Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France

David Williams (University of Sheffield)
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The

Reflections on the Revolution in France, and on the proceedings in certain societies in London relative to that event

, written in great haste and with a palpable sense of urgency, were cast in the form of a letter addressed on the title page to “a gentleman in Paris”. Published on 1 November 1790, some two years before the start of the Terror, the

Reflections

form part of the post-1789 war of pamphlets that saw Burke take up arms against dissenting radicals like Joseph Priestley, Dr Richard Price and other friends of the French Revolution (“the hopping insects of the hour”), for whose views the Revolution Society provided a ready forum. Burke had already attacked Price in the 1771

Letter to the Sheriffs of Bristol

, condemning the fiery Welsh preacher for having distorted the…

1915 words

Citation: Williams, David. "Reflections on the Revolution in France". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 June 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=9355, accessed 19 March 2024.]

9355 Reflections on the Revolution in France 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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