Jakob Mauvillon (1743-1794) was an important figure in the radical German Enlightenment. A literary critic and author or translator of works on religion, philosophy, political economy, gender, Freemasonry and history, he corresponded with many other thinkers in Germany and in France. Though he published on a wide range of topics, and was a prolific reviewer, detailed study of his works is scant. There is only one now outdated monograph on his work as a whole (published in 1981). 

More recently, however, it has become apparent that he is in fact a key figure of the radical Enlightenment in Germany. He has attracted increasing notice in the scholarly literature in the field. It is in line with this rising interest that together with two German scholars, Dieter Huening and Gideon Stiening, I organized a conference devoted to Mauvillon in Wolfenbuettel on 10-11 October 2019. The plenary speaker was the leading historian of the German radical Enlightenment, Martin Mulsow.

It is now well recognized that much of the work of Enlightenment in general, and the radical Enlightenment in particular, was done in networks of private correspondence. Mauvillon’s letters are thus a part of the wider network of correspondences in the period, which were a key medium in the propagation of Enlightenment ideas and values. Most of his correspondence is unpublished. 

In my research project I collected, transcribed and analysed the correspondence of Mauvillon archived in the Herzog August library and in the state library in Wolfenbuettel. Together with Kevin Hilliard, professor emeritus for German literature at Oxford University, I work on a commented edition of Mauvillon’s correspondences that will make a significant contribution to the study of the circulation of ideas in the Enlightenment in general, and the radical Enlightenment in particular.