Date of Defense
4-8-1981
First Advisor
Dr. Joe Reish
Abstract
Freron's response to de Voltaire's epigram, cited above, is an example of how Freron reacted to de Voltaire's attacks. He treats it as a serious literary attempt, even while acknowledging that it was aimed against himself. One of his frequent tactics centered around de Voltaire's constant denials of authorship. To prove that this "piquante" verse must have emanated from de Voltaire's pen, Freron shows that it is a plagiarism of Batteux's verse of a hundred years earlier. Not only did de Voltaire steal the epigram, but Freron maintains in his critique that the imitation is worse that the original. This practice of denying authorship, as well as plagiarizing from other's works is characteristic of de Voltaire's methods, and figures in Freron's critiques regularly.
Recommended Citation
Anderson, Kimberly, "The Polemics of Debate: Freron vs. Voltaire" (1981). Honors Theses. 1966.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/1966
Access Setting
Honors Thesis-Campus Only