The “genius” of Bossuet by Edgar Quinet

The influence Bossuet exerted on the young Edgard Quinet, poet, historian and philosopher, has remained confidential. This previously unpublished study reveals Quinet's fascination with Bossuet, the Christian orator and historian of religion, whose style he admired and whose influence on his own. It is this interaction at work between reading and writing that will be examined, to show Bossuet's decisive role in shaping Quinet's thinking and personality.