Though, with the ascendancy of Louis, the political power of the nobles finally came to an end, France remained, in the whole complexion of her social life, completely aristocratic. Lytton Strachey Read Quote
But Racine’s extraordinary powers as a writer become still more obvious when we consider that besides being a great poet he is also a great psychologist. Lytton Strachey Read Quote
During this earlier period of his activity Voltaire seems to have been trying – half unconsciously, perhaps – to discover and to express the fundamental quality of his genius. Lytton Strachey Read Quote
English dramatic literature is, of course, dominated by Shakespeare; and it is almost inevitable that an English reader should measure the value of other poetic drama by the standards which Shakespeare has already implanted in his mind. Lytton Strachey Read Quote
How far the existence of the Academy has influenced French literature, either for good or for evil, is an extremely dubious question. Lytton Strachey Read Quote
In pure literature, the writers of the eighteenth century achieved, indeed, many triumphs; but their great, their peculiar, triumphs were in the domain of thought. Lytton Strachey Read Quote
In sheer genius Pascal ranks among the very greatest writers who have lived upon this earth. And his genius was not simply artistic; it displayed itself no less in his character and in the quality of his thought. Lytton Strachey Read Quote
In the literature of France Moliere occupies the same kind of position as Cervantes in that of Spain, Dante in that of Italy, and Shakespeare in that of England. His glory is more than national – it is universal. Lytton Strachey Read Quote
The amateur is very rare in French literature – as rare as he is common in our own. Lytton Strachey Read Quote
