Bolingbroke and France

Abstract

This text is essentially a monograph, since a definitive work on the subject must await publication (already in hand) of Bolingbroke's complete correspondence. First, the reader is taken briefly through the different periods of Bolingbroke's life where his francophilic interests and activities are stressed. For example, attention is paid to his early training, his various visits to France, his involvement in European philosophical, historical and political movements, his relationships with French personalities including Voltaire, and his exile and death in France. Second, there is a detailed analysis of his philosophical, historical and political ideas with an attempt to assess his debt to France and his impact on French writers. The monograph concludes with a sample of critical opinion on both sides of the Channel from Bolingbroke's death to the present day, supporting the theory that he continues to have a substantial impact on European thought. Full notes, a detailed bibliography and an index of persons complete the study.