Enlightenment at Court by Thomas Biskup

Enlightenment at Court

Patrons, Philosophes, and Reformers in Eighteenth-century Europe

Thomas Biskup, Benjamin Marschke, Andreas Pečar

Liverpool University Press · Print & ebook · August 8, 2022

This is the first comprehensive analysis of the royal and princely courts of Europe as important places of Enlightenment.

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Who it’s for
Essays trace how European courts shaped Enlightenment writing, careers, public images, and reform.
Genres
18th-Century History, 18th Century Literature, French History
Published
Liverpool University Press, August 8, 2022

About this book

This is the first comprehensive analysis of the royal and princely courts of Europe as important places of Enlightenment. The households of European rulers remained central to politics and culture throughout the eighteenth century, and few writers, artists, musicians, or scholars could succeed without establishing connections to ruling houses, noble families, or powerful courtiers.

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Covering case studies from Spain and France to Russia, and from Scandinavia and Britain to the Holy Roman Empire, the contributions of this volume examine how Enlightenment figures were integrated into the princely courts of the Ancien Régime , and what kinds of relationships they had with courtiers. Dangers and opportunities presented by proximity to court are discussed as well as the question of what rulers and courtiers gained from their interactions with Enlightenment men and women of letters. The book focusses on four areas: firstly, the impact of courtly patronage on Enlightenment discourses and the work as well as careers of Enlightenment writers; secondly, the court as an audience to be catered for by Enlightenment writers; thirdly, the function of Enlightenment narratives and discourses for the image-making of rulers and courtiers; and fourthly, the role the interaction of courtiers and Enlightenment writers played for the formulation of reform policies.

Courtly Patronage

Essays trace how European courts shaped Enlightenment writing, careers, public images, and reform.

Come here for

  • Courtly patronage and writers’ careers
  • Courts as audiences for Enlightenment writing

Expect

  • The dangers and opportunities of proximity to court
  • Interactions between courtiers and writers in reform policy

Where it sits

18th-Century History93%
18th Century Literature67%
French History38%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • 18th-Century History
Authors
Thomas Biskup, Benjamin Marschke, Andreas Pečar
Publisher
Liverpool University Press
Published
August 8, 2022
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
18th-Century History