Letters on England

Author Voltaire wrote the satirical novella Candide and, despite controversy during his lifetime, is widely considered one of France's greatest Enlightenment writers. «Letters on the English» is a series of essays written by Voltaire based on his experiences living in England. The letters offers the French public a panoramic view of English culture. Voltaire was full of enthusiasm and freedom - as opposed to the tyrannical feudal society of his homeland. The book discusses English religious sects, politics, scientists and writers with great admiration,the clever author also flatters his French readers with humorous references to the old-fashioned clothes and speech of the Quakers and to antics in the House of Commons. This intriguing and ironic account of a culture viewed through foreign eyes is to prove highly influential in shaping French attitudes to England.