Denis Diderot, Jacques le Fataliste et son Maître [Jacques the Fatalist and his Master]

David J. Adams (University of Manchester)
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Like many of Diderot's (q.v.) writings,

Jacques le fataliste et son maître

(1796) had a curious history. He probably started writing it in the late 1760s, prompted by the discussion of fatalism by Corporal Trim in Book VIII of Sterne's

Tristram Shandy

, a copy of which was sent to his friend D'Holbach by David Garrick in 1765.

The first clue to the composition of

Jacques

dates from September 1771, when Diderot apparently read an early version of it to a friend. It was completed over the next few years; between 1778 and 1780, instalments appeared in the

Correspondance littéraire,

a manuscript newsletter edited by his friend Melchior Grimm. Additions appeared in the

CL

in July 1780 and a substantial final set was included posthumously in the issue for April 1786. Thus, Diderot worked…

1993 words

Citation: Adams, David J.. "Jacques le Fataliste et son Maître". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 September 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4367, accessed 19 March 2024.]

4367 Jacques le Fataliste et son Maître 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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