This dissertation has been 62—2153 microfilmed exactly as received MITCHELL, Robert Edward, 1927- THE GENESIS, SOURCES, COMPOSITION, AND RECEPTION OF VOLTAIRE1S MAHOMET. The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 19G1 Language and Literature, modern University Microfilms. Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan Copyright by Robert Edvard I'itchell 1962 THE GENESIS, SOURCES, COMPOSITION, AND RECEPTION OF VOLTAIRE'S MAHOMET DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University ty Robert Edward Mitchell, B. A., B. S. in Educ, M. A. ***** The Ohio State University 1961 Approved by //Adviser Department of Romance Languages TO MY FATHER PREFACE Of Voltaire's many writings for the theater, Mahomet is one which, during the eighteenth century, enjoyed great prestige. Repeatedly in the criticism of the period the student finds some reference to the "sublime" tragedy. Many writers, among them such recognized authorities as Grimm and La Harpe, considered it on an equal footing with the works of R'icine and Corneille. If this judgment has been altered today, the eminence of Mwhomet during its own time is established. The play i3 also interesting in that it constituted the author's first overt attack on the forces of religious intolerance to be presented on the stage of the conservative Comedie-Frangaise. In the struggle of Voltaire to gain a performance for his tragedy in that theater, in the eventual suppression of the play* and in the continuing effort of the poet to establish his work onoe more in the repertory, there lies a story which casts much light on the devel­ oping climate of ideas during the middle of the eighteenth century. Our purpose in this study has been to review the history of Mahomet from its genesis through the period of composition to its reception when it was performed in Paris in 1712, and its final establishment as one of the classic productions of French tragedy. iii iv We have attempted to relate the work to the evolution of Voltaire's general philosophical ideas* It is in fact to a great extent the culmination of a trend of thought which began with his earliest published works* Finally, we have examined the play itself as a work of literature, to discover what merits it may still possesu today. For, although circumstances have prevented Mahomet from maintaining its place on the stage, and although the high praise it received from the contemporary critics was no doubt exaggerated, we believe that the neglect which has been its fate is unjust, A word of explanation as to usage in this paper is necessary, I have quoted all sources exactly, respecting spelling and punc­ tuation. In the case of citations from the edition of the Voltaire correspondence in process of publication by Theodore Besterman, some variations may be noticed. These are due to Mr. Besterman's having occasionally been forced to print later versions of letters in which the language has been modernized. In the various spellings of the name of the founder of Islam, I have adhered to the following rule: in quotations, I give the spelling of the author; when speaking of the historical figure I employ the English "Mohammed"; and In referring to Voltaire's character, I write simply "Mahomet", without italics. I wish to thank many members of the Ohio State University staff for their help in the preparation of this dissertation. The University libraiy has been cooperative in arranging for miorofilms of material not otherwise available there. Professor James Doolittle has offered much encouragement and many valuable suggestions during the writing of ny stun/. The patient guidance of ny adviser, Professor George R. Havens, can be appreciated only by those students who have studied under his direction. I must also express my debt of gratitude to the late Professor Robert E. Rockvood, who died in 1953, after more than forty years of service to the Ohio State University, and in whose classes I was first introduced to the study of French literature. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapters Pages INTRODUCTION............................................. 1 I - MAHOMET IN THE EVOLUTION OF VOLTAIRE'S DRAMATIC PRACTICE ......................................... 5 II - THE LITERARY MERIT OF M A HCKET.................... 13 III - THE THEMES OF FANATICISM AND THE IMPOSTOR IN THE WORKS OF VOLTAIRE BEFORE M A H O M E T ................. 3A IV - THE HISTORICAL SOURCES OF M A H O M E T ................ 69 V - THE LITERARY MODELS OF M A H O M E T .................. Ill VI - LA NOUE'S MAHOMET II AND THE GENESIS OF VOLTAIRE'S MAHOMET ......................................... 137 VII - THE WORK OF COMPOSITION........................... 1A5 VIII - THE PERFORMANCE AND PUBLICATION OF MAHOMET .... 172 IT - MAHOMET AND ITS CRITICS IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY . 191 CONCLUSION............................................... 216 BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................. 221 AUTOBIOGRAPHY........................................... 