Project Gutenberg 2003-11-01 Public domain in the USA. 151 Voltaire 1694 1778 Arouet, François Marie Arouet, Francois Marie Memnon ou la sagesse humaine Wikipedia page about this book: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memnon_ou_la_sagesse_humaine Produced by Carlo Traverso "Memnon ou la sagesse humaine" by Voltaire is a short philosophical tale written during the mid-18th century. This work reflects Voltaire's characteristic wit and critical perspective on the human condition and the pursuit of wisdom, serving as a commentary on the complexities and contradictions of life. The book likely delves into themes related to human folly and the elusive nature of true wisdom, highlighting the absurdities of seeking absolute knowledge or happiness. In the story, Memnon, a man who seeks to attain perfect wisdom and happiness, initially believes that by renouncing passions and desires, he can achieve his goal. However, as he attempts to exercise control over his emotions and choices, he encounters a series of ironic and misfortunate events after meeting a beautiful, distressed woman. His attempts to help her lead to a cascade of failures, resulting in lost possessions, a physical injury, and ridicule. Eventually, he learns from a celestial being that perfect wisdom is unattainable, and happiness exists in degrees rather than absolutes. The narrative emphasizes the fallibility of human reason and the inherent challenges of existence, encapsulating Voltaire's comedic yet deeply philosophical exploration of the human experience. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 76.2 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. fr French fiction -- 18th century PQ Text FR Littérature Category: Novels Category: French Literature Category: Philosophy & Ethics 43844 2025-08-02T12:18:20.607527 text/html 43665 2025-01-09T01:16:32.217006 text/html 91898 2025-08-02T12:18:25.585511 application/epub+zip 90708 2025-08-02T12:18:23.469510 application/epub+zip 75105 2025-08-02T12:18:22.388510 application/epub+zip 234781 2025-08-02T12:18:27.158488 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 227493 2025-08-02T12:18:24.935503 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 197248 2022-09-03T03:45:28.301190 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 34644 2025-08-02T12:18:20.404519 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 14891 2024-06-13T04:22:50 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16991 2025-08-02T12:18:27.285478 application/rdf+xml 17282 2025-08-02T12:18:22.888504 image/jpeg 4321 2025-08-02T12:18:22.639503 image/jpeg 94594 2025-08-02T12:18:20.612539 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia fr.wikipedia