Chapter Ozio e lavoro intellettuale tra Erasmo e la République des Lettres

Abstract

The idealised representation of the otium litteratum as a privileged and sheltered space for intellectual work coexists in Erasmus with the concrete immersion in the frenetic activity of the new publishing industry and the bitter disputes it produces. Faced with the repressive action of the great political and religious institutions of the age of confessionalisation, intellectuals of early modern age sometimes took refuge in a private or restricted space. From the end of the 17th century onwards, some of them redefine their role thanks to the expansion of the publishing market and the transformations of the 'République des Lettres': taking on the function of opinion leaders who spread new scientific and religious, ethical and political paradigms, these intellectuals effectively pave the way for the Enlightenment age.