View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Cork Open Research Archive Title Godwin, Fénelon, and the disappearing teacher Author(s) Allen, Graham Publication date 2007-03 Original citation Allen, G., 2007. Godwin, Fénelon, and the disappearing teacher. History of European Ideas, 33(1), pp.9-24. Type of publication Article (peer-reviewed) Link to publisher's http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.histeuroideas.2006.06.001 version Access to the full text of the published version may require a subscription. Rights Copyright © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved Item downloaded http://hdl.handle.net/10468/63 from Downloaded on 2017-02-12T05:41:29Z Allen, Graham (2007) Godwin, Fénelon and the Disappearing Teacher, History of European Ideas. Volume 33, Issue 1, March 2007, Pages 9-24. ISSN: 0191-6599 http://hdl.handle.net/10468/63 Deposited on: 31 July 2009 CORA Cork Open Research Archive http://cora.ucc.ie 1 Godwin, Fénelon, and the Disappearing Teacher Graham Allen Department of English, University of Cork, Cork, Republic of Ireland E-mail address:
[email protected] Abstract The connection between Godwin and Fénelon has traditionally been restricted to the famous and controversial moment in the first edition of Political Justice (1793) in which Godwin presents an example of the interdependence of rationality and ethical action. This paper argues, however, that Fénelon, and particularly his political and educational treatise Telemachus (1699), plays a significant role in a number of Godwin’s subsequent fictional works. Employing Telemachus to explore the theories of education presented by Godwin in the various editions of Political Justice and The Enquirer (1797), this paper explores the manner in which Godwin’s version of the Enlightenment transcendence of pedagogical power comes up against its limits.