11 h 17 minAudiobook12 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if every step is written in advance, but no one can finish telling you where it leads?
Jacques and his unnamed master ride across France on horseback. The master wants the story of his servant’s loves. Jacques tries to oblige, but quarrels, innkeepers and strangers keep breaking in. In Denis Diderot’s comic novel, even a simple tale becomes a struggle between the urge to know and the pleasure of delay.
Jacques believes everything that happens is written on a great scroll above. His master keeps asking questions, while the narrator speaks straight to you and toys with what comes next. Along the road, stories of love, friendship and revenge turn their journey into a lively argument about fate, choice and who controls a story.
What you’ll discover
- A servant with wit Meet Jacques, whose quick tongue unsettles the usual balance between servant and master.
- A narrator who interrupts Enjoy a teasing storyteller who challenges your expectations and refuses to let you settle.
- Love delayed by life Follow Jacques’s interrupted account of his loves, where every diversion offers another pleasure.
- Revenge at the inn Hear the hostess tell of Madame de La Pommeraye and her cold, careful plan.
- Questions without easy answers Consider fate and free will through funny scenes, sharp exchanges and portraits of French society.
Who will love it
For readers who love talk, wit and ideas as much as plot, and anyone curious about the Enlightenment, fate and free will, or the art of storytelling.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Two travelers set out without names
- Everything is written up above
- A knee wound starts the love story
- Servant and master swap places
- The hostess tells of Madame de La Pommeraye
- Friendship, betrayal and the master's own tale
- Fate or free will, the book will not decide
- The narrator who plays with the reader
Who’s who
- JacquesA quick-witted servant and former soldier with a wounded knee, who believes that everything is written on a scroll above and loves to tell stories.
- The MasterJacques's unnamed employer, a vain, kind and curious man who takes snuff, watches the time, and wants to hear the tale of Jacques's loves.
- The NarratorA teasing voice who speaks to the reader, interrupts his own tales, and boasts that he could send the travelers anywhere he likes.
- DeniseA young woman of the village who tends Jacques after his wound and becomes part of the story of his loves.
- The CaptainJacques's old army commander, who taught him that every bullet has its address and that fate rules all that happens.
- Madame de La PommerayeA proud widow in the hostess's tale who plans a cold and careful revenge on a lover who has grown tired of her.
- The Marquis des ArcisA nobleman and long-time lover of Madame de La Pommeraye, whose cooling affection sets her plan in motion.
- The HostessAn innkeeper who tells the tale of Madame de La Pommeraye and grows impatient with the travelers' interruptions.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 11 h 17 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 12 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Jacques der Fatalist und sein Herr
by Denis Diderot · 1792
Jacques rides across France with his master, telling of his loves as they argue over whether fate rules their lives.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
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In short
Jacques the Fatalist and His Master is a novel by Denis Diderot, the French philosopher who edited the great Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment. He wrote it in the later part of his life and let it circulate in manuscript form among friends abroad.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Two travelers set out without names
The novel opens with questions. How had the two men met? By chance, like everybody else. Where were they going? Does anyone really know where he is going? The narrator throws these questions at you in the first lines, and he makes a point of refusing to answer the ones he finds dull. We learn that one man is Jacques and the other is his master, and that is all we are given.
The master is not a hero and Jacques is not a humble servant. The master has little to do except take snuff, check his watch, and ask for stories. He is kind, vain, curious and often confused. Jacques is quick, talkative and sure of himself. The narrator tells us plainly that the servant often runs the show.
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What is Jacques the Fatalist about?
It follows a servant, Jacques, and his master as they ride across France. Jacques tells the story of his loves while they meet strangers and hear tales. Throughout, they argue over whether life is fixed by fate or open to free choice.
Who is the narrator in Jacques the Fatalist?
The narrator is an unnamed voice who talks directly to the reader. He interrupts the tale, teases you about what you expect, and claims he could send the travelers into any adventure he likes.
What does fatalist mean in the title?
A fatalist believes that all events are fixed in advance. Jacques says that everything is written on a great scroll above. Yet he still makes choices, and the book plays on this gap between belief and conduct.
The author
Denis Diderot
1713–1784 · French Enlightenment philosopher and encyclopedist
Denis Diderot was a French philosopher of the Enlightenment and chief editor of the Encyclopédie. Les Bijoux Indiscrets, his mischievous satirical novel, hides sharp observations about society and truth-telling inside a scandalous comic premise.
More by Denis Diderot
All 4 booksMore like this
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