire (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. An Enlightenment Biography of Free Speech, Religious Toleration, and Resistance to TyrannyBy Evelyn Beatrice Hall
Length19h 52m
About this audiobook
Evelyn Beatrice Hall's The Life of Voltaire offers a lucid, sympathetic, and carefully shaped account of one of the Enlightenment's most restless minds. The book follows Voltaire as dramatist, historian, polemicist, courtier, exile, and public conscience, situating his career amid eighteenth-century struggles over religious intolerance, censorship, absolutism, and intellectual freedom. Hall's prose is elegant and Victorian in its moral seriousness, yet animated by narrative momentum; she writes biography as both character study and cultural history, placing Voltaire within the broader republic of letters that made modern liberal thought possible. Hall, who often published under the name S. G. Tallentyre, was an English writer deeply interested in French intellectual history and the ethical inheritance of the Enlightenment. Her celebrated defense of free expression—often mistakenly attributed to Voltaire himself—reveals the values that drew her to him: skepticism, tolerance, wit, and resistance to tyranny. Her historical imagination was shaped by a late nineteenth-century liberal milieu that saw Voltaire not merely as a literary figure but as a champion of civic reason. This biography is recommended for readers seeking an accessible yet substantial introduction to Voltaire's life and significance. It will especially reward those interested in Enlightenment literature, the history of ideas, and the enduring moral drama of speech confronting power.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreBiography and Memoir
Length19 hrs 52 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 1, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
2Introduction
3Synopsis
4Historical Context
5CHAPTER I THE BOYHOOD
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6CHAPTER II EPIGRAMS AND THE BASTILLE
7CHAPTER III “ŒDIPE,” AND THE JOURNEY TO HOLLAND
8CHAPTER IV THE “HENRIADE,” AND A VISIT TO COURT
9CHAPTER V ENGLAND, AND THE “ENGLISH LETTERS”
10CHAPTER VI PLAYS, A BURLESQUE, AND THE APPEARANCE OF THE “LETTERS”
11CHAPTER VII MADAME DU CHÂTELET
12CHAPTER VIII A YEAR OF STORMS
13CHAPTER IX WORK AT CIREY
14CHAPTER X PLEASURE AT CIREY
15CHAPTER XI THE AFFAIR DESFONTAINES
16CHAPTER XII FLYING VISITS TO FREDERICK
17CHAPTER XIII TWO PLAYS AND A FAILURE
18CHAPTER XIV VOLTAIRE AS DIPLOMATIST AND COURTIER
19CHAPTER XV THE POPE, THE POMPADOUR, AND “THE TEMPLE OF GLORY”
20CHAPTER XVI THE ACADEMY, AND A VISIT
21CHAPTER XVII COURT DISFAVOUR, AND HIDING AT SCEAUX
22CHAPTER XVIII THE MARQUIS DE SAINT-LAMBERT
23CHAPTER XIX THE DEATH OF MADAME DU CHÂTELET
24CHAPTER XX PARIS, “ORESTE” AND “ROME SAUVÉE”
25CHAPTER XXI GLAMOUR
26CHAPTER XXII THE RIFT WITHIN THE LUTE
27CHAPTER XXIII THE QUARREL WITH MAUPERTUIS
28CHAPTER XXIV THE FLIGHT FROM PRUSSIA
29CHAPTER XXV THE COMEDY OF FRANKFORT
30CHAPTER XXVI THE “ESSAY ON THE MANNERS AND MIND OF NATIONS”
31CHAPTER XXVII THE ARRIVAL IN SWITZERLAND
32CHAPTER XXVIII THE DÉLICES, AND THE “POEM ON THE DISASTER OF LISBON”
33CHAPTER XXIX “NATURAL LAW,” THE VISIT OF D’ALEMBERT, AND THE AFFAIR OF BYNG
34CHAPTER XXX THE INTERFERENCE IN THE SEVEN YEARS’ WAR, THE “GENEVA” ARTICLE, AND LIFE AT DÉLICES
35CHAPTER XXXI “THE LITERARY WAR,” AND THE PURCHASE OF FERNEY AND TOURNEY
36CHAPTER XXXII FERNEY
37CHAPTER XXXIII “CANDIDE,” AND “ÉCRASEZ L’INFÂME”
38CHAPTER XXXIV THE BATTLE OF PARTICLES, AND THE BATTLE OF COMEDIES
39CHAPTER XXXV BUILDING A CHURCH, AND ENDOWING A DAUGHTER
40CHAPTER XXXVI THE AFFAIR OF CALAS
41CHAPTER XXXVII THE “TREATISE ON TOLERANCE”
42CHAPTER XXXVIII THE SIRVENS AND LA BARRE
43CHAPTER XXXIX VOLTAIRE AND GENEVA: VOLTAIRE AND LA HARPE
44CHAPTER XL THE COLONY OF WATCHMAKERS AND WEAVERS
45CHAPTER XLI THE PIGALLE STATUE, AND THE VINDICATION OF LALLY
46CHAPTER XLII LATTER DAYS
47CHAPTER XLIII THE LAST VISIT
48CHAPTER XLIV THE END
49Analysis
50Reflection
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