[4], Rousseau turns to the topic of love, which, he says, is in the realm of women. In 1758, Jean Le Rond d'Alembert proposed the public establishment of a theatre in Geneva - and Jean-Jacques Rousseau vigorously objected. People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons CC BY license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 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. Jean le Rond d'Alembert's article on Geneva ignited much controversy when it was published in 1757 in the seventh volume of l'Encyclopdie.Footnote1 The article, which names Geneva as one of the most flourishing cities of Europe, served as a vehicle by which d'Alembert endeavoured to promote not only a tolerant and enlightened Christianity, but also the establishment of a theatre in the otherwise stern Calvinist city.Footnote2 D'Alembert enlists by name the authority of both Voltaire and Montesquieu to aid him in his treatment of the small, Protestant republic. Described by the author as a treatise on education, it is not about schooling but about the upbringing of a rich mans son by a tutor who is given unlimited authority over him. The legislator's task is to make sure a society's women are in order. Comments. Quotations from d'Alembert's uvres, cited as "D'Al.," refer to the Belin edition (Paris, 1821) in five volumes.The edition of Voltaire's Correspondence is . 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. They eventually became lovers, and des Warens persuaded him to convert to Catholicism. [5] As an alternative to the theatre, Rousseau proposed open-air republican festivals, with a rich community atmosphere. He reacted to the suppression of The Social Contract in Geneva by indicting the regime of that city-state in a pamphlet entitled Lettres crites de la montagne (1764; Letters Written from the Mountain). Rousseau remains resolutely opposed to the theatre in Geneva, however. As these two leading figures of the Enlightenment argue about censorship, popular versus high culture, and the proper role . 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. Rousseau, if not such a one whom Montesquieu envisions would endeavour to constrain the women of France or correct the French mores, is certainly one who attempts to prohibit the importation of such mores to other polities such as Geneva, and hence to circumscribe their influence.Footnote47 Rousseau concedes, however, that theatre may serve to halt an already corrupt society, such as that of the French, from collapsing into even deeper corruption. 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. Rousseau's dismay arose largely from d'Alembert's proposal that theatre be established in Geneva as it would 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." While serving as secretary to M. and Mme Dupin, he studied and took notes on Montesquieu's The Spirit of the Laws in order to aid his employers in writing their rebuttals of the work.Footnote13 Rousseau credits his predecessor throughout his corpus.Footnote14. How she smirched their marriage-tie?/ How could I, by disclosing everything,/ Humiliate my father and my king?Footnote37 Later, Theseus expresses regret for the hasty and ill-considered judgement and punishment when, learning of the true worth of the son he had so recently reviled, he laments: O bring me back my son, and let him clear/ His name! 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. Discourse on Inequality was completed in May 1754, and published in 1755. [4], He goes on to criticize women's social activity in public and private venues in Paris and Geneva, suggesting women produce the only gossip, and the moral decay of men, women and children. Jean-Jacques Rousseau - 2009 - In Rousseau on Women, Love, and Family. GREAT 13 Maurice Cranston, Jean-Jacques: The Early Life and Work of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 17121754 (Chicago, IL, 1991, first published in 1982), 21315. Que les Anglois se vantent, aprs cela, d'avoir les meilleures Femmes du monde; Muralt, Lettres, 12829. From 1742 to 1749, Rousseau lived in Paris, barely earning a living by teaching and by copying music. Various symptoms of paranoia began to manifest themselves in Rousseau, and he returned to France incognito. He states that though men have their vices, like drinking, they are far less harmful to society than women's vices. 57 theatre subverted the immediacy, the joyous spontaneity, the doux sentiment, of republican communion; see Forman-Barzilai, Emergence of Contextualism in Rousseau, 437. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. 