Republic of Letters

Republic of Letters

Republic of Letters is a phrase describing the phenomenon of increased correspondence in the form of letters exchanged between the influential philosophers and other thinkers during the Age of Enlightenment. It is commonly used to denote a notion of an imaginary space where free thinking people could exchange ideas. The Republic of Letters began as a network of private correspondence and evolved into the more complex and institutionalised system of newspapers and academic journals.

Recently, the notion of the Republic of Letters has been revived and used to refer to new phenomena, especially those related to the Internet, which enables even more rapid forms of communication and led to the creation of new discussion networks that function without the intermediary figure of the editor, like those of Usenet or Internet forums. However, modern day blogs and other forms of internet debate are not usually discussions between experts on the discussed topics, so the comparison to the Age of Enlightenment Republic of Letters may not be a proper assessment.

References

* Goodman, Dena (1994), "The Republic of Letters: A Cultural History of the French Enlightenment." Ithaca NY: Cornell University Press, ISBN 0-8014-2968-4.

ee also

* coffeehouse
* men of letters
* salon


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  • Republic of letters — Republic Re*pub lic (r? p?b l?k), n. [F. r[ e]publique, L. respublica commonwealth; res a thing, an affair + publicus, publica, public. See {Real}, a., and {Public}.] [1913 Webster] 1. Common weal. [Obs.] B. Jonson. [1913 Webster] 2. A state in… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • republic of letters — 1. the collective body of literary people. 2. literature. [1695 1705] * * * republic of letters noun The world of books and authors • • • Main Entry: ↑republic * * * republic of letters, 1. all people engaged in literary or learned work. 2. the …   Useful english dictionary

  • republic of letters — 1. the collective body of literary people. 2. literature. [1695 1705] * * * …   Universalium

  • republic of letters — noun 1. the collective body of literary people. 2. literature …  

  • News from the Republic of Letters — Editor Keith Botsford Categories Literary magazine Frequency Quarterly Founder Saul Bellow, Keith Botsford …   Wikipedia

  • The Republic of Letters — was a publishing endeavor by George Routledge Sons in the mid 1920s in London. Edited by William Rose, this series of books focused on interesting and significant poets, dramatists and novelists. In addition to containing biographical information …   Wikipedia

  • Republic — Re*pub lic (r? p?b l?k), n. [F. r[ e]publique, L. respublica commonwealth; res a thing, an affair + publicus, publica, public. See {Real}, a., and {Public}.] [1913 Webster] 1. Common weal. [Obs.] B. Jonson. [1913 Webster] 2. A state in which the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • republic — [ri pub′lik] n. [MFr république < L respublica < res, thing, affair, interest (see REAL1) + publica, fem. of publicus,PUBLIC] 1. a) a state or nation in which the supreme power rests in all the citizens entitled to vote (the electorate) and …   English World dictionary

  • letters — Synonyms and related words: French literature, IPA, ITA, Initial Teaching Alphabet, International Phonetic Alphabet, Renaissance literature, account, alphabet, alphabetics, ancient literature, annals, belles lettres, bibliolatry, bibliomania,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • republic — noun Etymology: French république, from Middle French republique, from Latin respublica, from res thing, wealth + publica, feminine of publicus public more at real, public Date: 1604 1. a. (1) a government having a chief of state who is not a… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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