Lyt når som helst, hvor som helst

Nyd den ubegrænsede adgang til tusindvis af spændende e- og lydbøger - helt gratis

  • Lyt og læs så meget du har lyst til
  • Opdag et kæmpe bibliotek fyldt med fortællinger
  • Eksklusive titler + Mofibo Originals
  • Opsig når som helst
Prøv nu
DK - Details page - Device banner - 894x1036
Cover for The Maxims
Varighed
3T 26M
Sprog
Engelsk
Format
Kategori

Fakta

There’s no fool like an old fool....

The world is full of pots calling kettles black....

We can no more set a term to our passions than to our life.

These are just three of the aphorisms that made the collection of maxims by François, Duc de la Rochefoucauld, an enduring influence upon succeeding generations following their initial publication in 1665. The effect continued up to the present day - his admirers have included figures as varied as Lord Chesterfield, Thomas Hardy, Nietzsche, Stendhal, Gide and in more recent times, even Dorothy Parker, herself a prolific producer of epigrams.

Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) a well-known member of the French nobility, had a rich life with a bold military career. He proved courageous in battle, was wounded several times and nearly lost his sight. Not always finding himself on the successful side of politics, his career and standing in high circles was curtailed. However, he was also involved in literary salons and was respected as a moralist and man of letters at a time when it was fashionable to read maxims out loud at gatherings.

A number of editions of his maxims appeared during his lifetime as he revised his choices, deleting some and adding others. In total, a little over 600 have survived, which can be confidently ascribed to La Rochefoucauld. They vary considerably in style, length and content. Many are short (as those mentioned above); but others are longer, aiming at observations or truths which go beyond the witty flourish or the acutely pointed barb. For La Rochefoucauld was a perceptive observer of humanity in all its multi-faceted guises. Often he gave little quarter to human foibles, especially in the area of (in his celebrated phrase) ‘amour-propre’, or self-love, and clearly enjoyed cataloguing a range of emotions and effects where this comes into human play.

But this collection is much more than a basket of one-liners. He discusses aspects of death in an 800-word paragraph - a matter on which he could speak with some authority having faced it on many occasions in battle. He addresses laziness: ‘Of all our emotions, laziness is the one of which we are ourselves least aware. It is also the most intense and malignant of them all, though its violence be imperceptible and the damage it causes remain very well hidden.’

This recording presents a scholarly but accessible 20th-century translation by Constantine FitzGibbon, and opens with an introduction to the life and works of La Rochefoucauld, as well as his own description of himself. It closes with a brief but interesting bibliography, in which FitzGibbon brings clarity to the various editions. It is presented in a very listenable manner by David Rintoul, who gives each maxim the weight and character it deserves.

© 2021 Ukemi Audiobooks from W. F. Howes Ltd (Lydbog): 9781004134601

Udgivelsesdato

Lydbog: 14. august 2021

Tags

Andre kan også lide...