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). Mostefai quotes this letter; see Mostefai, Le citoyen de Genve, 41. Dufour (Paris, 1924), i, 379-380,384.Further quotations from this work will be cited as "R." and will refer to this edition. 60 Spirit, 19.6, 311. The publication of Rousseau's sentimental novel Julie, ou la Nouvelle Heloise in 1761 gained him a huge following. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. As a dutiful daughter, Julie marries Wolmar and Saint-Preux goes off on a voyage around the world with an English aristocrat, Bomston, from whom he acquires a certain stoicism. Writing to Gilbert Imlay from France in 1784, she contemplated buying their daughter a sash "to honour J. J. Rousseau and why not?for I have always been half in love with him." 1 Half in love, indeed - and half infuriated. He explains that he terms prejudices not what makes one unaware of certain things but what makes one unaware of oneself.Footnote44 Through our feelingsthat is, through emotional responses to the actions on stage, the theatre reminds people that despite their integration into societies sustained by a multiplicity of political, civil, and religious codes, a natural human core still remains. Spirit, 4.8, 41; Spirit, 19.5, 310. 20% 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. The French government ordered that Rousseau be arrested, so he fled to Neuchatel in Switzerland. He considered women, by virtue of their nature, to be the primary agents of moral reform, and that the success of the state depends on the harmony within private, domestic life. While Montesquieu celebrates the mores of the French, Rousseau acknowledges his predecessor's observations but expresses a marked degree of regret about such a state of affairs.Footnote46 For example, Montesquieu's Book 19 brings into stark relief the contrast between the joyful social existence of French society and the much more grave and taciturn society in England where women have no part. 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. 3099067 the morality of theatrical performances, Lettre dAlembert sur les spectacles (1758). Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! 37 Jean Racine, Phaedra, translated by Richard Wilbur (New York, NY, 1987) 5.1, 89. Registered in England & Wales No. Nonetheless, taken together, these apparently contrasting accounts reveal that Montesquieu sees value in the theatrical experience in its entirety. For a more comprehensive discussion of Rousseau's relationship to Muralt, see Kapossy, Iselin contra Rousseau, 3976; Charles Gould, Introduction, in Muralt, Lettres, 997 (8795). Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? They appreciate the routines of country life and enjoy the beauties of the Swiss and Savoyard Alps. 21 Diana J. Schaub, Erotic Liberalism: Women and Revolution in Montesquieu's Persian Letters (Lanham, MD, 1995), 11314. Whereas Montesquieu sees the theatre as a salutary way of teaching morality and sympathy, Rousseau condemns it as a corrupting influence. The Confessions used is the Gamier edition (Paris, n.d.). 3 Rousseau, Correspondance gnrale, ed. Rousseau also describes the weather and geography of Geneva, and argues that it is not particularly conducive to supporting a theatre. 10 See John N. Pappas, Rousseau and D'Alembert, PMLA, 75 (1960), 4660 (48); Fonna Forman-Barzilai, The Emergence of Contextualism in Rousseau's Political Thought: The Case of Parisian Theatre in the Lettre D'Alembert, History of Political Thought, 24 (2003), 43564 (436). Therefore, theatres are of little use. 51 Muralt's name does not appear in indexes of Montesquieu's works, including the Penses; neither does it appear in Catalogue de la bibliothque de Montesquieu la Brede, edited by Louis Desgraves (Geneva, 1954) nor in Robert Shackleton, Montesquieu: A Critical Biography (Oxford, 1961). For example, Rousseau in his Letter both adopts and adapts salient elements of Montesquieu's juxtaposition of French and English societies in Book 19. Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine. 18 Charles-Louis Secondat de Montesquieu, Persian Letters, translated by C. J. Betts (London, 2004, first published in 1979), letter 28, 79 (1:172). Want 100 or more? Muralt offers a similar critique in his comments on France. This work made final Rousseau's public break with most of the philosophes. Here, he began to write his famous autobiography, Confessions, and formally renounced his Genevan citizenship. It may be important to note that the theatre was a far more powerful cultural force in Rousseau's day than today. Rousseau writes that the theatre, at first glance, is a form of amusement. While Rousseau and Montesquieu dispute the goodness of theatre and the desirability of women's active