François de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon (1651-1715) was a major intellectual figure known for his writings on spiritual life, political philosophy, and education. Boston College Professor of Political Science Ryan Patrick Hanley, a specialist on the political philosophy of the Enlightenment period, picks five of the best books by or on Fénelon for the media site, Five Books for Catholics. According to Hanley, “Fénelon deserves our attention for his vision of political life. He had a remarkably humane understanding of what politics could be and how it could be reformed. That part of his vision remains important today, especially in our fraught global political moment.” Hanley is the author of The Political Philosophy of Fénelon, and a companion translation volume, Fénelon: Moral and Political Writings.