They imagine that a foreigner who speaks to them is looking for a leg-over. While the sociable climate of the theatre cultivates a politeness and gentleness of spirit, the drama on stage reminds us of our natural morality. [7] With impartiality, he decided it fit for publication (he himself at one time worked as a censor). Rousseau describes them as scandalous, hedonistic, and compares them to jesters, who were more blatantly indecent and obscene. Therefore, theatres are of little use. 5 D'Alembert, Geneva, in Letter, 243. Rousseau could never entertain doubts about Gods existence or about the immortality of the soul. Some six years later Saint-Preux returns from his travels and is engaged as tutor to the Wolmar children. Many scholars have identified the decisive influence of Montesquieu's treatment of the ancient city in Rousseau's thought more generally, but have not yet fully explored the role that Montesquieu's treatment of the theatre plays in Rousseau's Letter. Despite being treated unfairly, Hippolytus adheres to a steadfast set of moral principlesand the playwright makes sure that the audience is aware of this. In 1758, Jean Le Rond d'Alembert proposed the public establishment of a theater in Genevaand Jean-Jacques Rousseau vigorously objected. Spirit, 6.2, 74. Despite laws and historical examples that attempt to overcome or deny those natural feelings, theatre offers the assurance that they continue to exist or can be recalled. It is an exciting little work that takes what appears to be an innocuous suggestion about adding a public theater to Geneva, and turns it into a brutal critique of the Enlightenment. In a text directed toward representation, he thus makes semblance, imitation, a category worthy of moral judgement: that is the . Even though there are other forms of entertainment in Geneva that exemplify bad manners, Rousseau claims that none of these areas are more destructive to the people's good taste than the theatre. Dieses exklusive Werk zusammen mit anderen einzigartigen kuratierten Kunstwerken finden Sie nur hier! By focusing on his belief in the natural order and harmony of traditional sex roles and community, Rousseau writes to convince D'Alembert, and the public of Geneva, that a theatre is a threat to an ideal, natural way of life. Arguably its greatest influence was as one of the first attempts to write a rigorous philosophical history of mankind. Dont have an account? Rousseau proceeds to explore the effect of theatre when decency is lost. From 1742 to 1749, Rousseau lived in Paris, barely earning a living by teaching and by copying music. Ourida Mostefai offers the most current and exhaustive treatment of the letter and its context that we know, while Patrick Coleman presents a highly instructive and provocative textual analysis that explores among other themes the manner in which Rousseau offers himself as an actor and his text as his own public stage; see Ourida Mostefai, Le citoyen de Genve et la Rpublique des Lettres: tude de la controverse autour de La Lettre d'Alembert de Jean-Jacques Rousseau (New York, NY, 2003); Patrick Coleman, Rousseau's Political Imagination: Rule and Representation in the Lettre d'Alembert (Geneva, 1984). Letter to D'Alembert on the Theatre (1758) (Lettre a M. d'Alembert sur les Spectacles) is an essay written by Jean-Jacques Rousseau in opposition to an article published in the Encyclopdie by Jean d'Alembert, that proposed the establishment of a theatre in Geneva. As the Letter progresses, Rousseau comes to agree with Montesquieu that theatre, and hence the manners and mores that a people possesses, can be a decisive influence on the way of life of a given people. After formally renouncing his Genevan citizenship in 1763, Rousseau became a fugitive, spending the rest of his life moving from one refuge to another. Though a theatre can work to distract the masses of the cities from crime, it is of no use to a smaller city like Geneva, which is relatively innocent. It is also problematic, according to Rousseau for women and men to be working together as actors and actresses. Although Rousseau offers evaluations of the English and French in opposition to the ones Montesquieu presents, he simultaneously confirms Montesquieu's teachings regarding the powerful effect that women can have on mores and accepts Montesquieu's fundamental tenet regarding the transformative effect of mores on society and government. As soon as they are elected, it is a slave, it is nothing; see Rousseau, Social Contract, in Collected Writings, IV, 3.15, 192. Recommended translation: Politics and the Arts:Letter to M. D'Alembert on the Theatre(Agora Paperback Edition);trans. At points in his Letter to d'Alembert Rousseau borrows Montesquieu's images and sometimes his very language, adapting them to his purpose in condemning the establishment of a theatre in small and virtuous Geneva.Footnote45 Thus, Rousseau accepts many of Montesquieu's claims regarding French society and its form of sociability. 