Dialogues des morts

work by Fénelon

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June 25, 2026

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The Dialogues des morts (Dialogues of the Dead) is a literary work by French archbishop and writer François de Salignac de La Mothe-Fénelon. Composed between 1700 and 1718, it features conversations between deceased historical figures. This genre, popularized by ancient Greek writers like Lucian, allows for the exploration of philosophical and moral ideas through imagined discussions. Fénelon's Dialogues des morts follows this tradition, using the dead to comment on the living and explore various themes. Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle also wrote a successful series titled Nouveaux Dialogues des morts in 1683, which disseminated new philosophical ideas.1234

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nonfictional prose
Dialogues
…prelate Fénelon, for example, composed Dialogues des morts (1700–18), and so did many others, including the most felicitous master of that prose form, the English poet Walter Savage Landor, in his Imaginary Conversations (1824) and Pentameron (1837).
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…prelate Fénelon, for example, composed Dialogues des morts (1700–18), and so did many others, including the most felicitous master of that prose form, the English poet Walter Savage Landor, in his Imaginary Conversations (1824) and Pentameron (1837).
Read More