  1. The Principal Speeches of Demosthenes: A Selection
    The Principal Speeches of Demosthenes: A Selection Demosthenes
  2. Apology and Memorabilia
    Apology and Memorabilia Name Xenophon
  3. The Devil: A Biography
    The Devil: A Biography Vernon Cisney
  4. The Enneads: Volume 2 (4-6)
    The Enneads: Volume 2 (4-6) Plotinus
  5. The Biblical Philosophy of History
    The Biblical Philosophy of History R. J. Rushdoony
  6. The Essence of Christianity
    The Essence of Christianity Ludwig Feuerbach
  7. The Lay of the Nibelungs
    The Lay of the Nibelungs Anonymous
  8. American History: A Very Short Introduction
    American History: A Very Short Introduction Paul S. Boyer
  9. Summa Theologica: Volume 5, Supplement to Part 3
    Summa Theologica: Volume 5, Supplement to Part 3 Thomas Aquinas
  10. Kant and the Divine: From Contemplation to the Moral Law
    Kant and the Divine: From Contemplation to the Moral Law Christopher J. Insole
  11. The Bible and the Roots of Western Literature
    The Bible and the Roots of Western Literature Monica Brzezinski Potkay
  12. Contemporary Theology: An Introduction, Revised Edition: Classical, Evangelical, Philosophical, and Global Perspectives
    Contemporary Theology: An Introduction, Revised Edition: Classical, Evangelical, Philosophical, and Global Perspectives Kirk R. MacGregor
  13. Uemura’s Reflections on the Mind of Plato
    Uemura’s Reflections on the Mind of Plato Joseph Norio Uemura
  14. Odyssey of the West IV: A Classic Education through the Great Books: Towards Enlightenment
    Odyssey of the West IV: A Classic Education through the Great Books: Towards Enlightenment Timothy B. Shutt
  15. Sartor Resartus
    Sartor Resartus Thomas Carlyle
  16. Odyssey of the West II: A Classic Education through the Great Books: From Athens to Rome and the Gospels
    Odyssey of the West II: A Classic Education through the Great Books: From Athens to Rome and the Gospels Timothy B. Shutt
  17. The Socratic Dialogues: Late Period: Volume 2: The Laws
    The Socratic Dialogues: Late Period: Volume 2: The Laws Plato
  18. Mengzi (Mencius): With Selections from Traditional Commentaries
    Mengzi (Mencius): With Selections from Traditional Commentaries Bryan W. Van Norden
  19. The Socratic Dialogues: Early Period: Volume 2: Gorgias, Protagoras, Meno, Euthydemus, Lesser Hippias, Greater Hippias
    The Socratic Dialogues: Early Period: Volume 2: Gorgias, Protagoras, Meno, Euthydemus, Lesser Hippias, Greater Hippias Plato
  20. The Socratic Dialogues: Early Period: Volume 1: The Apology, Crito, Charmides, Laches, Lysis, Menexenus, Ion
    The Socratic Dialogues: Early Period: Volume 1: The Apology, Crito, Charmides, Laches, Lysis, Menexenus, Ion Plato
  21. On the Soul & Parva Naturalia
    On the Soul & Parva Naturalia Aristotle
  22. The Seraphic Doctor: St. Bonaventure
    The Seraphic Doctor: St. Bonaventure Francesco Chiappelli
  23. On the Ends of Good and Evil
    On the Ends of Good and Evil Marcus Tulius Cicero
  24. The End of Christendom
    The End of Christendom Malcolm Muggeridge
  25. The British Constitution: A Very Short Introduction, Second Edition
    The British Constitution: A Very Short Introduction, Second Edition Martin Loughlin
  26. Pagliacci
    Pagliacci Thomson Smillie
  27. The Moral Epistles: 124 Letters to Lucilius
    The Moral Epistles: 124 Letters to Lucilius Seneca the Younger
  28. Montesquieu: The Spirit of Laws Revisited
    Montesquieu: The Spirit of Laws Revisited Hector Davidson
  29. Capital: Volume 3: A Critique of Political Economy
    Capital: Volume 3: A Critique of Political Economy Karl Marx
  30. How to Grow Old: Ancient Wisdom for the Second Half of Life
    How to Grow Old: Ancient Wisdom for the Second Half of Life Marcus Tullius Cicero
  31. The Great Guide: What David Hume Can Teach Us about Being Human and Living Well
    The Great Guide: What David Hume Can Teach Us about Being Human and Living Well Julian Baggini
  32. Visions of Utopia: Philosophy and the Perfect Society
    Visions of Utopia: Philosophy and the Perfect Society Fred Baumann
  33. Philosophy of Knowledge and Metaphysics: Investigating the Nature of Knowledge, Reality, and the Mind (17 in 1)
    Philosophy of Knowledge and Metaphysics: Investigating the Nature of Knowledge, Reality, and the Mind (17 in 1) Hector Davidson
  34. Origen
    Origen Joseph Trigg
  35. The Magna Carta of Humanity: Sinai’s Revolutionary Faith and the Future of Freedom
    The Magna Carta of Humanity: Sinai’s Revolutionary Faith and the Future of Freedom Os Guinness
  36. A Treatise of Human Nature Book 1
    A Treatise of Human Nature Book 1 David Hume
  37. A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge
    A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge George Berkeley
  38. The Best of All Possible Worlds: A Life of Leibniz in Seven Pivotal Days
    The Best of All Possible Worlds: A Life of Leibniz in Seven Pivotal Days Michael Kempe
  39. The Science of Rights
    The Science of Rights Johann Gottleib Fitche
  40. A Treatise of Human Nature Book 2
    A Treatise of Human Nature Book 2 David Hume
  41. Princeton Readings in Political Thought: Essential Texts since Plato - Revised and Expanded Edition
    Princeton Readings in Political Thought: Essential Texts since Plato - Revised and Expanded Edition
  42. The Spirit of Early Christian Thought: Seeking the Face of God
    The Spirit of Early Christian Thought: Seeking the Face of God Robert Louis Wilken
  43. An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
    An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding David Hume
  44. El Cid: Adapted for the Contemporary Reader
    El Cid: Adapted for the Contemporary Reader James Harris

Vælg dit abonnement

  • Over 600.000 titler

  • Download og nyd titler offline

  • Eksklusive titler + Mofibo Originals

  • Børnevenligt miljø (Kids Mode)

  • Det er nemt at opsige når som helst

Den mest populære

Premium

For dig som lytter og læser ofte.

129 kr. /måned
  • 1 konto

  • 100 timer/måned

  • Eksklusivt indhold hver uge

  • Fri lytning til podcasts

  • Ingen binding

Start tilbuddet

Unlimited

For dig som lytter og læser ubegrænset.

149 kr. /måned
  • 1 konto

  • Ubegrænset adgang

  • Eksklusivt indhold hver uge

  • Fri lytning til podcasts

  • Ingen binding

Start tilbuddet

Family

For dig som ønsker at dele historier med familien.

Fra 179 kr. /måned
  • 2-6 konti

  • 100 timer/måned pr. konto

  • Fri lytning til podcasts

  • Kun 39 kr. pr. ekstra konto

  • Ingen binding

2 konti

179 kr. /måned
Start tilbuddet

Flex

For dig som vil prøve Mofibo.

89 kr. /måned
  • 1 konto

  • 20 timer/måned

  • Gem op til 100 ubrugte timer

  • Eksklusivt indhold hver uge

  • Fri lytning til podcasts

  • Ingen binding

Prøv gratis