Kafker, Frank A. “An Encyclopedist
Victimized.” The Modern Language Review, vol. 59, no. 1, Modern Humanities Research Association, 1964, pp. 25–26. JSTOR, JSTOR, doi:10.2307/3720581.
In this brief article, Kafker explores the “Bouchaud episode,” an interesting conflict between the Encyclopedists and conservatives that had not been mentioned in previous research. This conflict centers around Mathieu-Antoine Bouchaud who, as a prominent lawyer and good Catholic, decided to write articles to the Encyclopédie. Unfortunately for Bouchaud, his contributions occurred at the same time the Encyclopédie was under attack from the Catholic Church, around 1754, and was still feeling the social repercussions of the de Prades affair. As a result, his reputation was scarred despite his articles being sound and scholarly and, for years, he was refused entry into the major universities and academies. Kafker uses this story to argue against the claim that there was little danger in writing for the Encyclopédie and that contributors had nothing to fear in doing so.
Basic Information
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Language: English
Decade: 1960s
Main Classification: Scandals, Dangers
Related Sources
*In Progress*
Notes
None
Updates
9/8/2020: Created page.