Enlightenment History and Antiphilosophie: Voltaire and Nonnotte in France, Spain and Italy

Abstract

This article deals with the responses to Enlightenment history that emerged in antiphilosophique cultural circles and offers some pointers on the international dimension of this intellectual movement, so far studied mostly within the confines of individual states. Attention focuses on the case of the French Jesuit Claude-Adrien François Nonnotte (1711-1793), author of Les erreurs de Voltaire, published in 1762. After describing the essential features of this text, specifically its discourse on history, the article concentrates on its Spanish and Italian translations in order to highlight the European character of antiphilosophie and the different uses made of Nonnotte’s work in various contexts.