Product Description

Denis Diderot (1713-1784) was among the greatest writers of the Enlightenment, and in Jacques the Fatalist he brilliantly challenged the artificialities of conventional French fiction of his age. Riding through France with his master, the servant Jacques appears to act as though he is truly free in a world of dizzying variety and unpredictability. Characters emerge and disappear as the pair travel across the country, and tales begin and are submerged by greater stories, to reveal a panoramic view of eighteenth-century society. But while Jacques seems to choose his own path, he remains convinced of one philosophical belief: that every decision he makes, however whimsical, is wholly predetermined. Playful, picaresque and comic, Diderot’s novelis a compelling exploration of Enlightment philosophy. Brilliantly original in style, it is one of the greatest precursors to post-modern literature.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #221895 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07-27
• Original language: French
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

About the Author
Denis Diderot was born at Langres in eastern France in 1713. After graduating in Paris in 1732, he was nominally a law student for ten years, but was actually leading a precarious bohemian but studious existence. In the early 1740s he met three contemporaries who were of great significance to him and to the age: a'Alembert, Condillac and Rousseau, who assisted Diderot in the compilation of the Encyclopedie, which he worked on until its completion in 1773. Interested in the mind-body dichotomy, his work was a bold mixture of science and philosophy. He died in 1784. Translated by Michael Henry with an introduction and notes by Martin Hall

Customer Reviews

Lots of fun
`JTF' is a picaresque novel written at the end of the 18th century. It follows the travels of Jacques and his master, as both recount stories of their pasts and attempt to answer the philosophical implications of their existences. In trying to tell his master about his love-life, Jacques provides a framework from which many other narratives spring, concerning the loves, fights and childhoods of many of the other characters. Jacques' philosophy is that all the events on earth are pre-ordained in heaven, so there is very little point in worrying about what is happening (or going to happen) to him.
Picaresque novels, with their many loosely connected stories, usually lose my interest easily, but this didn't happen with `JTF'. The book is very funny, and the stories are punctuated with witty dialogues between Jacques and his master, or Q&A sessions by the author. Although this is a `philosophical' novel, the philosophy is not laid on with a trowel, and is also integral to the stories. Consequently the whole thing was a jaunty, enjoyable and easy read. Diderot also tips a wink to contemporaries, especially Laurence Sterne, adding to the don't-take-me-too-seriously feel of the whole thing. If the words `picaresque', `18th century' or `philosophical novel' usually put you off, `JTF' is still worth a read. It is funny and clever, and its hero is a truly memorable character.