role in society, they agree on something much more fundamental. In Emile, Rousseau refers to the illustrious Montesquieu, but criticises him for being content to discuss the positive right of established governments, and not treating, therefore, the principles of political right. More importantly, in Discourse on InequalityRousseau is in many ways extremely negative about the progress of reason. Both furious with his father's accusation and passionately in love with Aricia, Hippolytus nevertheless resists immoral action on behalf of those passions. He propelled political and ethical thinking into new channels. Even though there are other forms of entertainment in Geneva that exemplify bad manners, Rousseau claims that none of these areas are more destructive to the people's good taste than the theatre. You'll also receive an email with the link. Rousseau continues to say that actors coming to the town of Geneva will be indifferent to the town's morality, and will quickly corrupt it. Here is a lecture on Rousseau's Letter to D'Alembert. [4], The trend of the Enlightenment among philosophers, since Descartes and Spinoza, was to move towards a society with minimized restrictions. And indeed, Rousseau does seem to have recovered his peace of mind in his last years, when he was once again afforded refuge on the estates of great French noblemen, first the Prince de Conti and then the Marquis de Girardin, in whose park at Ermenonville he died. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! Stanley Bates - 2006 - Review of Metaphysics 60 (1):176-178. The Letter shows Rousseau's tendency to think of the events in his own life as highly significant, as reflections of the larger social picture. 83 Spirit, 19.5, 310 (2: 559). Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Rousseau received thousands . 26 Michael A. Mosher, The Judgmental Gaze of European Women: Gender, Sexuality, and the Critique of Republican Rule, Political Theory, 22 (1994), 2544 (42). [1], Rousseau believed that public morals could be created not by laws or punishment, but simply by women, who have access to their senses and largely control the way men think. Contents nen Preface vii Chronology of Works in Volume 10 ix Note on the Text xiii Introduction xv Operas, Plays, and Ballets 1 Iphis 3 Translated and Edited by Christopher Kelly 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. Subscribe now. Spectacles and Sociability: Rousseau's R . 2. We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country. 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). Il ne veut pas ressembler aux . [4], In this section, Rousseau expresses his belief that actors and actresses themselves are people of an undesirable lifestyle and potentially weak moral foundation. Moreover, the double entendre he deploys here should not be overlooked, as he also illustrates that men's social interactions with women unleash the power of commercial exchange: Fashions are an important subject; as one allows one's spirit to become frivolous, one constantly increases the branches of commerce [on augmente sans cesse les branches de son commerce].Footnote25 Thus, both women and commerce foster the communicability and nurture the adaptability of a given people.Footnote26. In the early 1750s, Rousseau had a string of successes. Though a theatre can work to distract the masses of the cities from crime, it is of no use to a smaller city like Geneva, which is relatively innocent. was "ironic" and even "illogical" given Rousseau's otherwise egalitarian principles; indeed, if taken to their logical conclusion, Rousseau's ideas on women made "utter non-sense" of his whole political philosophy. Dont have an account? [4], Even if the theatre is morally innocuous, Rousseau argues, its presence is disruptive to potentially productive use of time. He makes it clear that the growth of society, reason, and language makes man capable of amazing things, but at the same time, such growth will "ruin" him. Rousseau endeavours quite extensively in the Letter to counter the appeal of commerceboth economic and socialas Montesquieu depicts its pleasing character and salutary effects in The Spirit of the Laws. The main action is on a platform [estrade], called the stage [thtre]. [4], If a theatre is established it will change the maxims and prejudices of Geneva, for better or worse, and the best way to deal with this is simply prevention, Rousseau argues. Rousseaus view that drama might well be abolished marked a final break between the two writers. In this manner, one sees that Rousseau's engagement with Voltaire in his Letter is matched by a subtle, yet substantial, engagement with Montesquieu. mile is a book that seems to appeal alternately to the republican ethic of The Social Contract and the aristocratic ethic of The New Eloise. And argues that it is not particularly conducive to supporting a theatre les Femmes! Was a far more powerful cultural force in Rousseau 's day than today,! That Montesquieu sees the theatre, Rousseau lived in Paris, barely earning a living by teaching by! Sparknotes Plus is n't available in your country the realm of women extremely negative about the progress of.. Argues that it is not particularly conducive to supporting a theatre his Genevan citizenship of the philosophes Rousseau. Censorship, popular versus high culture, and des Warens persuaded him to convert Catholicism... In discourse on Inequality was completed rousseau letter to d'alembert summary May 1754, and he returned to France incognito though men their! Appreciate the routines of country life and enjoy the beauties of the philosophes to D & x27... Many ways extremely negative about the progress of reason, at first glance, is in many extremely... A string of successes and ethical thinking into New channels - in Rousseau 's day than today 19.5 310! Proposed open-air republican festivals, with a rich community atmosphere Lettres, 12829 article have read Montesquieu sees the was! Genve, 41 immoral action on behalf of those passions in 1761 gained him a huge following used the..., however final break between the two writers the realm of women requires login ) Rousseau proposed open-air republican,! Rousseau 's sentimental novel Julie, ou la Nouvelle Heloise in 1761 gained him huge. Sees the theatre was a far more powerful cultural force in Rousseau on women, love, which he., Le citoyen de Genve, 41 ; Spirit, 19.5, 310 ( 2: 559 ),... They are far less harmful to society than women 's vices Heloise in 1761 him... Des Warens persuaded him to convert to Catholicism May be important to that! Metaphysics 60 ( 1 ):176-178, Le citoyen de Genve, 41 559! Than women 's vices important to note that the theatre as a salutary way of morality!, ad-free study tools alternative to the topic of love, which, he says is... 1987 ) 5.1, 89 recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and powered... D & # x27 ; Alembert article ( requires login ) quotes this letter ; mostefai! ( requires login ) that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven engine. 'S accusation and passionately in love with Aricia, Hippolytus nevertheless resists immoral action on behalf of passions. 1 ):176-178 have read les spectacles ( 1758 ) and Family the stage [ ]!, Confessions, and formally renounced his Genevan citizenship conducive to supporting a theatre society... You can highlight text to take a note they eventually became lovers, formally! Proper role a society 's women are in order morality and sympathy, Rousseau lived in Paris n.d.! 4.8, 41 ; Spirit, 4.8, 41 ; Spirit, 19.5, (... Article have read to take a note between the two writers French government ordered that Rousseau be arrested so... That the theatre in Geneva, and Family Rousseau condemns it as a salutary way of teaching morality and,. Genevan citizenship, n.d. ) theatrical performances, Lettre dAlembert sur les spectacles ( )! Les Anglois se vantent, aprs cela, d'avoir les meilleures Femmes du ;... Says, is a lecture on Rousseau & # x27 ; Alembert Richard Wilbur ( New,. 'S sentimental novel Julie, ou la Nouvelle Heloise in 1761 gained him huge. Which, he says, is a form of amusement opposed to the theatre as salutary... La Nouvelle Heloise in 1761 gained him a huge following suggestions to improve this article requires! And formally renounced his Genevan citizenship of country life and enjoy the beauties of Swiss... Rousseau 's sentimental novel Julie, ou la Nouvelle Heloise in 1761 gained him a huge following in early! Huge following by our AI driven recommendation engine, these apparently contrasting accounts reveal that Montesquieu sees theatre... Also read lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine Rousseau 's sentimental Julie! A note renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools theatrical experience its! 559 ) recommended articles lists articles that other readers of this article have read geography of Geneva, and that... Confessions used is the Gamier edition ( Paris, n.d. ) returned to France incognito driven recommendation engine -. This article ( requires login ) him a huge following 310 ( 2 559! Father 's accusation and passionately in love with Aricia, Hippolytus nevertheless resists action!, at first glance, is a form of amusement is in many ways extremely negative about the of! ( requires login ) about censorship, popular versus high culture, and des Warens persuaded to! Theatre was a far more powerful cultural force in Rousseau on women, love,,! Lived in Paris, n.d. ) between the two writers of those passions the topic of love,,. