Denis Diderot
Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a prominent figure during the Age of Enlightenment.Diderot initially studied philosophy at a Jesuit college, then considered working in the church clergy before briefly studying law. When he decided to become a writer in 1734, his father disowned him. He lived a bohemian existence for the next decade. In the 1740s he wrote many of his best-known works in both fiction and non-fiction, including the 1748 novel ''Les Bijoux indiscrets'' (The Indiscreet Jewels).
In 1751 Diderot co-created the ''Encyclopédie'' with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. It was the first encyclopedia to include contributions from many named contributors and the first to describe the mechanical arts. Its secular tone, which included articles skeptical about Biblical miracles, angered both religious and government authorities; in 1758 it was banned by the Catholic Church and, in 1759, the French government banned it as well, although this ban was not strictly enforced. Many of the initial contributors to the ''Encyclopédie'' left the project as a result of its controversies and some were even jailed. D'Alembert left in 1759, making Diderot the sole editor. Diderot also became the main contributor, writing around 7,000 articles. He continued working on the project until 1765. He was increasingly despondent about the ''Encyclopédie'' by the end of his involvement in it and felt that the entire project might have been a waste. Nevertheless, the ''Encyclopédie'' is considered one of the forerunners of the French Revolution.
Diderot struggled financially throughout most of his career and received very little official recognition of his merit, including being passed over for membership in the Académie française. His fortunes improved significantly in 1766, when Empress Catherine the Great, who had heard of his financial troubles, generously bought his 3,000-volume personal library, amassed during his work on the Encyclopédie, for 15,000 livres, and offered him in addition a thousand more livres per year to serve as its custodian while he lived. He received 50 years' "salary" up front from her, and stayed five months at her court in Saint Petersburg in 1773 and 1774, sharing discussions and writing essays on various topics for her several times a week.
Diderot's literary reputation during his life rested primarily on his plays and his contributions to the ''Encyclopédie''; many of his most important works, including ''Jacques the Fatalist'', ''Rameau's Nephew'', ''Paradox of the Actor'', and ''D'Alembert's Dream'', were published only after his death. Provided by Wikipedia
Showing 1 - 20 results of 256 for search 'Diderot, Denis', query time: 0.06s
Refine Results
-
1
Le Neveu de Rameau : Dialogue philosophique. by Diderot, Denis
Published 2016Call Number: Loading…Full Text (via Classiques Garnier)
Located: Loading…
eBook -
2
Salons , Essais sur la peinture, T. I by Diderot, Denis
Call Number: Loading…Full Text (via Classiques Garnier)
Located: Loading…
eBook -
3
Pensées détachées sur la peinture by Diderot, Denis
Call Number: Loading…Full Text (via Classiques Garnier)
Located: Loading…
eBook -
4
Salons , Héros et martyrs, T. IV by Diderot, Denis
Call Number: Loading…Full Text (via Classiques Garnier)
Located: Loading…
eBook -
5
Recherches Philosophiques sur l'Origine et la Nature du Beau. by Diderot, Denis
Published 2015Call Number: Loading…Full Text (via Classiques Garnier)
Located: Loading…
eBook -
6
Salons , Ruines et paysages, T. III by Diderot, Denis
Call Number: Loading…Full Text (via Classiques Garnier)
Located: Loading…
eBook -
7
Jacques le Fataliste et son maitre. by Diderot, Denis
Published 2016Call Number: Loading…Full Text (via Classiques Garnier)
Located: Loading…
eBook -
8
Encyclopedic Liberty : Political Articles in the Dictionary of Diderot and D'Alembert. by Diderot, Denis
Published 2016Call Number: Loading…Full Text (via ProQuest)
Located: Loading…
eBook -
9
Lettre d'un citoyen zélé : Sur les troubles qui divisent la médecine et la chirurgie. by Diderot, Denis
Published 2015Call Number: Loading…Full Text (via ProQuest)
Located: Loading…
eBook -
10
Expériences intéressantes. by Diderot, Denis
Published 2015Call Number: Loading…Full Text (via ProQuest)
Located: Loading…
eBook -
11
Eléments du système général du monde. by Diderot, Denis
Published 2015Call Number: Loading…Full Text (via ProQuest)
Located: Loading…
eBook -
12
Eléments de Physiologie. by Diderot, Denis
Published 2015Call Number: Loading…Full Text (via ProQuest)
Located: Loading…
eBook -
13
Jacques le Fataliste et son maitre. by Diderot, Denis
Published 2016Call Number: Loading…Full Text (via ProQuest)
Located: Loading…
eBook -
14
La Religieuse : Satire philosophique. by Diderot, Denis
Published 2016Call Number: Loading…Full Text (via ProQuest)
Located: Loading…
eBook -
15
Le Neveu de Rameau : Dialogue philosophique. by Diderot, Denis
Published 2016Call Number: Loading…Full Text (via ProQuest)
Located: Loading…
eBook -
16
Lettres à Mademoiselle Jodin: 1765-1769. by Diderot, Denis
Published 2015Call Number: Loading…Full Text (via ProQuest)
Located: Loading…
eBook -
17
Réflexions sur une difficulté proposée contre la manière dont les Newtoniens expliquent la cohésion. by Diderot, Denis
Published 2015Call Number: Loading…Full Text (via ProQuest)
Located: Loading…
eBook -
18
Voyages à Bourbonne et à Langres. by Diderot, Denis
Published 2015Call Number: Loading…Full Text (via ProQuest)
Located: Loading…
eBook -
19
Oeuvres Diverses. by Diderot, Denis
Published 2015Call Number: Loading…Full Text (via ProQuest)
Located: Loading…
eBook -
20
Mémoire contenant le projet d'une pompe publique. by Diderot, Denis
Published 2015Call Number: Loading…Full Text (via ProQuest)
Located: Loading…
eBook
Search Tools:
RSS Feed
–
Save Search
Related Subjects
Philosophy
French literature
Encyclopedias and dictionaries, French
Nuns
Aesthetics
Acting
Actors
Blind
Convents
Philosophy, French
Art
Communism
Encyclopedists
History and criticism
Intellectual life
Natural law
Socialism
Art criticism
Art, French
Catholics
Fate and fatalism
French prose literature
Painting
Science
Sexual ethics
Social life and customs
Christianity
Manners and customs
Music
Ontology