A new edition of Burke’s masterpiece accompanied by insightful essays that illuminate the perennial appeal of this work
The most enduring work of its time, Reflections on the Revolution in France waswritten in 1790 and has remained in print ever since. Edmund Burke’s analysis of revolutionary change established him as the chief framer of modern European conservative political thought. This outstanding new edition of the Reflections presentsBurke’s famous text along with a historical introduction by Frank M. Turner and four lively critical essays by leading scholars. The volume sets the Reflections in the context of Western political thought, highlights its ongoing relevance to contemporary debates, and provides abundant critical notes, a glossary, and a glossary-index to ensure its accessibility. Contributors to the book examine various provocative aspects of Burke’s thought. Conor Cruise O’Brien explores Burke’s hostility to “theory,” Darrin McMahon considers Burke’s characterization of the French Enlightenment, Jack Rakove contrasts the views of Burke and American constitutional framers on the process of drawing up constitutions, and Alan Wolfe investigates Burke, the social sciences, and liberal democracy.
About the Author
Edmund Burke (1729 - 97) was born in Dublin and educated at Trinity College, Dublin. In 1750 he entered the MIddle Temple in London but soon left law for literature. His Philosophical Enquiry into the Sublime and the Beautiful influenced many writers of the Romantic period. An MP in the Whig Party, he championed the cause of Catholic emancipation and was involved in the governing India. Conor Cruise O'Brien is Emeritus Professor of the University of Dublin. In 1955 he was Counsellor in Paris and head of the United Nations section on Ireland from 1956 - 1960. He has been a professor at NYU, St Catherine's College, Oxford and at Dartmouth College in the USA. He has written on subjects including Ireland, Israel and the French Revolution. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
From the Back Cover
“Providing a fresh perspective on a much-studied classic, Clark’s edition is both innovative and informative. The first modern edition to reprint the text of the first edition of the Reflections, it brings readers closer to the historic document. . . . This volume should become the starting point for serious study of the Reflections.”—F. P. Lock, Queen’s University “ . . . [Reflections on the Revolution in France] will help both the student and the advanced scholar to engage with one of the founding texts of modernity, as well as providing, in its own right, an interpretive contribution to Burke studies.”—History of Political Thought --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
Review
Pocock is, without question, the leading historian of eighteenth-century British-American political thought. . . . All of his skills are brilliantly employed in the Introduction. . . . In addition to being the best treatment of Burke's thought in context, it is . . . the best and most concentrated presentation of Pocock's own view of the main contours of eighteenth-century political thought. . . . Finally, the Reflections and other texts by Burke are then woven into this rich fabric, thus providing the reader with an understanding of Burke's thought which is deeper and more complex (and surely more historically sensitive) than any available in the secondary literature. --James Tully, McGill University
Of all the scholars who currently study the history of Western political thought, no one is more fertile, eloquent, and ingenious than J. G. A. Pocock. --Keith Thomas, in the New York Review of Books
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
From the Inside Flap
The French Revolution is a defining moment in world history, and usually it has been first approached by English-speaking readers through the picture painted of it by Edmund Burke. Reflections on the Revolution in France is a classic work in a range of fields from history through political science to literature, and securely holds its place among the canon of “great books.” Yet its meaning is still contested and often misunderstood, equally by those who wish to admire or to denigrate Burke for his present-day relevance. This edition aims to locate Burke once again in his contemporary political and intellectual setting. Alone among recent versions, it reprints the text of the first edition of the Reflections, and shows how Burke amended it as his knowledge of the Revolution deepened. It is certain to become the standard edition for scholars and students alike. The editor’s Introduction is much more extensive than that of any previous edition. It situates the Reflections in Burke’s life and the development of his ideas, the history of English political thought, the debate about the French Revolution, and the debate the book itself inspired. But the Introduction is more than a compendium of information; it is a thoughtful, coherent interpretation of Burke and his book. The editor’s notes are also fuller than those of any previous edition, glossing many literary and biblical allusions missed by previous editors. He also supplies an extended note on the text, a biographical guide, and a bibliography, helpfully presented in discursive form.
