
Voltaire and the Triumph of the Enlightenment
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Narrated by:
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Alan Charles Kors
Discover why intellectuals and historians alike consider Voltaire to be one of the most intriguing, influential, and elusive thinkers of the modern world. Focusing on the deepest, most enduring aspects of Voltaire's work and thought, but never losing sight of the colorful, fascinating man himself, these 12 lectures sketch for you a vibrant, thought-provoking vision of Voltaire as "the father of the Enlightenment" and one of the great literary personalities of all time.
You'll follow this Enlightenment thinker's 84 astoundingly productive years and go inside not only his masterpiece, Candide, but the hundreds of other works in almost all the literary, philosophical, and polemical genres current in his day, and the more than 20,000 letters this prolific writer and thinker left behind.
What was Voltaire's world like? Who and what influenced him? What questions and dilemmas did he ponder? What evils did he struggle against? What reforms did he advocate? What made him laugh and cry, or write a book like Candide, which is at once so funny and so sad? And what is his place in the history of the Western mind? The answers to these and other questions can be found right here in this illuminating lecture series. If you're unfamiliar with Voltaire and his works, prepare to meet one of Western literature's defining writers. And if you already have some familiarity with the man, prepare to discover even more insights into why he still matters after all these years.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2001 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2001 The Great CoursesListeners also enjoyed...




















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if we could all think this clearly
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Excellent content Voltaire is very important.
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Each half-hour lecture is dense with information, but easy to understand. I loved Professor Kors as well - he has a distinctive style of talking and accent, so much at first you might go, "oh, I'm not sure I can listen to this" - but his enthusiasm, passion, knowledge and humor makes him come alive as if you were sitting in a favorite professor's classroom. I grew so used to him explaining this pivotal and interesting era of history, I purchased another Great Courses "The Birth of the Modern Mind: The Intellectual History of the 17th and 18th Centuries" that Alan Charles Kors also presents. I wish there were more!
Listened Twice
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My only complaint is that I need to listen at >1.3x speed to feel like the it's at a normal rate of talking...
A solid course on Voltaire the thinker
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What made the experience of listening to Voltaire and the Triumph of the Enlightenment the most enjoyable?
The passion of the professor.What other book might you compare Voltaire and the Triumph of the Enlightenment to and why?
Anthony Padgen The Enlightenment and Why it Still MattersHave you listened to any of Professor Alan Charles Kors’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No. But, I know his politics are different than mine but, he skillfully kept his libertarian/conservatism from the lectures.Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The parade in France for Voltaire near the end of his life.Any additional comments?
Does history offer an intellectual peer for Voltaire? His prodigious writing was not something I was aware of before these lectures. 8 million words boggles the mind.Voltaire challenges all professors, Kors does well
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myth busting
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