35 Theseus is the only character in the play to use the word tratre, which occurs on six different occasions in the work, all concentrated in the first and second scenes of Act 4 and all applied to Hippolytus. 177. Alternate titles: Lettre dAlembert sur les spectacles, Letter to Monsieur dAlembert on the Theatre, Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Years of seclusion and exile of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Prof. Mostefai will present a newly completed critical edition of Rousseau's Letter to d'Alembert for the new complete edition of Rousseau's work currently in preparation in France (Garnier). 66 For example: The English people think it is free. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (UK: / r u s o /, US: / r u s o / French: [ ak uso]; 28 June 1712 - 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher (), writer, and composer.His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolution and the development of modern political, economic, and educational thought. While Montesquieu lavishes distinct praise on a society that permits the formation of taste and promotes the gentleness that comes from commerce, understood both as economic and social exchange, Rousseau resists such influences. Rousseau came under increasing attack, in print and in practice, from the French monarchy, Voltaire and many others. Montesquieu takes a particular interest in such judicial proceedings throughout The Spirit of the Laws, declaring that the knowledge already acquired in some countries and yet to be acquired in others, concerning the surest rules one can observe in criminal judgments, is of more concern to mankind than anything else in the world.Footnote32 Criminal judgements can bring down the full power of the state against individuals, depriving them of their property, liberty, homeland, or very lives.Footnote33 Given this import, Montesquieu advises gentleness in punishing, declaring that people must not be led to extremes; one should manage the means that nature gives us to guide them and explaining that nature [] has given men shame for their scourge. Muralt uses the word timide only twice in his description of England, neither of which occurs in a comparable context; see Muralt, Lettres, 107, 130. Yet in the Letter his encomia cross from enthusiastic to the fervid. Rahe broaches the possibility that Rousseau's deep reflection on Montesquieu's Spirit, which his work for the Dupins afforded him, was the catalyst for Rousseau's illumination that occurred on the road to Vincennes when he was travelling to visit his imprisoned friend Denis Diderot; see Rahe, Soft Despotism, 7377. In other words, it is easier to not have to deal with corrupted morality and have to change the laws accordingly. [4], In spite of the letter being addressed directly to D'Alembert, it is undoubtedly meant to have an effect on the general population. Rousseau could never entertain doubts about God's existence or about the immortality of the soul. [3], Rousseau generally opposed the Enlightenment thrust that was occurring during his lifetime. In fact, Muralt relates that he observed that Englishmen sometimes had the audacity to bring their mistresses to the dinner table, and this caused so little trouble that it led Muralt to declare: Je crois que s'il leur en prenoit envie, ils les feroient coucher dans un mme lit, & je ne sai s'il n'y en a pas eu qui s'en soient avisez. 14 For example, in Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality among Men, Rousseau takes issue with an illustrious Philosopher, evidently Montesquieu, on the timidity of human beings in the state of nature; see Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Second Discourse, in Collected Writings, III, 21. 30 Montesquieu's view was quite common at this time; see Mostefai, Le citoyen de Genve, 4763. the morality of theatrical performances, Lettre dAlembert sur les spectacles (1758). Contents nen Preface vii Chronology of Works in Volume 10 ix Note on the Text xiii Introduction xv Operas, Plays, and Ballets 1 Iphis 3 Translated and Edited by Christopher Kelly (one code per order). 17 In his consideration of this aspect of Rousseau's argument, Coleman poses the question: Why England? Neither of Coleman's proposed responses include Rousseau's specific response to Montesquieu's Book 19; see Coleman, Rousseau's Political Imagination, 110. He also wrote Rousseau juge de Jean-Jacques (1780; Rousseau, Judge of Jean-Jacques) to reply to specific charges by his enemies and Les Rveries du promeneur solitaire (1782; Reveries of the Solitary Walker), one of the most moving of his books, in which the intense passion of his earlier writings gives way to a gentle lyricism and serenity. We thank Matthew Mendham who, as commentator, offered insightful remarks on that occasion. The letter attracted remarkable attention; over four hundred articles and pamphlets were written in response to it. Renews April 25, 2023 Because Montesquieu understands women as the judges and bestowers of a man's honour, when women are placed in the public sphere, men adopt mannerisms and behaviour to win their approval.Footnote63 Thus, women