Edition critique par Diego Venturino et al.
Voltaire's seminal account of the reign of the Sun King, the Siècle de Louis XIV (1751) is the starting point for any reflection on the political and cultural history of this era, and is a monument of eighteenth-century historiography, paving the way for both modern historiography and literary history.
Background of this new critical edition
Reviews
‘The Siècle de Louis XIV is the foundational text of French literary history. This edition reveals the depth of erudition that lies behind each of Voltaire’s lines, and it highlights the central role of the Siècle in the emergence of modern historical thinking.’
Pierre Force, Professor of French and History, Columbia University
‘Ce magnifique travail savant devrait permettre au lecteur de prendre la mesure de la puissance critique de tout l’ouvrage qui, jusque dans ses pages les plus narratives, affronte la question de la preuve et du doute dans l’écriture de l’histoire.’
Christian Jouhaud, Directeur d’études à L’Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales