| Authorship Notes |
In a letter written to Sophie on October 14th 1760, Diderot briefly discusses the idea of travel. He introduces one âpĂšre Hoopâ, who has travelled in his youth and would like to travel again late in life. âFather Hoopâ, is a recurring character in Diderotâs works, and is difficult to identify with certainty. Gianluigi Goggi has suggested that 'Hoop' is an alter ego, or narrative device, through which Diderot can present his ideas. See Gianluigi Goggi, âSpinoza, le mariage des prĂȘtres et la thĂ©ocratie: sur une lettre de Diderot Ă Sophie Vollandâ, in Apprendre Ă porter sa vue au loin: Hommage Ă MichĂšle Duchet, Sylvian Albertan-Coppola ed., (2009), pp. 257-276, 273.
In his subsequent remarks Diderot criticizes the practice of travelling unless it is conducted between the ages 18-25 (in the later edition of his collected letters this is changed to 18-22.) Once a man is settled in life and has a family he should not travel. This idea is later repeated in his comments on the 'immoral' traveller in 'Salon de 1767', describe elsewhere in this database. |
