the origins of contemporary france-1-第67章

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than　all　the　guests　put　together＇29＇。　　In　like　manner；　in　his　dramas；

in　his　〃Essays　on　Claudius　and　Nero；〃　in　his　〃Commentary　on　Seneca；〃

in　his　additions　to　the　〃Philosophical　History〃　of　Raynal；　he　forces

the　tone　of　things。　　This　tone；　which　then　prevails　by　virtue　of　the

classic　spirit　and　of　the　new　fashion；　is　that　of　sentimental

rhetoric。　　Diderot　carries　it　to　extremes　in　the　exaggeration　of　tears

or　of　rage；　in　exclamations；　in　apostrophes；　in　tenderness　of　feeling；

in　violences；　indignation；　in　enthusiasms；　in　full…orchestra　tirades；

in　which　the　fire　of　his　brains　finds　employment　and　an　outlet。　　　…

On　the　other　hand；　among　so　many　superior　writers；　he　is　the　only

genuine　artist；　the　creator　of　souls；　within　his　mind　objects；　events

and　personages　are　born　and　become　organized　of　themselves；　through

their　own　forces；　by　virtue　of　natural　affinities；　involuntarily；

without　foreign　intervention；　in　such　a　way　as　to　live　for　and　in

themselves；　safe　from　the　author's　intentions；　and　outside　of　his

combinations。　　　The　composer　of　the　〃Salons；〃　the　〃Petits　Romans；〃　the

〃Entretien；〃　the　〃Paradoxe　du　Comédien；〃　and　especially　the　〃Rêve　de

d'Alembert〃　and　the〃　Neveu　de　Rameau　〃is　a　man　of　an　unique　species　in

his　time。　　However　alert　and　brilliant　Voltaire's　personages　may　be；

they　are　always　puppets；　their　action　is　derivative；　always　behind

them　you　catch　a　glimpse　of　the　author　pulling　the　strings。　　With

Diderot；　the　strings　are　severed；　he　is　not　speaking　through　the　lips

of　his　characters；　they　are　not　his　comical　loud…speakers　or　puppets；

but　independent　and　detached　persons；　with　an　action　of　their　own；　a

personal　accent；　with　their　own　temperament；　passions；　ideas；

philosophy；　style　and　spirit；　and　occasionally；　as　in　the　〃Neveu　de

Rameau；〃　a　spirit　so　original；　complex　and　complete；　so　alive　and　so

deformed　that；　in　the　natural　history　of　man；　it　becomes　an

incomparable　monster　and　an　immortal　document。　　He　has　expressed

everything　concerning　nature；＇30＇　art　morality　and　life＇31＇　in　two

small　treatises　of　which　twenty　successive　readings　exhaust　neither

the　charm　nor　the　sense。　　Find　elsewhere；　if　you　can；　a　similar　stroke

of　power　and　a　greater　masterpiece；　〃anything　more　absurd　and　more

profound！〃＇32＇　　…　　Such　is　the　advantage　of　men　of　genius　possessing

no　control　over　themselves。　　They　lack　discernment　but　they　have

inspiration。　　Among　twenty　works；　either　soiled；　rough　or　nasty；　they

produce　a　creation；　and　still　better；　an　animated　being；　able　to　live

by　itself；　before　which　others；　fabricated　by　merely　intellectual

people；　resemble　simply　well…dressed　puppets。　　　…　　Hence　it　is　that

Diderot　is　so　great　a　narrator；　a　master　of　dialogue；　the　equal　in

this　respect　of　Voltaire；　and；　through　a　quite　opposite　talent；

believing　all　he　says　at　the　moment　of　saying　it；　forgetful　of　his

very　self；　carried　away　by　his　own　recital；　listening　to　inward

voices；　surprised　with　the　responses　which　come　to　him　unexpectedly；

borne　along；　as　if　on　an　unknown　river；　by　the　current　of　action；　by

the　sinuosities　of　the　conversation　inwardly　and　unconsciously

developed；　aroused　by　the　flow　of　ideas　and　the　leap　of　the　moment　to

the　most　unexpected　imagery；　extreme　in　burlesque　or　extreme　in

magnificence；　now　lyrical　even　to　providing　Musset　with　an　entire

stanza；＇33＇　now　comic　and　droll　with　outbursts　unheard　of　since　the

days　of　Rabelais；　always　in　good　faith；　always　at　the　mercy　of　his

subject；　of　his　inventions；　of　his　emotions；　the　most　natural　of

writers　in　an　age　of　artificial　literature；　resembling　a　foreign　tree

