Seducing the eighteenth-century French reader

by Paul J. Young

"As he demonstrates that narratives of seduction function as a master plot for French literature in the eighteenth century, Paul J. Young argues that the prevalence of this trope was a reaction to a dominant cultural discourse that coded the novel and the new practice of solitary reading as dangerous, seductive practices. Situating his study in the context of paintings, educational manuals, and criticism that caution against the act of reading. Young considers both canonical and lesser-known works by authors that include Rousseau, Sade, Bastide, Laclos, Crebillon fils, and the writers of two widely read libertine novels. Ultimately, Young argues, the seduction not in the text, but by the text raised questions about the nature of pleasure in eighteenth-century French literature and culture."--BOOK JACKET.