Rousseau's Socio-Political Concept of Literature
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70-19,315 HAMILTON, James Francis, 1939- ROUSSEAU'S SOCIO-POLITICAL CONCEPT OF LITERATURE. [Portions of Text in French]. The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1970 Language and Literature, modern University Microfilms, A XEROX Company, Ann Arbor, Michigan © Copyright by James Francis Hamilton 1970 THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED ROUSSEAU'S SOCIO-POLITICAL CONCEPT OF LITERATURE DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By James Francis Hamilton, B.A., M . A . The Ohio State University 1970 Approved by I QJ Adviser Department of Romance Languages PLEASE NOTE: Not original copy. Several pages have indistinct print. Filmed as received. University Microfilms. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to Professor Hugh Davidson who introduced me to the study of Rousseau early in my graduate work and whose inspired teaching has formed my critical approach to literature. His expert guidance and devotion have brought this dissertation to its fruition. VITA December 9, 1939 .... Born - Cleveland, Ohio 1962 .................... B.S.Ed., Kent State University Summer, 1962 ........... N.D.E.A. French Institute, Montana State University, Missoula, Montana 1962-1963 ............. French High School Teacher, Cleveland Public Schools Summer, 1963 .......... N.D.E.A. French Institute Rennes, France 1963-1965 ............. Graduate Assistant, Department of Romance Languages, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1965 .................... M.A., The Ohio State University 1965-1969.... ........... Teaching Associate and Assistant Supervisor of Elementary French, Department of Romance Languages, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1969-1970....... Assistant Professor of French, Department of Modern Languages, Denison University, Granville, Ohio 1970 ..... ......... Assistant Professor of French Department of Romance Languages, University of Cincinnati, Cincin nati, Ohio 0 VITA (Cont'd.) FIELDS OF STUDY Major Period: Eighteenth Century and Romanticism Studies on Rousseau. Professor Hugh Davidson Studies in Romanticism. Professor Charles Carlut Studies on Mme de Stael. Professor Robert Mitchell iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS....................................... ii VITA ..................... iii Chapter I. AN INTRODUCTION TO ROUSSEAU'S AESTHETIC PRINCIPLES The Relationship between Form and Content in the Philosophic Discourse ......... 1 .. The Role of the Philosophic Writer and Rousseau's Classicism ............... 20 Summary and Conclusion ............ 34 II. THE COLLABORATION OF ART WITH THE GOVERNMENT Traditional Trends of Scholarship .... 45 Analysis of Premiere Partie of Discours sur les sciences et les a r t s ............ 52 Summary and Conclusion ................ 77 III. TOWARD A PROGRAM FOR THE RESTORATION OF LETTERS Analysis of Seconde Partie of Disours sur les sciences et les arts ...... 93 Concession and Positive Proposals 123 Summary and Conclusion ................. 146 IV. TOWARD THE RECONCILIATION OF INSTRUIRE AND PLAIRE The Polemical Letters ................. 160 The Preface de Narcisse ................... 188 Summary and Contrast with D'Alembert . 198 TABLE OP CONTENTS (Cont'd.) Chapter Page V. THEATRE AND POLITICS Circumstances of Lettre a D'Alembert sur les spectacles...................... 213 The Nature of the T h e a t r e ................225 The Theatre and the Genevan R e p u b l i c .............................. 252 Summary and Conclusion ............... 263 VI. LITERATURE AND EDUCATION Circumstances of Emile ................. 278 General Principles ... 280 Foreign Languages and History ..... 287 La Fontaine's Fables ................... 288 Defoe's Robinson Crusoe ................. 296 Artist vs. Artisan ................... 302 Ancient vs. Modern History............. ; 305 LaFontaine's Fables ................... 310 T a s t e ..................................... 315 Plato's Republic........................ 321 Fenelon's Telemaque ..................... 324 Montesquiu's De 1'esprit des Lois . 327 Summary and Conclusion ................. 329 VII. CONCLUSION ................................. 345 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................... 371 vi CHAPTER I AN INTRODUCTION TO ROUSSEAU'S AESTHETIC PRINCIPLES Rousseau's early essay on literature entitled Idee de la methode dans la composition d'un livre(c.a. 1745) serves as a useful introduction to the author's aesthetic princi ples.