The Darnton Debate

Download or read book The Darnton Debate written by Haydn T. Mason and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ever since Professor Robert Darnton aroused the interest of Enlightenment scholars in 1971 with the publication of The High Enlightenment and the low-life of literature in pre-revolutionary France, he has been in the forefront of debate about the period. His work has long been indispensable for all those who ponder the role of the book in that history. By the mid 1990s, however, it was apparent that Darnton¿s far-reaching conclusions on the relationship of the Enlightenment to the Revolution merited a comprehensive debate on his ¿uvre. The essays collected in this volume initiate that debate. Written by established Enlightenment scholars, they present a spectrum of opinions on Darnton¿s work ¿ opinions that Darnton responds to in a vigorous closing essay that includes insights and information not previously published.