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
From the Publisher
Rethinking the Western Tradition Series --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
A new edition of Burke’s masterpiece accompanied by insightful essays that illuminate the perennial appeal of this work
The most enduring work of its time, Reflections on the Revolution in France waswritten in 1790 and has remained in print ever since. Edmund Burke’s analysis of revolutionary change established him as the chief framer of modern European conservative political thought. This outstanding new edition of the Reflections presentsBurke’s famous text along with a historical introduction by Frank M. Turner and four lively critical essays by leading scholars. The volume sets the Reflections in the context of Western political thought, highlights its ongoing relevance to contemporary debates, and provides abundant critical notes, a glossary, and a glossary-index to ensure its accessibility. Contributors to the book examine various provocative aspects of Burke’s thought. Conor Cruise O’Brien explores Burke’s hostility to “theory,” Darrin McMahon considers Burke’s characterization of the French Enlightenment, Jack Rakove contrasts the views of Burke and American constitutional framers on the process of drawing up constitutions, and Alan Wolfe investigates Burke, the social sciences, and liberal democracy.
About the Author
Edmund Burke (1729 - 97) was born in Dublin and educated at Trinity College, Dublin. In 1750 he entered the MIddle Temple in London but soon left law for literature. His Philosophical Enquiry into the Sublime and the Beautiful influenced many writers of the Romantic period. An MP in the Whig Party, he championed the cause of Catholic emancipation and was involved in the governing India. Conor Cruise O'Brien is Emeritus Professor of the University of Dublin. In 1955 he was Counsellor in Paris and head of the United Nations section on Ireland from 1956 - 1960. He has been a professor at NYU, St Catherine's College, Oxford and at Dartmouth College in the USA. He has written on subjects including Ireland, Israel and the French Revolution. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
From the Back Cover
“Providing a fresh perspective on a much-studied classic, Clark’s edition is both innovative and informative. The first modern edition to reprint the text of the first edition of the Reflections, it brings readers closer to the historic document. . . . This volume should become the starting point for serious study of the Reflections.”—F. P. Lock, Queen’s University
“ . . . [Reflections on the Revolution in France] will help both the student and the advanced scholar to engage with one of the founding texts of modernity, as well as providing, in its own right, an interpretive contribution to Burke studies.”—History of Political Thought --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
Review
Pocock is, without question, the leading historian of eighteenth-century British-American political thought. . . . All of his skills are brilliantly employed in the Introduction. . . . In addition to being the best treatment of Burke's thought in context, it is . . . the best and most concentrated presentation of Pocock's own view of the main contours of eighteenth-century political thought. . . . Finally, the Reflections and other texts by Burke are then woven into this rich fabric, thus providing the reader with an understanding of Burke's thought which is deeper and more complex (and surely more historically sensitive) than any available in the secondary literature. --James Tully, McGill University
Of all the scholars who currently study the history of Western political thought, no one is more fertile, eloquent, and ingenious than J. G. A. Pocock. --Keith Thomas, in the New York Review of Books
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
From the Inside Flap
The French Revolution is a defining moment in world history, and usually it has been first approached by English-speaking readers through the picture painted of it by Edmund Burke. Reflections on the Revolution in France is a classic work in a range of fields from history through political science to literature, and securely holds its place among the canon of “great books.” Yet its meaning is still contested and often misunderstood, equally by those who wish to admire or to denigrate Burke for his present-day relevance. This edition aims to locate Burke once again in his contemporary political and intellectual setting. Alone among recent versions, it reprints the text of the first edition of the Reflections, and shows how Burke amended it as his knowledge of the Revolution deepened. It is certain to become the standard edition for scholars and students alike.
The editor’s Introduction is much more extensive than that of any previous edition. It situates the Reflections in Burke’s life and the development of his ideas, the history of English political thought, the debate about the French Revolution, and the debate the book itself inspired. But the Introduction is more than a compendium of information; it is a thoughtful, coherent interpretation of Burke and his book. The editor’s notes are also fuller than those of any previous edition, glossing many literary and biblical allusions missed by previous editors. He also supplies an extended note on the text, a biographical guide, and a bibliography, helpfully presented in discursive form.
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
From the Publisher
Rethinking the Western Tradition Series --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.