The ideas of Henri Bergson (1859 1941) have long been recognised as a major turning-point in, and influence upon, intellectual life. This 1976 book outlines the main themes of his philosophy and seeks to clarify the much-debated question of how operative a role he played, through a detailed study of his personal and intellectual relationships with four younger contemporaries: Charles Peguy, an ardent but not altogether fruitful disciple; Marcel Proust and Paul Valery, who disclaimed all influence and indeed affinity; and Julien Benda, who cast Bergson among the clercs who had betrayed him. In...