227 vi INTRODUCTION Voltaire'a Mahomet will probably never be performed again on the professional stage. Because of its unsympathetic, distorted portrayal of the founder of Islam, the tragedy which Voltaire considered the best of his dramatic works is no doubt doomed to relative oblivion. It is ironic that the philosopher's ideas of tolerance, developing, and spreading ever more widely in the century and a half since his death serve as the greatest barrier to the popular acceptance of one of the productions which, in itself, constituted a noteworthy attack in his war against fanaticism. In our world, more closely bound by transportation and communication than that of the eighteenth century, we can no longer afford the luxury of misinterpreting the religion of even the most obscure region. And the great growth of the Moslem states In Africa renders even leas likely the reappearance of this tragedy. And yet Mahonu^ la of significance to the student of eighteenth century literature. It is widely recognized as being, with jjfalre and Merope. amor? Voltaire's most successful efforts in the theater The controversy which attended its first performance was an important indication of the problems which faced those writers who were attempting to spread within France the new ideas of freedom of thought and expression. Finally, it represents a significant change in the dramatic practice of Voltaire, who must be considered as the leading writer of classic tragedy of his nation, after Racine and Corneille. A study of this work, of the circumstances which brought it into existence, its sources, and composition, and the reception it received offers therefore points of interest. Four highly developed studies of Mahomet must serve as the point of departure for any person who wishes to begin research on the subject. The first of these is the thesis which Henri Lion devoted to Voltaire's tragedies.^" Lion, In the section devoted to Mahomet, outlined the historical background of the work, and indicated its importance in the increasingly moralistic nature of the poet's dramatic writing. He also summarized the sources which have been indicated by critics who have written on Mahomet. At the beginning of this century, Gustave Larroumet published an analysis of Mahomet which is basically unfriendly, but which does much to establish many of the characteristics 2 of the tragedy, such as its lack of originality. Despite what amounts to a strong parti pris against Voltaire the dramatist, Larroumet recog­ nized clearly the flashes of genius which illuminate the work. The latest study of M^hnmat is found in the two-volume work French Tragedy 3 in the Tlffip of Louis XV and of Voltaire by Henry Carrington Lancaster. ■Sienri Lion, Lea Tragedies et les theories dramatiaues de Voltaire. Paris, Hachette, 1895, p. 125 ff. 2"Le vrai Mahomet," and "Voltaire. Son Mahomet." in "Le theatre frangais au XVIIIe siecle," Revue des cours et des conferences. VIII2, pp. 600, 633. ^Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1950, I, 203 ff. In his authoritative treatment of Frenoh neo—classic drama, Lancaster summarized the present state of knowledge of this tragedy as well as of all the rest of Voltaire's dramatic writing. Finally, the reader who would approach Voltaire1 s Mahomet should know the study included try Rene Pomeau in his Relif-ion de Volt»3re.^ Besides bringing some new light to the question of the sources of the tragedy, and revealing its connection with Voltaire's hostility towards the Jansenlsts, Pomeau gives an appreciation of the work which, while largely unfavorable, still sets off the importance of Mahomet in Voltaire1s writings for the stage. The critic feels that Voltaire, by exagerating Mahomet's evil­ ness, prevents the character from achieving that spontaneous existence of the truly great literary creation. He sees in the subplot of Seide r and Pfiimlre only ”1 ’imbroglio use des enfants perdus et retrouves." Nevertheless, Pomeau considers Mahomet the 11 anti-Voltaire," a signif­ icant figure which sums up an ideology which was the complete antithesis of that of the poet, who had dedicated himself to the cult of human friendship and love. While 1 of the studies mentioned above are excellent, they are of necessity less than complete. In each case, Mfthnnwt, is discussed as only one among the many works of Voltaire. Further, the publication by Mr. Theodore Besterman of his new edition of Voltaire's correspondence has brought to light much information on sources, composition, and ^Paris, Librairie Nizet, 1956, pp. 145-153. 5Ibid., p. 150 . performance which was not available to previous students of the problem. It is the purpose of this thesis to bring together in one study facts which are at present scattered throughout the literature, and also to attempt to amplify, and in some cases to correct, the statements of previous scholars. CHAPTER I MAHOMET IK THE EVOLUTION OF VOLTAIRE'S DRAMATIC PRACTICE MahnmRt was not so much a complete break with Voltaire’s previous dramatic practice, as it was a step in an evolution which had begun with the production of his first tragedy, CE dipe.