QUINET, kA'nfi.', EDGAR (1S03-75). A French poet, publicist, and historian of literature. born at Bourg, February 17. 1803. He was educated for the army. hut refusing a soldier's life, he published at twenty his justification in Les tab lettes du juif errant (1823). His next work was a translation of Herder's ld,en zur Philos ophic der Geschiehte der Menschheit (1827), to which he prefixed an introduction that won him the friendship of Cousin and Miche let. After travel in Germany, Italy, and Eng land. he was sent by the French Institute to Greece (1829) and wrote La Grire moderne (1830). He now began to contribute political essays to the newly founded Rent,' (Ps Dcux Montics and recurred to the legend of the Wan dering Jew in dbnsvi,rns (1S33). This was fol lowed by the less successful poems. Yripoh'em (1835) and Pronu'th(e (183S). His Examen de la vie de Jesus is a philosophy of religion as the substance of humanity and the apotheosis of per sonality in answer to Strauss's Lehr?? desn. His Genie des religions (1842) brought him a call to the CollAge de France, where he roused great en thusiasm by lectures on the Jesuits, Lltramon tanism. and Christianity in relation to the French Revolution. At this period Quinet's partisan ship began to bias his historical judgment. Slichelet shared in his attack on the Jesuits, which was silenced by the Government in 1846.
Quinet took an active part in the Revolution of 1545, sought to unmask Napoleon, and was ban ished (1852). At Brussels be wrote Les esclares (1853) and La revolution religicuse au XIXmc si,'cle (1557). Removing to Veytawx. on the Lake of Geneva, he published Merlin l'enehan tent- (18601. the autobiographical Histoire de mes idees (1560). and Histoire de to campaqne de 1815 (1862) and La revolution (1865), both tracing national disaster to a disregard of righteousness. The fall of Napoleon III. brought him back to Paris. He was active during the and in the National Assemblies at Bordeaux and Versailles. During this period he wrote La egmtioi k 1870 . La republique (1872), and L'espri/ nonrcou (1874). His If f'inoires were published in 1870 and Le Here de posthumously with two volumes of letters in 1877 and four others (1884-86). Quinet's complete works are in 26 vols. (Paris, 1877-79). Consult: Chassin, Edgar Quinet : sa rie, ses teurres (Paris, 1839) : Edgar Quinet depuis by his wife lib., 1889) ; Heath, Edgar Quinet, His Early Life and Writings (London, 1881) ; Dowden. Studies in Literature (ib., 1878) ; Montegut, Melanges critiques (Paris, 1887).