The Libertine: The Art of Love in Eighteenth-Century France

In 18th-century France, the term libertine emerged to describe a lifestyle characterized by the pursuit of happiness and pleasure in all its forms. The period that created the concept of political freedom also celebrated personal liberation from traditional religious mores, a trend reflected in the literature and material culture of the time. Editor Delon (French literature, Paris-Sorbonne Univ.; editor, Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment) has assembled more than 80 brief selections that document the period's obsession with sexual gratification and erotic love. The collection includes writings by authors known (e.g., Denis Diderot, Jean-Jacques Rousseau) and unknown (e.g., Robert Challes), as well as certain pieces that have never before been translated into English. Titles such as "The Opportunities of a Night" and "The Autobiography of Casanova" hint at the overall contents. Organized by themes including seduction, flirtation, the boudoir, and the lure of the exotic, the writings are accompanied by illustrations of paintings, prints, and objects of the era. Readers will recognize why the word pornographe was itself coined in these years. Commentary by Delon as well as by Stanford scholar Marilyn Yalom (How the French Invented Love) places the materials in context and explores their political and cultural meaning.