Their exchange, collected in volume ten of this. [3], In post-modern thinking, there has been renewed interest and appreciation for Rousseau's Letter to M. D'Alembert on Spectacles, with the acceptance since Rousseau's time of utopian and primitivist elements in political thought. 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. [5] As an alternative to the theatre, Rousseau proposed open-air republican festivals, with a rich community atmosphere. At this time, Rousseau wants to serve that truth that contributes to the "public good," that is to say, to all individuals. 21 Diana J. Schaub, Erotic Liberalism: Women and Revolution in Montesquieu's Persian Letters (Lanham, MD, 1995), 11314. Rousseaus view that drama might well be abolished marked a final break between the two writers. For me, in the 'Letter to d'Alembert' Rousseau is on the side of prejudice, with his vehement moralising, and also a type of violence, always bordering on an exaggerated aggressiveness that is almost useless. 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. Rousseau was the least academic of modern philosophers and in many ways was the most influential. An example is how the Letter itself is open and expressive in style, while the content of the Letter is about this openness. Cf. But sometimes human beings forget themselves and their natural feelings. Rousseau's dismay arose largely from d'Alembert's proposal that theatre be established in Geneva as it would form the taste of the citizens and would give them a fineness of tact, [and] a delicacy of sentiments, thus benefiting the already admirable city.Footnote7 In his Lettre d'Alembert sur les spectacles, Rousseau condemns this as the most dangerous advice that could be given us.Footnote8 Invoking his status as a citizen of that city, he argues that the theatre would only serve to corrupt the virtuous mores and manners of Geneva's citizens. 57 theatre subverted the immediacy, the joyous spontaneity, the doux sentiment, of republican communion; see Forman-Barzilai, Emergence of Contextualism in Rousseau, 437. 3099067 People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read. Julie succeeds in forgetting her feelings for Saint-Preux and finds happiness as wife, mother, and chatelaine. Purchasing If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Rousseau's later quarrel with Voltaire was legendary for its violence. 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. Muralt offers a similar critique in his comments on France. Although Montesquieu nowhere explicitly refers to France in this discussion, he reveals its identity if not through his depiction of a society that exults in a striking une joie dans la vivre, where men and women mingle together freely, then certainly through his use of the first-person plural.Footnote23 Nature, Montesquieu says, has given us a vivacity capable of offending and one apt to make us inconsiderate. We have corrected the translation here. Here is a lecture on Rousseau's Letter to D'Alembert. 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]. [4], Towards the middle of this final section Rousseau reasons that the theatre does very little good for the poor, who cannot afford the taxes required to support a theatre. At each side you can see, in little compartments called boxes, men and women acting out scenes together [des hommes et des femmes qui jouent ensemble des scnes muettes ]. He first tries to sway Geneva away from the idea of theatre by suggesting that it is not economically feasible, and that the population is too low to support a theatre. 20% Rousseau adheres to Montesquieu's specific terminology here, even though Muralt makes a brief but related statement: foreigners would rather go to France than elsewhere [ceux-l iront pltt en France qu'ailleurs]; see Muralt, Lettres, 225, cf. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born in Geneva on June 28, 1712; his mother died on July 7. Thus, theatre serves to extenuate moral lapses. In October of 1758,Rousseau published theLetter to dAlembertto refuteJean dAlemberts suggestion that Geneva establish a public theater. The principle of the theatre is to please, it is not, Rousseau argues, functional because the characters are always distant from man. Comments. 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. What d'Alembert intended as an encomium, Jean-Jacques Rousseau regarded as an outrage.6 In 1758 Rousseau penned an open letter to d'Alembert expressing his indignation at the essay's claims regarding his beloved birthplace. Women of Geneva (from the Letter to D'Alembert). 2. 83 Spirit, 19.5, 310 (2: 559). Even if the play happens to portray moral ideals well, the awareness of the audience that it is a fiction does not do the ideas justice. From 1742 to 1749, Rousseau lived in Paris, barely earning a living by teaching and by copying music. $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% Eloge de D'Alembert mais Rousseau a quand mme des devoirs. Free trial is available to new customers only. It is also halfway between a novel and a didactic essay. Letter to D'Alembert and Writings for the Theater. In the next book of The Spirit of the Laws, Montesquieu specifically illustrates how the theatre appeals to our natural morality: In our theaters we watch with pleasure when a young hero shows as much horror on discovering his step-mother's crime as he had for the crime itself; in his surprise, accused, judged, condemned, banished, and covered with infamy, he scarcely dares do more than make a few reflections on the abominable blood from which Phaedra is descended; he abandons what he holds most dear [] to give himself up to the vengeance of the gods, a vengeance he has not deserved. Mchten Sie Encyclopedie: Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1754; Copper engraving from: Diderot & d'Alembert 'Encyc kaufen? 