Description

FIRST EDITION.
"Referred to by Montesquieu himself as a novel (Thoughts, no. 1438), this short book a narrative in prose of mythological and gallant inspiration, composed of seven songs. the preface, as a translation of a Greek poem. The poet-narrator tells of his love for the and that of her companion Aristheus for the wise Camilla, in the town of Gnidus dedicated to the cult of Venus. […] Montesquieu denied for a long time that he was the author of this a light production that was nonetheless the most widely published and translated of his works. [...] LeTemple de Gnide exalts a modest sensuality, a refined and sensitive art of loving, an aesthetic of grace and variety, theorised in the Essay on taste."
(Dornier Carole , " The Temple of Gnide "in Montesquieu dictionary [on line], edited by Catherine
Volpilhac-Auger, ENS Lyon, September 2013).

Written for Mlle de Clermont, the work earned Montesquieu influential friendships and his first failed election to the Académie française.

Uncommon.