Playing with Truth: Language and the Human Condition in Pascal's Pensées

by Nicholas Hammond

Playing with Truth is the first comprehensive work on Pascal to be devoted to his use in the Pens es of key terms depicting its central subject--the human condition. Generally acknowledged as one of the greatest masterpieces of seventeenth-century France, the Pens es is an unfinished work which has both inspired and perplexed readers in succeeding centuries. In this study Nicholas Hammond explores such fundamental notions as language and order, proceeding with a detailed analysis of the words inconstance, ennui, inqui tude, bonheur, f licit, and justice. In the process, he gives an in-depth account of many important critical controversies of the day, as well as offering a novel and provocative insight into the persuasive purpose of the Pens es.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published August 18, 1994

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