Details
Synopsis
An early metafictional novel that combines comedy with philosophical debate, JACQUES THE FATALIST AND HIS MASTER (1796) intentionally follows in the absurdist vein established in Sterne's TRISTRAM SHANDY (1759). The book follows a valet named Jacques, who believes that all events are written in the heavens on a giant scroll, and his unnamed master as they travel towards an unknown destination. To relieve their boredom, Jacques recounts the stories of his love affairs and worldly experiences. These comic anecdotes provide psychological and philosophical insight into the bizarre behavior and hypocrisy of humans. Along the way, both the novel's narrator and "reader" interrupt the action to provide their own critique of the book's events, and provide a running debate on the nature of free will.
| Details | | Series: | Penguin Classics Series |
| Size | | Height: | 8.0 in | | Width: | 5.3 in | | Thickness: | 0.8 in | | Weight: | 6.4 oz |
Industry Reviews
"Of all the eighteenth-century philosophers, Denis Diderot is perhaps the least understood and appreciated. When one seeks the reason for this neglect combined with empty fame, one is led to consider the bewildering variety of his interests, the indifference with which he scattered his masterpieces about in manuscript form and the absence or inadequacy until recently--of full and correct translations."
New York Times Book Review (07/12/1959)
"In this 'unmade bed of a book,' Diderot continues the work of Cervantes and Sterne, guiding the novel away from the confines of sentiment and allegory."
(01/19/2009)
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