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. 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. This is not exactly the standard Enlightenment vision. [3], D'Alembert himself was moved by the response, even intimidated. From 174041, he worked as a private tutor for Monsieur de Mably, brother of the famous writer, the Abbe de Mably. You'll also receive an email with the link. In 1756, Rousseau left Paris. 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 began to write whilst living with her. Rousseau initially declares at the beginning of the Letter that theatre only serves to intensify rather than change established morals, positing that drama would be good for the good and bad for the vicious.Footnote73 He ultimately revises his position, however, as he embraces Montesquieu's views both of the fundamental importance of mores in a given society and of the fact that different societies require different mores as well as different laws and institutions.Footnote74 This change of orientation occurs when Rousseau seems to adopt verbatim Montesquieu's formulation that mores and manners can be effectively changed not through direct legislation but less obtrusively through the introduction of other mores and manners, or via public opinion: matters of morals and universal justice are not arranged, as are those of private justice and strict right, by edicts and laws.Footnote75 This is nearly identical to Montesquieu's advice to the legislator in 19.14: when one wants to change the mores and manners, one must not change them by the laws [] it would be better to change them by other mores and other manners.Footnote76 Rousseau's discussion of the possible elimination of duels in France through the force of public opinion provides his readers with an example of spectacle appealing to amour-propre in such a way as to mitigate vice.Footnote77 Indeed, Rousseau declares in this context: I am convinced that we will never succeed in working these changes without bringing about the intervention of women, on whom men's way of thinking in large measure depends.Footnote78 Thus, not only does Rousseau confirm Montesquieu's teaching regarding the importance of mores, but he also expressly adopts Montesquieu's very conclusion regarding the importance of female society in effecting their change. Online: Amazon (Recommended translation) Google Books (Free preview available). They imagine that a foreigner who speaks to them is looking for a leg-over. He reasons that even if comedy writers write a play that is morally acceptable, the audience will not find it funny. 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. Rousseau's Depiction of the Theatre and his Unnamed References to Montesquieu in the, http://artflsrv02.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.4:599.encyclopedie0513, http://dictionnaire-montesquieu.ens-lyon.fr/index.php?id=436, http://ouclf.iuscomp.org/articles/montesquieu.shtml, Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing & Allied Health. The accents of nature [les accents de la nature] cause this pleasure; it is the sweetest of all voices.Footnote31, Montesquieu's praise of Racine's Hippolytus, whom he describes as being accused, judged, condemned, banished, and covered with infamy, underscores the fact that to his mind this blameless young man is the victim of a judicial procedure that failed to disclose his true innocence. Therefore, by examining first Montesquieu's treatment of theatre in the Persian Letters and The Spirit of the Laws, and then Rousseau's parallel treatments in Letter to d'Alembert, one discerns the degree to which Rousseau employs his predecessor's means in order to undermine his ends. The Confessions used is the Gamier edition (Paris, n.d.). In both the Persian Letters and The Spirit of the Laws, Montesquieu points to the theatre as a locus of sociability that has a transformative effect on its auditors. Having already noted that the French nation is distinguished by its commerce with women, Montesquieu declares that in England the women should scarcely live among men and that, as a result, the English women would be modest, that is, timid [timides].Footnote60 Montesquieu proceeds to condemn the effect that this isolation of women has on English society because men there lack gallantry [galanterie] and throw themselves into a debauchery that would leave them their liberty as well as their leisure.Footnote61 The implication is that because English gentlemen do not seek to win the good regard and affection of their female counterparts in a manner that renders society polite, pleasing, and sometimes indiscreet, but instead spend the majority of their time with other men, and then also frequently visit with prostitutes.Footnote62 The interaction of the sexes in France fosters indiscretions, Montesquieu concedes, but he charges that in England their separation leads to debauchery. [7] With impartiality, he decided it fit for publication (he himself at one time worked as a censor). Rousseau's word choice here is borrowed from Montesquieu, not Muralt. For Rousseau, tragedies in particular instil a sense of moral ambiguity by depicting individuals in fundamental, irreconcilable conflicts.Footnote52 Such stories condition people to empathise with characters who have severe moral flaws, yet nonetheless are admirable because they act genuinely. Thus, an examination of Rousseau's discussion of theatre together with its relation to women and morality reveals that he is employing distinctly Montesquieuian terms and themes in order to engage and challenge his predecessor. 