Fénelon between Ancients and Moderns

Abstract

The end of the seventeenth century saw France split between nostalgics of Antiquity and enthusiasts of the era of Louis XIV. Issues of national identity, public opinion and scientific progress were involved in the controversy. Fénelon, bishop of Cambrai, had a conciliatory position. Through a reading of The Adventures of Telemachus, by taking a work of literary criticism, we intend to clarify the place of the author in this Quarrel.