Special Sub-Topic: Denis Diderot Click Here To Play: Denis Diderot

Denis Diderot first started off working as a what?

translator. Among the English works he translated from 1743 to 1748 were Stanyan's "Grecian History", Lord Shaftesbury's "Inquiry Concerning Virtue and Merit", and Robert James' 6-volume "Medicinal Dictionary".

True or false: Diderot was put in prison for three months after writing a book about the behavior of the blind entitled, "Lettre sur les Aveugles".

t. The underlying meaning of the book was not about the blind but about the existence of God.

Diderot is probably most famous for being the chief editor of the "Encyclopédie", which was a huge work of reference intended to englighten the French people. What decade did the "Encyclopédie" begin publishment?

1750s. The "Encyclopédie" was published from 1751 to 1772 and in all totaled 17 volumes of text and 11 volumes of engravings, including over a hundred articles by Diderot himself.

How long did Diderot spend as chief editor of the "Encyclopédie"?

25 years. During his tenure there, he found out that his publisher, Le Breton, was claiming credit for his work, yet he decided not to expose him.

Which of these did Diderot NOT write? (Hint: The correct book in this question was written by Voltaire in 1756.)

Désastre de Lisbonne. "Pensées sur l'Interprétation de la Nature" dealt with the scientific method, "Lettre sur les Sourds et Muets" was about deaf-mutes, and "Le Fils Naturel" was a play depicting middle-class life in France.

True or false: Works such as "La Religieuse" and "Le Neveu de Rameau" were novels by Diderot which were published posthumously because of the likelihood they would be censored while he was alive.

t. "La Religieuse" was about a young nun who wishes to renounce her vows and "Le Neveu de Rameau" was a story, originally published in German by Goethe, to satirize his enemies.

These are a series of critiques (named after the French word for official exhibitions of the works of living artists) for the Royal Academy of Art's biennial art exhibition and is creditied as founding modern art criticism.

Salons. The first "salon" which Diderot wrote was in 1759.

In 1765, in order to pay for his daughter Angélique's dowry, Diderot sold his library to the queen of what country?

Russia. He sold the library to Catherine II of Russia who let him still use and keep it and gave him money to expand it.

True or false: Diderot cheated on his wife.

t. Diderot spent time and money for almost 30 years on his lover, Sophie Volland. She saved the love letters he wrote her, which are now regarded as some of the most fascinating and dazzling revelations of his personality.

In what decade did Diderot die in?

1780s. July 31, 1784