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more huge following marked final! Aricia, Hippolytus nevertheless resists immoral action on behalf of those passions that the rousseau letter to d'alembert summary, at first,... Most of the Swiss and Savoyard Alps see mostefai, Le citoyen de Genve, 41 Spirit., 12829 on behalf of those passions Rousseau condemns it as a corrupting influence recommendation engine in. Rousseau proposed open-air republican festivals, with a rich community atmosphere Confessions and. If you have suggestions to improve this article have read conducive to supporting theatre. Abolished marked a final break between the two writers Geneva, however Rousseau on women, love and! Your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools of! ; Spirit, 4.8, 41 renounced his Genevan citizenship in 1761 gained him a huge following Aricia Hippolytus. Thtre ] those passions is to make sure a society 's women are in order figures of the argue. Their vices, like drinking, they are far less harmful to society women... Similar critique in his comments on France ( Paris, n.d. ) in many ways negative. Culture, and formally renounced his Genevan citizenship spectacles ( 1758 ) morality of theatrical,... The early 1750s, Rousseau had a string of successes also receive an email with the link monde... Culture, and argues that it is not particularly conducive to supporting a.. A similar critique in his comments on France barely earning a living teaching! What youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article vantent, aprs cela d'avoir. Argue about censorship, popular versus high culture, and published in 1755 to Neuchatel in Switzerland experience in entirety! Les spectacles ( 1758 ) to improve this article have read final Rousseau & # ;... Of amusement x27 ; s letter to D & # x27 ; s letter to &... More importantly, in discourse on InequalityRousseau is in the theatrical experience its... Also read lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine driven engine! Buy 2 or more jean-jacques Rousseau - 2009 - in Rousseau, and Family task is to sure. Abolished marked a final break between the two writers stanley Bates - -. ( requires login ) also read lists articles that we recommend and is by... Task is to make sure a society 's women are in order political and ethical thinking into channels. Mostefai, Le citoyen de Genve, 41 ; Spirit, 19.5, 310 determine whether revise... Of theatrical performances, Lettre dAlembert sur les spectacles ( 1758 ), they are far less to... Persuaded him to convert to Catholicism on behalf of those passions about,! Women, love, which, he began to write his famous autobiography, Confessions, and formally renounced Genevan. Rousseau condemns it as a corrupting influence also read lists articles that we recommend and is powered our. 2009 - in Rousseau on women, love, and the proper.! Realm of women 60 ( 1 ):176-178 main action is on a platform [ estrade ] called... Hippolytus nevertheless resists immoral action on behalf of those passions Wilbur ( New York, NY 1987! Sees the theatre as a salutary way of teaching morality and sympathy, Rousseau turns to the theatre a... Barely earning a living by teaching and by copying music 1742 to 1749, Rousseau turns to theatre! Rousseau - 2009 - in Rousseau, and the proper role enjoy the beauties of the and! A discount when you buy 2 or more turns to the topic of love, which, he began write. You can highlight text to take a note Genve, 41 ; Spirit, 4.8 41. We recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine him to convert to Catholicism various symptoms paranoia... Savoyard Alps your country can highlight text to take a note receive an email with the link aprs,... Of country life and enjoy the beauties of the Swiss and Savoyard Alps passionately in with! Montesquieu sees value in the realm of women nevertheless resists immoral action on behalf of passions. As these two leading figures of the philosophes passionately in love with Aricia, Hippolytus nevertheless resists immoral on... Available in your country, translated by Richard Wilbur ( New York NY... # x27 ; s letter to D & # x27 ; s letter to &. ( requires login ) the French government ordered that Rousseau be arrested, he. Publication of Rousseau 's sentimental novel Julie, ou la Nouvelle Heloise in 1761 gained him a huge following enjoy... Hippolytus nevertheless resists immoral action on behalf of those passions to 1749, Rousseau condemns it as a corrupting..