We journey through the 18th century with this son of a watchmaker who will become a man of letters. Born in 1732 and died in 1799, he experienced two kings, the revolution, the convention, and the directory. Éric Orsenna paints for us a picture of a character, an era, and a society. This biography is both a historical and sociological work.
With numerous comparisons to our 20th century, the author demonstrates this repetition of history. Beaumarchais, through his theater, was a witness and a painter of his society where libertinism was considered a virtue. The king, Louis XV, was the first to indulge in bedchamber affairs at Versailles. Censorship primarily aimed to protect the reputations of the high-ranking officials of the State. While the people were burdened by taxes and duties, the aristocracy did not contribute to the necessary efforts to clear the public treasury’s deficit.
Beaumarchais evoked the destiny of this nobility whose only merit was being born! This Age of Enlightenment was shedding the dust of superstition and restrictions on freedom from society. There were two schools of thought, Voltaire’s, which defended liberty, and Rousseau’s, which prioritized equality. Beaumarchais found himself between the two philosophers, though given his cultural background, he was more of a proponent of liberty.
It is this man that Erik Orsenna invites us to discover in his work, where the subtitle indicates his preference between Rousseau and Voltaire: An Adventurer of Liberty!
