François de La Rochefoucauld, Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales [Maxims]

Jiani Fan (National Tsinghua University)

Ed. by Kathrina LaPorta, New York University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.03: French Writing and Culture of the Seventeenth Century: Classical and Baroque, 1600-1700.
Vol. editors: Heather Kirk (University of Western Ontario), Kathrina LaPorta (New York University), Polly Mangerson (DePaul University), Julia Prest (University of St Andrews), Allison Stedman (University of North Carolina, Charlotte), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), David Williams (University of Sheffield)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1665

Places

France (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Aphorisms/ Maxims/ Proverbs

Resources

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Written by French author François de la Rochefoucauld, the

Maximes

presents aphorisms that unmask the heart of darkness behind seemingly altruistic human motives, rather than providing rules of conduct for court society and salons. La Rochefoucauld composed the

Maximes

in the aftermath of the Fronde, a series of civil wars in France fought between 1648 and 1653. Like many an aristocrat brought low by Louis XIV in this period, La Rochefoucauld deemed this episode as one of the most apocalyptic moments both in his own personal life and for French aristocratic society. Despite bearing the marks of its time, La Rochefoucauld’s work has also had far-reaching influence for later philosophers and writers: Schopenhauer annotated the

Maximes,

a work that resonated with his own pessimism;…

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2800 words

Citation: Fan, Jiani. "Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 June 2020 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=31916, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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François de La Rochefoucauld, Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales [Maxims]

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