I. The Enlightenment

1			1. Compare the Enlightenment with the scientific revolution. What are their main points of similarity and difference? 2. "Voltaire, more than any other man, represents the philosophes and what they stood for." Do you agree? Why? 3. "The Encyclopedia, more than any other book, represents the meaning of the Enlightenment." Do you agree? Why?

II. Eighteenth-Century Elite Culture

2			1. Compare high and popular culture of the eighteenth century. How are distinctions between the two revealed in differing types of publications and the role of the bookseller? 2. It has been argued that the major cultural accomplishments of the eighteenth century were development of the novel and of the symphony. Do you agree? Why? 3. What were the roles of women in eighteenth-century cultural life?

III. Popular Culture

3			1. What role did popular culture play in the lives of ordinary people? 2. How does the nature and extent of public schooling reflect broad aspects of eighteenth-century society and culture?