^- The short essay on rhetorical procedure and style offers the rare opportunity of appraising Rousseau's criti cal thoughts on literature in a work relatively pure and un distorted by any apparent polemical aim or rhetorical inten- 2 | tion to persuade. As a consequence, the Rousseau of Idee de la methode dans la composition d'un livre avoids exaggera tion and the appeal to the emotions fundamental to the "art 3 of persuasion". He makes manifest the cool, rational side of his personality in order to probe the inner workings and the psychological ramifications involved in the composition 4 of un ouvrage de raisonnement. Rousseau narrows down the subject of his essay from "... la composition d'un livre", as seen in its title, to that of the specific category of un ouvrage de raisonnement 2 or philosophic discourse(p. 1242). He feels that this phil osophic genre is the one best suited for the study of compo- . • / sition; because, it requires "le plus de methode et de pro portion dans ses parties"(p. 1232). From his choice of the philosophic genre of un ouvrage de raisonnement or philosophic discourse as the most demand ing of all the genres, it is apparent that Rousseau shares the literary orientation of the French Enlightenment which esteems prose over verse and a literature of ideas over one of poetry.^ Rousseau leaves little doubt as to his early, philosophic orientation when he identifies the aim of un ouvrage de raisonnement as that of Ji convaincre et a_ plaire. The philosophic, polemical quality of Rousseau's chosen genre is reflected by his substitution of the aim of convaincre for the French classical one of instruire. Its classical counterpart, plaire, undergoes a more dramatic change of value in his theory of composition. Rousseau seems to refer to it only out of respect for traditional aesthetics. In practice, the aim of plaire is assimilated by the dis course's prime function of convaincre. Rousseau's attitude toward style reflects the same eighteenth century predilection of ideas or content and sus- g picion of poetic refinement. In analyzing the role of style, Rousseau objects to the literary tradition which measures the worth of the work and the success of its author on the basis of stylistic quality(p. 1242). In order to correct this injustice to philosophic literature, Rousseau assigns style a neutral importance in the evaluation of a work. He contends that style can neither make a book bad nor good: Cette partie qui renferme aussi le stile, est celle qui decide ordinairement du succes de 1'ouvrage et de la reputation de 1'Auteur; c'est elle qui constitue, non pa's tout a fait un bon ou un mauvais Livre, mais un Livre bien ou mal fait (p. 1242). Rousseau prefers to judge the value of a work by the moral criterion of bon ou mauvais rather than by the aesthetic ones of bien ou mal fait. His moral-philosophic approach to literature looks upon style as being morally neutral and dependent for its value on the content or ideas of the work. The merits of the philosophic work, according to Rousseau's moral view of literature, stem not from its pleas ing, artistic style but from its clarity of construction, the depth of its reasoning, and the moral orientation of its values in the aim of convaincre. Literary art, for Rousseau is evaluated largely on the basis of utility. A philosophic work proves its worth by the demonstrated capacity of moving the reader to a desired moral and intellectual position. In his first major work, the Discours sur les sciences et les arts(1750), Rousseau enlarges on his concept of 1 1 art utile as incoporated in the moral function which he assigns literature. At one point he touches upon the problem in volved in the relationship between style and content. His aesthetic position remains the philosophic one which gives priority to the ideological worth and the moral utility of the work over the aesthetic qualities of style designed to please: On ne demande plus d'un homme s'il a de la probite, mais s'il a des talents; ni d'un Livre s'il est utile, mais s'il est bien fait.^ Rousseau follows the same eighteenth century philoso phic scale of literary values by identifying "1'Esprit juste et une parfaitte connaissance de sa matiere" as the primary creative faculties needed by the writer in order to produce un ouvrage de raisonnement(p. 1242). In contrast to the classical aesthetics of Boileau which emphasize the noble style of a highly developed poetic skill and invention, as well as reason and bon sens, Rousseau stresses knowledge to the detriment of artistic skill and invention, and the in- Q tellect to the default of inspiration. The emphasis upon the rational capacity rather than upon the poetic faculty is reflected in Rousseau's essay by the marked absence of references to the mysterious, spiritual quality known as genius, poetic inspiration, or "divine fury". In contrast, the classical literary theorist, Boileau, deems its possession and exercise as prerequisite to the cre ation of literary art. In the opening lines of the Chant Premier in L'Art poetique(1674), Boileau exhibits his awe of poetic art and its mysteries: C'est en vain qu'au Parnasse un temeraire auteur Pense de l'art des vers atteindre la hauteur: S'il ne sent point du ciel 1'influence secrete, Si son astre en naissant ne l'a forme poete, Dans son genie etroit il est toujours captif; Pour lui Phebus est sourd, et Pegase est retif.^ In short, Rousseau's scale of aesthetic values lacks the poetic mystery and the harmony of Boileau's classical ideal in which form and matter, under the combined direction of the rational intellect and divine inspiration, join to gether as equal partners in order to enrich one another and approach the ideal of poetic art.