enhance the theatricality of public life, putting men (and themselves) on display for each other. His death caused a great outpouring of sentiment amongst his many readers and admirers. At the end of The New Eloise, when Julie has made herself ill in an attempt to rescue one of her children from drowning, she comes face-to-face with a truth about herself: that her love for Saint-Preux has never died. for a customized plan. Geneva, which already has a large degree of inequality, does not need any more. Cf. Rousseau continues to say that actors coming to the town of Geneva will be indifferent to the town's morality, and will quickly corrupt it. The work is famous for displaying Rousseau's charismatic rhetoric and digressive tendencies, all with his personal experience woven into the text. Overall, the population of Geneva agreed with the Letter. 70 Letter, 325 (5: 92). In this manner, one sees that Rousseau's engagement with Voltaire in his Letter is matched by a subtle, yet substantial, engagement with Montesquieu. The younger thinker also heeds the admonition of the elder that any change must be undertaken with full knowledge of its consequences and hence with supreme care. Il cite ce pour quoi il crit. Here is a lecture on Rousseau's Letter to D'Alembert. Although Rousseau in his Letter refers neither to Montesquieu nor to his works by name, he was certainly well versed in his predecessor's teachings. He reacted to the suppression of The Social Contract in Geneva by indicting the regime of that city-state in a pamphlet entitled Lettres crites de la montagne (1764; Letters Written from the Mountain). However, it is important to consider the diverse concerns of the Enlightenment as a background to Rousseau's work. Montesquieu's description of a gentle and joyful societal existence could very well foster admiration beyond the borders of France, and thus spread the very mores from which Rousseau endeavours to protect Geneva. In this manner, Rousseau adheres closely to Montesquieu's language, even if their ultimate judgements on the phenomenon differ. At this time, Rousseau wants to serve that truth that contributes to the "public good," that is to say, to all individuals. 28 Spirit, 19.8, 311 (2:560). For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more! More importantly, in Discourse on InequalityRousseau is in many ways extremely negative about the progress of reason. By the time his Lettre dAlembert sur les spectacles (1758; Letter to Monsieur dAlembert on the Theatre) appeared in print, Rousseau had already left Paris to pursue a life closer to nature on the country estate of his friend Mme dpinay near Montmorency. They say that however slightly one man knows another, he has the right to suffocate him. As Kelly points out, scholars have noted that Rousseau on several occasions in that work paraphrases without attribution the language of Montesquieu's Spirit; see Kelly, Rousseau and the Illustrious Montesquieu, in The Challenge of Rousseau, edited by Grace and Kelly, 21, notes 8 and 9; Leo Strauss, On the Intention of Rousseau, Social Research, 14 (1947), 45587 (45860); Antoine Adam, De quelques sources de Rousseau dans la littrature philosophique (17001750), in Jean-Jacques Rousseau et son oeuvre, problmes et recherches (Paris, 1964), 12533 (127); Michel Launay, Jean-Jacques Rousseau et son temps (Paris, 1969), 93103. Rousseau '' Letter To D' Alembert''; Politics & The Arts [ Allan Bloom] Bookreader Item Preview Julie was published in 1761 and soon becomes one of the best-selling works of the century. With Racine's Phaedra in mind, Rousseau denies that the theatre can teach morality: What do we learn from Phdre and pide other than that man is not free and that Heaven punishes him for crimes that it makes him commit? Evidence suggests that the feminist consensus on Jean-Jacques Rousseau "misogyny" is breaking down.New studies are emerging that bring to light the many sympathetic portrayals of women in Rousseau's works and the important role he ascribed to women within the family. [4], The Letter starts off with a more grim and urgent tone, then shifting at the end to a brighter and optimistic one when the community oriented solution to the problem of the theatre is discussed. However, tragedies are not as dangerous as comedies, because the characters more closely resemble French citizens. Rousseau's dismay arose largely from d'Alembert's proposal that theatre be established in Geneva as it would The French government ordered that Rousseau be arrested, so he fled to Neuchatel in Switzerland. Muralt does not use the verb attirer to describe France's effect on foreigners as do both Montesquieu and Rousseau. The basic argument of the book, as Rousseau himself expressed it, is that vice and error, which are alien to a childs original nature, are introduced by external agencies, so that the work of a tutor must always be directed to counteracting those forces by manipulating pressures that will work with nature and not against it. Because of the natural respect men have for the moral sense and timidity of women, for