Voltaire's Tormented Soul: A Psychobiographic Inquiry Book

Illustrations     11
Acknowledgments     13
Prologue     15
Introduction     19
Innate Disposition and Mental Power
The Dionysian Extrovert     29
Frantically Active from Cradle to Grave     29
Speculator and Entrepreneur     35
Inexhaustible Energy     39
Intellect and Emotions-Inseparably Intertwined     43
Cognitive Faculties     44
The Emotional Factor     49
"Free-Floating Ideation"     51
Genesis of a Freethinker     56
Early Environment     56
School Years: Le College Louis-le-Grand     61
Introduction to Adulthood at La Societe du Temple     64
The English Interlude     65
Scars of Early Injuries
Chere Maman     73
The Wife of the Notary     73
The "Bastard" of Rochebrune     77
"Always Ill"     83
A Socially Licensed Outlet: The Stage     87
The Art of Circumventing Subconscious Defenses     90
Inflated Self-Esteem     100
Vanitatum vanitas     100
"Marginal Man"     104
Egocentric Impulse in Conflict with Ideology     110
AffairIncomplete: Impaired Masculine Self-Image     119
First Puppy Love, Then Gallantry     119
Discomfort with "Passionate" Love     123
Preference for "Simple Friendship"     125
Missing: Proper Role Models     131
Motivational Forces
A Conflict Never Resolved: Father and Son     141
The Tug of War     141
Guerrilla Skirmishes by the Pen     151
The Supernatural Father     157
The Archetypal Father     163
Le Petit Volontaire ("Master Willful")-Young and Old     168
Manipulator Par Excellence     168
Choice of a Pseudonym     173
The Calas Case     175
Miscarriage of Justice     176
Voltaire in Action     180
Relationships of Adulthood: Their Dynamics
"Divine Emilie"     187
Idyll in the Life of a Restless Soul     187
A Defaulted Friendship     197
The Poet and the King: Alike, Yet So Different     206
A Paradise Shattered     206
Doctor Akakia     215
Core-Conflict Highlighted by the Maupertuis Affair     223
An Enduring Bond     228
Curious Attachments     234
Friend or Parasite?      236
The Magic of Vicarious Need-Fulfillment     242
The Niece: Incest and Avarice     246
Moral Censor and the Core
Fluidity of Conscience     261
Morality-An Inborn Property?     261
Voltaire's Code of Ethics     265
The Issue of Hypocrisy     274
A Truly "Happy" Man?     281
The Optimism-Pessimism Dimension     281
The Narcissistic Shield     284
Unmet Affectional Needs     288
When Defenses Falter     291
"Sad Thoughts" and Resilience     296
A Clinical Overview: Life on the Outer Edge of Consciousness     303
Vagaries of the Aggressive Impulse     304
Regressive Features: Stunted Emotional Growth     307
Paradoxical Voltaire: "Monsieur le Multiform"     310
Rescue Operations-Real and Imaginary     317
The Splendid Isolation of the Humanities     321
Psychobiography Today     324
Behavioral Clues as Used in Depth Psychology     326
Glossary     328
References     333
Index A. Names and Places     341
Index B. Subjects     347