which；　transplanted　to　a　parterre　of　the　epoch；　swells　out　and　decays

on　one　side　of　its　stem；　but　of　which　five　or　six　branches；　thrust　out

into　full　light；　surpass　the　neighboring　underwood　in　the　freshness　of

their　sap　and　in　the　vigor　of　their　growth。



Rousseau　also　is　an　artisan；　a　man　of　the　people；　ill…adapted　to

elegant　and　refined　society；　out　of　his　element　in　a　drawing　room　and；

moreover；　of　low　birth；　badly　brought　up；　sullied　by　a　vile　and

precocious　experience；　highly　and　offensively　sensual；　morbid　in　mind

and　in　body；　fretted　by　superior　and　discordant　faculties；　possessing

no　tact；　and　carrying　the　contamination　of　his　imagination；

temperament　and　past　life　into　his　austere　morality　and　into　his

purest　idylls；＇34＇　besides　this　he　has　no　fervor；　and　in　this　he　is

the　opposite　of　Diderot；　avowing　himself〃　that　his　ideas　arrange

themselves　in　his　head　with　the　utmost　difficulty；　that　certain

sentences　are　turned　over　and　over　again　in　his　brain　for　five　or　six

nights　before　putting　them　on　paper；　and　that　a　letter　on　the　most

trifling　subject　costs　him　hours　of　fatigue；〃　that　he　cannot　fall　into

an　easy　and　agreeable　tone；　nor　succeed　otherwise　than　〃in　works　which

demand　application。〃＇35＇　As　an　offset　to　this；　style；　in　this　ardent

brain；　under　the　influence　of　intense；　prolonged　meditation；

incessantly　hammered　and　rehammered；　becomes　more　concise　and　of

higher　temper　than　is　elsewhere　found。　　Since　La　Bruyère　we　have　seen

no　more　ample；　virile　phrases；　in　which　anger；　admiration；

indignation；　studied　and　concentrated　passion；　appear　with　more

rigorous　precision　and　more　powerful　relief。　　He　is　almost　the　equal

of　La　Bruyère　in　the　arrangement　of　skillful　effects；　in　the　aptness

and　ingenuity　of　developments；　in　the　terseness　of　impressive

summaries；　in　the　overpowering　directness　of　unexpected　arguments；　in

the　multiplicity　of　literary　achievements；　in　the　execution　of　those

passages　of　bravura；　portraits；　descriptions；　comparisons；　creations；

wherein；　as　in　a　musical　crescendo；　the　same　idea；　varied　by　a　series

of　yet　more　animated　expressions；　attains　to　or　surpasses；　at　the　last

note；　all　that　is　possible　of　energy　and　of　brilliancy。　　Finally；　he

has　that　which　is　wanting　in　La　Bruyère；　his　passages　are　linked

together；　he　is　not　a　writer　of　pages　but　of　books；　no　logician　is

more　condensed。　　His　demonstration　is　knitted　together；　mesh　by　mesh；

for　one；　two　and　three　volumes　like　a　great　net　without　an　opening　in

which；　willingly　or　not；　we　remain　caught。　　He　is　a　systematizer　who；

absorbed　with　himself；　and　with　his　eyes　stubbornly　fixed　on　his　own

reverie　or　his　own　principle；　buries　himself　deeper　in　it　every　day；

weaving　its　consequences　off　one　by　one；　and　always　holding　fast　to

the　various　ends。　　Do　not　go　near　him。　　Like　a　solitary；　enraged

spider　he　weaves　this　out　of　his　own　substance；　out　of　the　most

cherished　convictions　of　his　brain　and　the　deepest　emotions　of　his

heart。　　He　trembles　at　the　slightest　touch；　ever　on　the　defensive；　he

is　terrible；＇36＇　beside　himself；＇37＇　even　venomous　through　suppressed

exasperation　and　wounded　sensibility；　furious　against　an　adversary；

whom　he　stifles　with　the　multiplied　and　tenacious　threads　of　his　web；

but　still　more　redoubtable　to　himself　than　to　his　enemies；　soon　caught

in　his　own　meshes；＇38＇　believing　that　France　and　the　universe　conspire

against　him；　deducing　with　wonderful　subtlety　the　proofs　of　this

chimerical　conspiracy；　made　desperate；　at　last；　by　his　over…plausible

romance；　and　strangling　in　the　cunning　toils　which；　by　dint　of　his　own

logic　and　imagination；　he　has　fashioned　for　himself。



