See also Thomas, Negotiating Taste in Montesquieu, 8182. The most immediate result of Rousseau's vision that day in 1749 was the Discourse on the Sciences and Arts. 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 letter was widely known in Europe. [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. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. Discourse on Inequalitymay not have impressed the judges from the Dijon academy, but it nevertheless won a great following. In it Rousseau speaks to . Rousseau worked as a servant, music teacher and engraver. He accepted the Scottish philosopher Hume's offer to take refuge in Britain, only to quarrel with Hume as well and soon return to France. 13 Maurice Cranston, Jean-Jacques: The Early Life and Work of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 17121754 (Chicago, IL, 1991, first published in 1982), 21315. The volume also contains Rousseau's own writings for the theater, including plays and libretti for operas, most of which have never been translated into English. 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. In the Letter, Rousseau rejected the traditional notion of male politicians being responsible for moral reform, and thought it was women's responsibility. Leo Strauss and Joseph Cropsey (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987), 559-80. Rousseaus essay critiqued the immorality of the Parisian theater and argued that a theater in Geneva would have a similarly corruptive effect on their society. Rousseau engages the Swiss author, Bat Louis de Muralt, to support his claim: It is an error, said the grave Muralt, to hope that the true relations of things will be faithfully presented in the theater.Footnote48 Rousseau is known to have obtained a copy of Muralt's Lettres sur les Anglais et les Franais in 1756, and was undoubtedly influenced by his accounts of French and English society.Footnote49 Muralt's Lettres were written in the 1690s, and widely circulated before being published in Geneva in 1725,Footnote50 which suggests that the works could be a common source for Rousseau and Montesquieu, though it is uncertain whether Montesquieu had read them.Footnote51 In his Letter, Rousseau largely agrees with Muralt's description of French society in particular, including a brief discussion of the theatre. Letter to Monsieur dAlembert on the Theatre. 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. His thought marked the end of the European Enlightenment (the "Age of Reason"). Later Rousseau states that [t]he necessary relations between morals and government have been so well expounded in Spirit that one can do no better than have recourse to this work to study these relations; see Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile or On Education, translated by Allan Bloom (New York, NY, 1979, Book 5, 458, 468. He concludes that as a result of his new reflections, he embraces a conclusion directly opposed to the one I drew from the first, namely, that when the people is corrupted, the theater is good for it, and bad for it when it is itself good.Footnote81 Rousseau reaches this conclusion immediately after he transmits, without naming his source, Montesquieu's description of French society: Rousseau allows the point that in certain places [the theatre] will be useful for attracting foreigners [utiles pour attirer les trangers],Footnote82 just as Montesquieu argues that the politeness of a society attracts foreigners to it [une politesse qui attire chez elle les trangers].Footnote83 Moreover, whereas Montesquieu declares that the society of women spoils mores and forms taste [la socit des femmes gte les murs, et forme le got],Footnote84 Rousseau admits that the theatre, where women are made the preceptors of the public,Footnote85 is useful for maintaining and perfecting taste [pour maintenir et perfectionner le got] when decency is lost.Footnote86 Rousseau yet again deploys Montesquieu's ideas when he says that a theatre can be useful for increasing the circulation of money [pour augmenter la circulation des espces], just as Montesquieu says that the prominent place of women and their tastes in society constantly increases the branches of commerce [on augmente sans cesse les branches de son commerce].Footnote87 Rousseau borrows and transmits all of these points of Montesquieu. You are not required to obtain permission to reuse this article in part or whole. It is also problematic, according to Rousseau for women and men to be working together as actors and actresses. It greatly deceives itself; it is free only during the election of the members of Parliament. $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% In the guise of La Profession de foi du vicaire savoyard (1765; The Profession of Faith of a Savoyard Vicar) Rousseau sets out what may fairly be regarded as his own religious views, since that book confirms what he says on the subject in his private correspondence. In a text directed toward representation, he thus makes semblance, imitation, a category worthy of moral judgement: that is the . Phaedra thus dramatises the very concerns that Montesquieu's treatise discusses at such length and in such detail, but does so in an emotionally affecting manner precisely because Racine presents Hippolytus as so undeserving of such a callous and vindictive father. No longer, as in the Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, was Geneva depicted as a model republic but as one that had been taken over by twenty-five despots; the subjects of the king of England were said to be free by comparison with the victims of Genevan tyranny. 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. While the sociable climate of the theatre cultivates a politeness and gentleness of spirit, the drama on stage reminds us of our natural morality. See Bat Louis de Muralt, Lettres sur les Anglois et les Franais et sur les voiages, edited by Charles Gould (Geneva, 1974), 244: Ici les Raports vont l'Homme, mais le but du Dramatique, tant uniquement de nous donner du plaisir, ces Raports ne sauroient avoir toute leur justesse, & dans le general, le Pote ne peut que leur faire violence pour les accommoder au got du Public. In the decadence of France, Rousseau claims the most esteemed woman is the one who is most social, most talked about, judgmental and authoritative. Rousseau; D'Alembert; Habitants de Genve; Les Montagnards; Rsum. In other words, it is easier to not have to deal with corrupted morality and have to change the laws accordingly. Renews April 25, 2023 The legislator's task is to make sure a society's women are in order. We thank Matthew Mendham who, as commentator, offered insightful remarks on that occasion. During the controversy d'Alembert abandoned the editorship of l'Encyclopdie. Subscribe now. Montesquieu devotes the entirety of Part 4 of Spirit to commerce and population. He became friends with the Enlightenment figure Diderot, who commissioned him to write articles for the famous Encyclopdie. Marshall goes on to suggest that Rousseau's discussion of vanity, amour-propre, is inherently theatrical: the moment that people are aware they must present themselves for others, a theatrical consciousness is fostered such that the character and attributes that a person possesses become indistinguishable from what they seem to be.Footnote58 Rousseau laments that the introduction of theatre in an incorrupt society will induce people to substitute a theatrical jargon for the practice of the virtues.Footnote59 Of course, before Rousseau had offered this analysis, Montesquieu had comically depicted the tendency of social interactions to foster theatrical affectationseven theatrical masksin Rica's mistaken but understandable conflation of the actors and the audience in his description of the theatre in the Persian Letters. In the play, the main character, Alceste, is good and honest in his relationships with men and made to look ridiculous, whereas Philinte, a deceiver and manipulator, is shown as superior. In the Social Contract he credits Montesquieu by name in his discussions of the power of the legislator, the effect of climate, and his characterisation of democracy; see Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract, in Collected Writings, IV, 2.7, 3.8, 4.3. Ace your assignments with our guide to Discourse on Inequality! This edition seeks to uncover the originality and complexity of Rousseau's argument in a text that seems to reprise traditional religious . to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. The main action is on a platform [estrade], called the stage [thtre]. -36:18. From 1742 to 1749, Rousseau lived in Paris, barely earning a living by teaching and by copying music. Summary It is difficult to overstate the influence of Jean-Jacques Rousseau on the works of Mary Wollstonecraft. Vous souhaitez acheter Encyclopedie: Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1754; Copper engraving from: Diderot & d'Alembert 'Encyc? Omissions? Once again, the morality of Ancient Rome and Greece is frequently referenced as an ideal that should be aspired to. [2], The theatre in relation to what is performed in it, The theatre considered in relation to the stage and actors, Last edited on 23 February 2019, at 20:12, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Letter_to_M._D%27Alembert_on_Spectacles&oldid=884754743, This page was last edited on 23 February 2019, at 20:12. While he surely discerns the vices of commercial peoples, he also points out the positive transformative power of commerce in bringing peace and understanding among peoples; see Spirit, 20.1, 338. 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. 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. THINKERS. [5] Ecclesiastical groups as well, namely the Jansenists, harshly condemned the theatre due to it being incompatible with Christian morality. Allan Bloom, "Jean-Jacques Rousseau," in History of Political Philosophy, ed. 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. Online: Amazon (Recommended translation) Google Books (Free preview available). 1758 marked a break with many of the Enlightenment philosophers; his Letter to d'Alembert attacked d'Alembert's article in the French Encyclopedia on Geneva. Letter 28 humorously depicts Rica conflating the actors and the audience of the scene he describes, thus confusing the spectacle on the stage with the spectacle of Parisian social life: Yesterday I saw something rather odd [assez singulire], although in Paris it happens every day. If he'll but speak, I now will hear.Footnote38 Thus, Racine dramatically reinforces Montesquieu's teaching regarding criminal proceedings by staging the pain inflicted on particular individuals by flawed procedures. You can view our. The letter attracted remarkable attention; over four hundred articles and pamphlets were written in response to it. His Government of Poland and Constitutional Project for Corsica offer practical proposals for political reform in his time. But see, for example, Grimsley, d'Alembert, 5354; Gargett, Vernet, Geneva, and the Philosophes, 14546. Careful consideration of Rousseau's Letter in light of Montesquieu's Persian Letters and Spirit of the Laws reveals a much more pervasive influence, however. 0:00. We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country. 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. Among them, Le Devin du village was the most popular French opera of the eighteenth . 