This 12,000-word essay seeks to identify the methodological principles that guided Paul Bénichou in his literary studies, and to sketch the vision of modernity that imbues his work. All rights reserved; permission granted to reproduce for educational purposes.

• Part I: Bénichou's Contribution to Our Understanding of Secularization
• Part II: Bénichou's Methodology
• Part III: Bénichou and Twentieth-Century Philosophy
• Part IV: The Reception of Bénichou's Views
• Part V: Bénichou's Vision of Modernity
• Part VI: Spiritual Authority in Modernity and Postmodernity
• About this page

Last Update August 21, 2001