Selected Philosophical and Scientific Writings (The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe)

Though most historians remember her as the mistress of Voltaire, Emilie Du Châtelet (1706–49) was an accomplished writer in her own right, who published multiple editions of her scientific writings during her lifetime, as well as a translation of Newton’s __Principia Mathematica__ that is still the standard edition of that work in French. Had she been a man, her reputation as a member of the eighteenth-century French intellectual elite would have been assured. In the 1970s, feminist historians of science began the slow work of recovering Du Châtelet’s writings and her contributions to history and philosophy. For this edition, Judith P. Zinsser has selected key sections from Du Châtelet’s published and unpublished works, as well as related correspondence, part of her little-known critique of the Old and New Testaments, and a treatise on happiness that is a refreshingly uncensored piece of autobiography—making all of them available for the first time in English. The resulting volume will recover Châtelet’s place in the pantheon of French letters and culture. Emilie Du Châtelet Was An Accomplished Scientific And Philosophical Writer Whose Contribution To French Intellectual Life In The First Half Of The 18th Century Has Long Been Obscured By Her Association With Voltaire. This Volume Of Her Writings Will Help Re-establish A Reputation That Has Long Been Overshadowed. Bernard Mandeville's The Fable Of The Bees. Volume Editors' Introduction ; Related Letters ; Translator's Preface For The Fable Of The Bees ; Table Of Du Châtelet's Choices For Translation From Bernard Mandeville's The Fable Of The Bees -- Dissertation On The Nature And Propagation Of Fire. Volume Editor's Introduction ; Related Letters ; From The Dissertation -- Foundations Of Physics. Volume Editor's Introduction ; Letters Related To The Foundations ; From Foundations Of Physics -- Examinations Of The Bible. Volume Editor's Introduction ; Related Letters ; Examination Of The Books Of The Old Testament ; Examination Of The Books Of The New Testament -- Commentary On Newton's Principia. Volume Editor's Introduction ; Related Letters ; From The Commentary On Newton's Principia -- Discourse On Happiness. Volume Editor's Introduction ; Related Letters ; Discourse On Happiness. Emilie Du Châtelet ; Edited And With An Introduction By Judith P. Zinsser And Translated By Isabelle Bour And Judith P. Zinsser. Translated From The French. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.

Though most historians remember her as the mistress of Voltaire, Emilie Du Châtelet (1706–49) was an accomplished writer in her own right, who published multiple editions of her scientific writings during her lifetime, as well as a translation of Newton’s Principia Mathematica that is still the standard edition of that work in French. Had she been a man, her reputation as a member of the eighteenth-century French intellectual elite would have been assured.

 

In the 1970s, feminist historians of science began the slow work of recovering Du Châtelet’s writings and her contributions to history and philosophy. For this edition, Judith P. Zinsser has selected key sections from Du Châtelet’s published and unpublished works, as well as related correspondence, part of her little-known critique of the Old and New Testaments, and a treatise on happiness that is a refreshingly uncensored piece of autobiography—making all of them available for the first time in English. The resulting volume will recover Châtelet’s place in the pantheon of French letters and culture. 

Though most historians remember her as the mistress of Voltaire, Emilie Du Chatelet (1706-49) was an accomplished writer in her own right, who published multiple editions of her scientific writings during her lifetime. This book features a selection of key sections from Du Chatelet's works.