8 Letter, 254. 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. 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. She returns his love and yields to his advances, but the difference between their classes makes marriage between them impossible. In addition, Montesquieu's treatment of the theatre seems to have been a fitting topic for Rousseau's engagement. [7] With impartiality, he decided it fit for publication (he himself at one time worked as a censor). 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). . [4], The trend of the Enlightenment among philosophers, since Descartes and Spinoza, was to move towards a society with minimized restrictions. Il cite ce pour quoi il crit. His father, Isaac Rousseau, was a watchmaker. 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. When the hospitality of Mme dpinay proved to entail much the same. Rousseau's dismay arose largely from d'Alembert's proposal that theatre be established in Geneva as it would ROUSSEAU Letter to M. d'Alembert on the Theatre}.-}.Rousseau, Citizen ofGeneva TO M. d'A1embert, of the French Academy, The Royal Academy of Sci ences ofParis, the Prussian Academy, the Royal Society ofLondon, the Royal Academy of Literature of Sweden, and the Institute of Bologna; On his article Geneva in the seventh volume of fEncyclopedie and [4], In spite of the letter being addressed directly to D'Alembert, it is undoubtedly meant to have an effect on the general population. [4], Rousseau continues to say that though Greek and Roman society functioned well with tragic and violent content in theatres because it was part of the traditions specific to the time and place, putting these plays in a French context would be far more dangerous. He argues that the presence and authority of women in public spaces corrupts the male youth, turning them effeminate and void of patriotic passion. 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. He continues that a European spirit of gallantry that one can say was little known to the ancients grew out of this desire to please women. Of course, Rousseau is willing to harness female society in such a manner only in the already corrupt society of France. They appreciate the routines of country life and enjoy the beauties of the Swiss and Savoyard Alps. Jean-Jacques Rousseau - 2009 - In Rousseau on Women, Love, and Family. Radica's article does not treat the Letter. For example, he condemns a law of the Visigoths that permitted the children of an adulterous wife to accuse her of that crime and to torture the family's slaves in order to extract evidence: This was an iniquitous law that, in order to preserve the mores, overturned nature, in which the mores have their origin.Footnote40 At this point, Montesquieu turns to Racine's play and presents it as an appealing contrast to such civil laws that are contrary to natural law.Footnote41 Indeed, Montesquieu concludes his discussion of Phaedra with a reflection on the relation of pleasure and nature: The accents of nature cause this pleasure; it is the sweetest of all voices.Footnote42 Racine's tragedy displays for its audience Hippolytus's admirable decisions rooted in his unconditional respect for his kin, even in light of his father's failure to distinguish between guilt and innocence. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% He posits that Rousseau had in mind Montesquieu's analysis of duels in Spirit, 28.2024; see Coleman, Rousseau's Political Imagination, 83 note 9. Continue to start your free trial. The members of the Wolmar household are depicted as finding happiness in living according to an aristocratic ideal. 32 Spirit, 12.2, 188. Despite being treated unfairly, Hippolytus adheres to a steadfast set of moral principlesand the playwright makes sure that the audience is aware of this. 70 Letter, 325 (5: 92). Thus, theatre serves to extenuate moral lapses. 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. In this regard see Downing A. Thomas, who suggests in passing, for example, that Rousseau seems to accept Montesquieu's teaching in Spirit that the mores of a given people fundamentally influence their taste, as Rousseau repeats that very formula in the Letter: Downing A. Thomas, Negotiating Taste in Montesquieu, Eighteenth Century Studies, 39 (2005), 7190 (76). For example, d'Alembert selects for particular praise the type of welcome Geneva provided for Voltaire, recounting that the citizens of Geneva reveal their admirable sophistication by having provided haven for the beleaguered author and noting approvingly that these republicans bestowed on Voltaire the same marks of esteem and respect he has received from many monarchs.Footnote3 D'Alembert further observes with approbation that they now sanction in their environs the publishing of Voltaire's history, which condemns John Calvin for countenancing Michael Servetus's trial as a heretic within its walls and his burning just outside of them upon his conviction. 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. Of course, Montesquieu does not broach the specific issue that Rousseau considersthat is, the spread of the theatre in modern times into the small, virtuous mountainside republic. Thus, [i]n the theater we congratulate ourselves for our moral sensitivity while remaining isolated from irksome involvement with our fellows; see Christopher Kelly, Rousseau and the Case for (and Against) Censorship, in Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Critical Assessments of Leading Political Philosophers, edited by John T. Scott, 4 vols (New York, NY, 2006, first published in 1997), IV, 20122 (209). 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. 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