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. For Montesquieu, this appeal to natural morality is why viewers find the play such a moving and pleasurable an experience. 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? 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. He was friendly with Enlightenment figures such as Diderot, and even wrote articles for the Encyclopdie, but later quarreled with them. Wed love to have you back! Through examining Montesquieu's commentary on the theatre in the Persian Letters, as well as his discussion of Phaedra in The Spirit of the Laws, it becomes clear that Montesquieu teaches that the theatrical art can have a positive effect on individuals and thus on society. Towards the end of the afternoon, everyone assembles and goes to perform in a sort of show [une espce de scne], called, so I have heard, a play [comdie]. 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. 0:00. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% An earlier version of this essay was presented at the Northeastern Political Science Association Conference in Philadelphia in 2013. The Enlightenment was a diverse movement, represented in France by writers such as Voltaire, Diderot and the authors of the Encyclopdie. Rousseau takes comfort in an allegiance to truth alone at the time of his break with Diderot and at which he becomes convinced that he must live without friends. Letter of M. d'Alembert to M. J. J. Rousseau ; "Response to the anonymous letter written by members of the legal profession" ; Letter from Julien-David Leroy to Rousseau ; From Rousseau to Leroy. 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." Some six years later Saint-Preux returns from his travels and is engaged as tutor to the Wolmar children. Rousseau's depictions of the theatre as well as his discussions of the role of women in both French and English society reveal that the Letter bears a striking resemblance to, and, in fact, appears to be a response to, aspects of Montesquieu's thought. Once again looking to Greece and Rome as an ideal, he says that Sparta did not tolerate theatres, and Rome considered the acting profession dishonourable. Did you know that with a free Taylor & Francis Online account you can gain access to the following benefits? 11 Paul A. Rahe, Soft Despotism, Democracy's Drift: Montesquieu, Rousseau, Tocqueville, and the Modern Prospect (New Haven, CT, 2009), 120. In the Letter, Rousseau rejected the traditional notion of male politicians being responsible for moral reform, and thought it was women's responsibility. Montesquieu's captivating depictions of the sociability that the French theatre can engender was surely an obstacle for Rousseau's opposition to its influence in Geneva. Among them, Le Devin du village was the most popular French opera of the eighteenth . 4. Thus, despite making similar observations regarding the power of the theatre, Rousseau's and Montesquieu's ultimate valuations of it are quite different. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? Rousseau proceeds to explore the effect of theatre when decency is lost. He had no formal education, but read widely in ancient and modern authors, inspired initially by his father's collection of books. He felt, moreover, a strong emotional drive toward the worship of God, whose presence he felt most forcefully in nature, especially in mountains and forests untouched by human hands. Christopher Kelly elaborates on a different aspect of Rousseau's critique of the theatre's moral obscurity, noting that whatever theatre does teach us about sympathy or morality towards one another, this emotional identification or fellow feeling is less pleasant once outside the performance hall because it demands that one take the trouble to help. Once again, the morality of Ancient Rome and Greece is frequently referenced as an ideal that should be aspired to. See also Coleman's instructive discussion of Rousseau's proposal: Coleman, Rousseau's Political Imagination, 8389. In this manner, one sees that Rousseau's engagement with Voltaire in his Letter is matched by a subtle, yet substantial, engagement with Montesquieu. See, for example, Clifford Orwin, Rousseau's Socratism, The Journal of Politics, 60 (1998), 17487 (180); J. S. Maloy, The Very Order of Things: Rousseau's Tutorial Republicanism, Polity, 37 (2005), 23561 (24142); Eric Nelson, The Greek Tradition in Republican Thought (Cambridge, 2004). 310 ( 2: 559 ) 1758, Rousseau lived in Paris, n.d. ) in ways. Will not find it funny will not find it funny s Letter to &... Articles for the Encyclopdie, but later quarreled with them ancient Rome and Greece frequently! Referenced as an alternative to the theatre, Rousseau 's Political Imagination, 8389 a final break the! Enlightenment figures such as Diderot, and chatelaine [ 7 ] with impartiality, he decided fit! Also halfway between a novel and a didactic essay modern authors, inspired by..., brother of the eighteenth 5 ] as an ideal that should aspired... The Encyclopdie, but read widely in ancient and modern authors, inspired initially by his father 's collection Books! 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