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Aventures de Télémaque

by François de Salignac de La Mothe-Fénelon

The Adventures of Telemachus is the first critical edition of Tobias Smollett's 1776 translation of Bishop Fenelon's 1699 "mirror for princes," written especially for Duc de Burgogne, heir presumptive to Louis XIV. Both in its original French and its many translations, The Adventures of Telemachus was one of the most popular and revered works of the eighteenth century. During that time, more than ten English prose and poetry versions appeared, including this masterful prose translation by Smollett. Known for his novels Roderick Random and The Expedition of Humphry Clinker, Smollett was also a gifted translator. The Adventures of Telemachus was his final translation, and is one of the finest versions of the work. Long a disputed title in the Smollett canon, it is fully restored to his credit by Leslie A. Chilton.