This bilingual interdisciplinary collection brings together essays on the ideas and modes of thought that flourished in France during the seventeenth century. From Descartes to Fénelon and beyond, from the history of science to spiritual philosophy, from metaphysics to the poetics of the novel, few aspects of this crucial period are left unexamined. As they bridge numerous gaps between languages, ideas and epochs, the contributors pave the way for a deeper exploration of the many possibilities created in and by the multiple philosophies of classical France. Through this synthetic framework, the reader is invited to think through the issues involved in addressing the seminal ideas of the seventeenth century from a contemporary point of view.