men to be amongst women as actresses will be a further threat to men's morality. In light of this regrettable fact, he declares: I would consider myself the happiest of mortals if I could make it so that men were able to cure themselves of their prejudices. According to Montesquieu, it is exactly this tenderness [tendresse] that illustrates the power of the theatre over human beings.Footnote56 This softening of the mores, which Montesquieu sees as so valuable for producing human attachments, Rousseau finds unworthy of true men who will embrace and fulfil the duties of their polity.Footnote57 Thus, while Montesquieu uses Phaedra as an illustration of how theatre serves to eliminate moral ambiguity by reminding us of our natural morality, Rousseau uses the play to demonstrate drama's subversion of citizenship. April 18, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 Dufour (Paris, 1924), i, 379-380,384.Further quotations from this work will be cited as "R." and will refer to this edition. Nevertheless, Montesquieu's pleasing depiction of polite French society and his praise of theatre's support for natural morality could very well abet that transmission which Rousseau resists. For example, Rousseau in his Letter both adopts and adapts salient elements of Montesquieu's juxtaposition of French and English societies in Book 19. The place seems to breed affection.Footnote20, Nevertheless, Montesquieu's description of these theatrical relations of the French in the Persian Letters, while in part satirical, bears an important resemblance to his description and praise of a people who possess a sociable humour in Book 19 of The Spirit of the Laws. Believing that Thrse was the only person he could rely on, he finally married her in 1768, when he was 56 years old. You can view our. It was in England that Rousseau found refuge after he had been banished from the canton of Bern. Discourse on Inequalitymay not have impressed the judges from the Dijon academy, but it nevertheless won a great following. You are not required to obtain permission to reuse this article in part or whole. [5] To have a prosperous state, Rousseau believed, people needed to work together and harmoniously. Cody Valdes provided perspicacious editorial assistance. 6 Rousseau authored many of the entries related to music in the Encyclopdie as well as the article Economie, in Encyclopdie, ou dictionnaire raisonn des sciences, des arts et des mtiers, etc., edited by Denis Diderot and Jean-Baptiste le Rond d'Alembert; see University of Chicago, IL: ARTFL Encyclopdie Project (Spring 2013 Edition), edited by Robert Morrissey, http://artflsrv02.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.4:599.encyclopedie0513 [accessed 18 June 2014]. Isaac left Geneva after an argument in 1722; Rousseau nevertheless had a high opinion of his father, referring to him in the dedication to Discourse on Inequality as "the virtuous Citizen to whom I owe my life." See also Bellhouse, Femininity & Commerce in the Eighteenth Century, 29294; Schaub, Erotic Liberalism, 12122. The legislator's task is to make sure a society's women are in order. From 174041, he worked as a private tutor for Monsieur de Mably, brother of the famous writer, the Abbe de Mably. His First Discourse, on the Arts and Sciences, won first prize in a competition run by the Dijon Academy, and he had an opera and a play performed to great acclaim. In resisting such influence, Rousseau counters many of Montesquieu's specific arguments and judgements. Jean Jacques Rousseau (n. 28 iunie 1712, Geneva, Republica Geneva (d) - d. 2 iulie 1778, Ermenonville, Picardia, Frana) a fost un filozof elveian, scriitor i compozitor, unul dintre cei mai ilutri gnditori ai Iluminismului.A influenat hotrtor, alturi de Voltaire i Diderot, spiritul revoluionar, principiile de drept i contiina social a epocii; ideile lui se . Montesquieu's own partiality to the gaiety of French society in particular becomes manifest when he defends it against anyone who would propose that it be restricted and reformed: One could constrain its women, make laws to correct their mores, and limit their luxury, but who knows whether one would not lose a certain taste that would be the source of the nation's wealth and a politeness that attracts foreigners to it?Footnote27. Listen on ); Episode details. And indeed, Rousseau does seem to have recovered his peace of mind in his last years, when he was once again afforded refuge on the estates of great French noblemen, first the Prince de Conti and then the Marquis de Girardin, in whose park at Ermenonville he died. He describes, for example, the power of the theatre over the human soul, noting that [m]usic arouses all the passions, and can make the soul feel softness, pity, tenderness, and sweet pleasure. In such a case, theatre is useful [] for covering the ugliness of vice with the polish of forms; in a word, for preventing bad morals from degenerating into brigandage.Footnote88 In speaking somewhat sarcastically about the positive role of theatre in such a corrupt society, Rousseau reveals that he would not recommend the proscription of the theatre in Paris and thus he is not such a one as to venture to constrain its women, make laws to correct their mores, and limit their luxury.Footnote89 Here, Rousseau acknowledges that theatre may, in fact, at least prevent what he sees as the debaucheries of Parisian society. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Music and the French Enlightenment: Rameau and the Philosophes in Dialogue by Cy at the best online prices at eBay! See also Radica, Rousseau, in Dictionnaire lectronique Montesquieu, September 2013 edition, 7. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. In making this case in Letter to d'Alembert, Rousseau engages Montesquieu's thought by confirming some aspects of his predecessor's reflections while challenging others, frequently adopting Montesquieu's very language in order to counter the trends his predecessor's work might promote. The principle of the theatre is to please, it is not, Rousseau argues, functional because the characters are always distant from man. 20 Montesquieu, Persian Letters, letter 28, 79. Montesquieu's particular treatment of English women differs from Muralt's in several ways. In order to resist this very appeal in the name of Geneva's singular and austere republican life, Rousseau adopts Montesquieu's maxims: pursue change slowly and cautiously, as even small changes to a people's way of life can inadvertently contain the seeds of radical transformation and unintended consequences. Among them, Le Devin du village was the most popular French opera of the eighteenth . Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Charting Rousseau's influence is hard, simply because it was so vast. Despite strikingly different conclusions, it is not only their use of similar terms when describing the theatre in general and Phaedra in particular that suggests Rousseau has Montesquieu's arguments in mind while responding publicly to d'Alembert. Women naturally have power over men via resistance in the area of relationships and this power can be extended to the play, where women can have the same control over the audience. This awareness of presenting oneself to be viewed and judged by others fosters politeness, manners, and the joie de vivre that Montesquieu speaks so highly of in France.Footnote64. One of Rousseau's pivotal points in the Letter is that customs, opinions and priorities which are common and well-accepted among all citizens should be those that make accepting laws in favour of respect, equality and harmony a pleasurable and natural experience. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. 45 For Rousseau's association with Geneva both before and after the composition of the Letter, see Richard Whatmore, Against War and Empire: Geneva, Britain and France in the Eighteenth Century (New Haven, CT, 2012), 5497. In this context, he declares: Men, rascals when taken one by one, are very honest as a whole; they love morality; and if I were not considering such a serious subject, I would say that this is remarkably clear in the theaters; one is sure to please people by the feelings that morality professes, and one is sure to offend them by those that it disapproves.Footnote29. It made the author at least as many friends among the reading publicand especially among educated womenas The Social Contract and mile made enemies among magistrates and priests. Moreover, the double entendre he deploys here should not be overlooked, as he also illustrates that men's social interactions with women unleash the power of commercial exchange: Fashions are an important subject; as one allows one's spirit to become frivolous, one constantly increases the branches of commerce [on augmente sans cesse les branches de son commerce].Footnote25 Thus, both women and commerce foster the communicability and nurture the adaptability of a given people.Footnote26. He writes that the actor is someone who is artificial, performs for money, subjects himself to disgrace, and abandons his role as a man. 54 Letter, 271. For an overview of the state of the scholarship on the relation of the two thinkers, see Gabrielle Radica, Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, in Dictionnaire lectronique Montesquieu, September 2013 edition, http://dictionnaire-montesquieu.ens-lyon.fr/index.php?id=436 [accessed 12 June 2014]. He argues that the presence and authority of women in public spaces corrupts the male youth, turning them effeminate and void of patriotic passion. Of course, Rousseau is willing to harness female society in such a manner only in the already corrupt society of France. Dans le Commerce continuel qu'il y a entre les deux Sexes, il se fait comme un change de Caractre, qui les fait un peu droger l'un & l'autre; see Muralt, Lettres, 229. Mchten Sie Encyclopedie: Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1754; Copper engraving from: Diderot & d'Alembert 'Encyc kaufen? ; Schaub, Erotic Liberalism, 12122 the judges from the French monarchy, Voltaire and many.... 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