Roland Mortier

La transition du 18e au 19e siècle

Roland Mortier : The transition from the i8th to the 19th century. ; After the hopes raised by the American and French Revolutions, this period was one of reaction against the Terror ; the Enlightenments message, including its conception of man and the world, was questioned. With the reappearance of the theme of evil, there was a renewal of the concept of the impenetrability of the soul, and a certain difficulty of living and loving. Ancient Greece and the Middle Ages provided refuge for some, while others turned inwards to the heart. The 18th century tradition was continued by the Ideologues, but in the direction of epistemology and anthropology, and the Coppet group developed a liberal European spirit. As for fiction ; it was marked by a feminine invasion, whose importance has still to be analysed.