Diderot, between Mirrors and the Writing about Himself: On the Essai sur les règnes de Claude et de Néron

Abstract

The aim of this article is to show that there are reasons to think that Diderot's critiques to Rousseau in one of his last works, the Essai sur les règnes de Claude et de Néron, et sur les moeurs et les écrits de Sénèque, take a more relevant place in the structure of the text than what is often given. On the other hand, this allows to highlight some autobiographics marks of the writing which surprisingly bring nearer the frères ennemis in their latest books. The article also exposes some weaknesses in Diderot's questioning of Rousseau and the former's self-defense.