With　such　weapons　one　might　accidentally　kill　oneself；　but　one　is

strongly　armed。　　Rousseau　was　well　equipped；　at　least　as　powerful　as

Voltaire；　it　may　be　said　that　the　last　half　of　the　eighteenth　century

belongs　to　him。　　A　foreigner；　a　Protestant；　original　in　temperament；

in　education；　in　heart；　in　mind　and　in　habits；　at　once　misanthropic

and　philanthropic；　living　in　an　ideal　world　constructed　by　himself；

entirely　opposed　to　the　world　as　it　is；　he　finds　himself　standing　in　a

new　position。　　No　one　is　so　sensitive　to　the　evils　and　vices　of　actual

society。　　No　one　is　so　affected　by　the　virtues　and　happiness　of　the

society　of　the　future。　　This　accounts　for　his　having　two　holds　on　the

public　mind；　one　through　satire　and　the　other　through　the　idyll。　　　　…

These　two　holds　are　undoubtedly　slighter　at　the　present　day；　the

substance　of　their　grasp　has　disappeared；　we　are　not　the　auditors　to

which　it　appealed。　　The　famous　discourse　on　the　influence　of

literature　and　on　the　origin　of　inequality　seems　to　us　a　collegiate

exaggeration；　an　effort　of　the　will　is　required　to　read　the　〃　Nouvelle

Hélo？se。〃　The　author　is　repulsive　in　the　persistency　of　his

spitefulness　or　in　the　exaggeration　of　his　enthusiasm。　　He　is　always

in　extremes；　now　moody　and　with　knit　brows；　and　now　streaming　with

tears　and　with　arms　outstretched　to　Heaven。　　Hyperbole；　prosopopaeia；

and　other　literary　machinery　are　too　often　and　too　deliberately　used

by　him。　　We　are　tempted　to　regard　him　now　as　a　sophist　making　the　best

use　of　his　arts；　now　as　a　rhetorician　cudgeling　his　brains　for　a

purpose；　now　as　a　preacher　becoming　excited；　that　is　to　say；　an　actor

ever　maintaining　a　thesis；　striking　an　attitude　and　aiming　at　effects。

Finally；　with　the　exception　of　the　〃Confessions〃　his　style　soon

wearies　us；　it　is　too　studied；　and　too　constantly　overstrained。　　The

author　is　always　the　author；　and　he　communicates　the　defect　to　his

personages。　　His　Julie　argues　and　descants　for　twenty　successive　pages

on　dueling；　on　love；　on　duty；　with　a　logical　completeness；　a　talent

and　phrases　that　would　do　honor　to　an　academical　moralist。

Commonplace　exists　everywhere；　general　themes；　a　raking　fire　of

abstractions　and　arguments；　that　is　to　say；　truths　more　or　less　empty

and　paradoxes　more　or　less　hollow。　　The　smallest　detail　of　fact；　an

anecdote；　a　trait　of　habit；　would　suit　us　much　better；　and　hence　we　of

to　day　prefer　the　precise　eloquence　of　objects　to　the　lax　eloquence　of

words。　　In　the　eighteenth　century　it　was　otherwise；　to　every　writer

this　oratorical　style　was　the　prescribed　ceremonial　costume；　the

dress…coat　he　had　to　put　on　for　admission　into　the　company　of　select

people。　　That　which　seems　to　us　affectation　was　then　only　proper；　in　a

classic　epoch　the　perfect　period　and　the　sustained　development

constitute　decorum；　and　are　therefore　to　be　observed。　　　　…　　It　must　be

noted；　moreover；　that　this　literary　drapery　which；　with　us　of　the

present　day；　conceals　truth　did　not　conceal　it　to　his　contemporaries；

they　saw　under　it　the　exact　feature；　the　perceptible　detail　no　longer

detected　by　us。　　Every　abuse；　every　vice；　every　excess　of　refinement

and　of　culture；　all　that　social　and　moral　disease　which　Rousseau

scourged　with　an　author's　emphasis；　existed　before　them　under　their

own　eyes；　in　their　own　breasts；　visible　and　daily　manifested　in

thousands　of　domestic　incidents。　　In　applying　satire　they　had　only　to

observe　or　to　remember。　　Their　experience　completed　the　book；　and；

through　the　co…operation　of　his　readers；　the　author　possessed　power

which　he　is　now　deprived　of。　　If　we　were　to　put　ourselves　in　their

place　we　should　recover　their　impressions。　　His　denunciations