eJournals Papers on French Seventeenth Century Literature 37/73

Papers on French Seventeenth Century Literature
pfscl
0343-0758
2941-086X
Narr Verlag Tübingen
121
2010
3773

Jean Leclerc: L’Antiquité travestie et la vogue du burlesque en France (1643-1661). Québec: Presses de l’université Laval, 2008 (Les Collections de la République des Lettres - Ètudes). 362 p

121
2010
Francis Assaf
pfscl37730464
PFSCL XXXVII, 73 (2010) 464 revenir, -par -un -choix -opposé -à -celui -des -plus -récents -éditeurs -français, -au -texte des -différentes -éditions -originelles -de -chaque -lettre, -antérieures -à -leur -publica--‐ tion - en - recueil, - qui - représenteraient - la - dernière - volonté - de - l’auteur. - Carena - se sert -de -l’exemplaire -qui -a -servi -de -base -au -travail -de -collation -de -Jean--‐Hippolyte Basse, - dans - ses - Études - bibliographiques - sur - les - Provinciales - de - Pascal, - pour signaler - ensuite - dans - l’apparat - critique - les - variantes - des - premières - éditions ainsi -que -les -variantes -des -trois -éditions -en -recueil -de -1657 -et -1659. -On -dispose donc - d’une - information - à - peu - près - complète - et - éclairante - sur - les - différentes versions - du - texte. - Il - faut - ajouter - quelques - remarques - sur - une - traduction - qui, sauf - pour - quelques - imprécisions - de - détail, - est - élégante, - fidèle - à - l’atticisme - et - à la -concinnitas -de -la -prose -pascalienne. - - Federico -Corradi Jean - Leclerc : - L’Antiquité - travestie - et - la - vogue - du - burlesque - en - France (1643--1661). - Québec : - Presses - de - l’université - Laval, - 2008 - (Les - Collec--‐ tions -de -la -République des Lettres - -Études). -362 -p. - This - book, - the - author’s - revised - doctoral - dissertation, - presents - a - vast - and thoroughly--‐researched - study - of - travestissement, - the - peculiar - literary phenomenon - that - flourished - during - the - period - between - Louis - XIII’s - death - and Mazarin’s - (1643--‐1661) - that - rewrote - ancient - authors - (Homer, - Ovid - and especially -Vergil) -in -a -satirical, -parodic -way. -It -is -the -first, -and, -so -far -as -I -know, the - only - comprehensive - study - of - its - kind. - The - author - focuses - particularly - on works -in -verse, -leaving -aside, -for -example, - Scarron’s -burlesque -comedies, -most of - which - are - travestissements - of - serious - (Siglo - de - Oro) - Spanish - plays. - Besides the - avant--propos, - a - preface - by - Patrick - Dandrey - (his - dissertation - co--‐director) and - the - introduction, - the - book - is - divided - into - three - parts, - comprising altogether - ten - chapters - (interestingly, - not - numbered), - plus - a - (relatively) - brief conclusion, -and -an -extensive -bibliography -(28 -pages). Although - he - blurs - it - later - (perhaps - intentionally), - the - author - establishes - in the - introduction - a - distinction - between - burlesque - in - general - and - travestisse-ment, - defining - the - former - as - imitation - and - translation, - and - the - latter - as - the willful - trivialization - of - noble - characters - and - topics. - Throughout - the - book, - his leitmotiv - will - be - that - travestissement - systematically - puts - down - ancient - forms and - texts - by - adapting - them - to - the - new - taste, - something - already - expounded upon -by -Genette -in -Palimpsestes -(q.v.). -Leclerc -cites -Francis -Bar’s -1960 -study 1 -as - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - Francis -Bar, -Le -genre -burlesque -en -France -au -XVII e -siècle -: -étude -de -style. -Paris, -Éditions d’Artrey, -1960. - Comptes rendus 465 both - a - landmark - and - a - starting - point - of - contemporary - study - of - burlesque. - He also -takes -care -to -point -out, -with -abundant -quotations, -that -burlesque -poets -are quite - familiar - not - only -with - the - noble - side - of - the - characters - they - trivialize, - but also - with - a - noble - style - and - choice - of - words, - which - they - consciously - eschew - in favor -of -a -lower -register, -both -in -language -and -sentiment. Leclerc -clearly -enunciates -his -methodology: -he -examines -systematically -the texts - themselves, - their - historic - context - (his - exposé - on - the - relationship - of burlesque - to - the - Fronde - is - both - extensive - and - well--‐documented) - and - the reasons -for -their -vogue, -the -conditions -present -at -the -rewriting -of -ancient -texts and - the - very - principles - of - discordant - writing, - which, - from - badinage - in - early burlesque - texts, - degenerate - during - the - Fronde - into - lowliness - and - vulgarity, following -the - general - coarsening -of -discourse - in -those -times -(although -he -does not - study - extensively - the - mazarinades, - he - establishes - an - unmistakable - link between - them - and - burlesque), - as - well - as - the - relationship - between - burlesque and - patronage - (Scarron - dedicated - his - Recueil - de - quelques - vers - burlesques [1643] - to - Mazarin). - After - 1653, - burlesque - evolves - again - into - a - legitimate literary -style, -closely -linked -to -the -Moderns. The - author - identifies - the - origins - of - travestissement - in - such - Mannerist Spanish - and - Italian - poets - as - Luis - de - Góngora - (1561--‐1627) - and - Francesco Bracciolini - (1566--‐1645), - adding - that - Scarron’s - Typhon - (1644) - is - the - first - open example -of -travestissement -of -ancient -mythology. -Unlike -Serroy, -whose -position that - burlesque - is - the - exclusive - creation - of - Scarron - he - criticizes - (p. - 19, - n.71), Leclerc - posits - that - the - Virgile - travesty - is - not - the - “pivot - point” - that - contem--‐ porary - criticism - has - made - it - to - be, - but - that - it - must - be - considered - within - the context - of - numerous - other - travestissements - appearing - between - the - two - dates mentioned - above, -written - by - such - authors - as - Barthélemy - de - Laffemas, - Charles Dassoucy, - Pierre - de - Nouguier, - Antoine - Furetière, - and - many - others. - Yet - he tacitly - acknowledges - the - Virgile - travesty’s - central - position - by - recounting accurately - and - in - detail - the - mock - epic’s - history - of - publication, - presenting - also, with - his - usual - intricacy, - the - publication - history - of - other - travestissements - of Vergil’s - poem, - tracing - with - perspicacity - the - attribution - of - works - whose authorship - is - unclear, - such - as - Le - Virgile - goguenard, - ou - le - douzième - livre - de l’Énéide - travestie. - Without - engaging - in - formal - attribution - criticism, - he - makes, for - example, - a - strong - case - for - Laffemas - as - the - author, - and - the - date - of - compo--‐ sition -1649 -or -1650. -A -fine -example -of -Sorbonne--‐inspired -scholarship. - Leclerc - also - shows - how, - towards - the - end - of - the - Fronde, - travestissement - is falling - out - of - favor, - if - not - altogether - dying - out. - It - undergoes - a - metamorphosis, becoming - more - refined - and - playful, - opening - the - way - (Leclerc - dixit), - to - La Fontaine’s -fables, -some -fifteen -years -later -(He -does -not -offer -textual -evidence -to that - effect). - It - is - true, - however, - that - the - same - spirit - of - castigat - ridendo - mores PFSCL XXXVII, 73 (2010) 466 presides - in - La - Fontaine’s - works - and - end--‐of--‐Fronde - travestissements, - such - as Furetière’s -delightful Le -Voyage -de -Mercure -(1653). At - the - beginning - of - Part - 2 - of - his - book - (“La - scène - de - l’invention”), - Leclerc overtly - takes - issue - with - Genette - (Palimpsestes), - whom - he - accuses - of - reduc--‐ tionism -in -describing -travestissement, -which -Leclerc -presents -as -an -intertextual practice, - melding - Antiquity - and - Modernity - in - a - sort - of - dialogue - (Actually, Genette - does - much - the - same - thing). - While - some - might - argue - that - Leclerc indulges - a - bit - in - reinventing - the - wheel - here, - his - demonstrations - are - clear - and cogent, - illustrating - the - principles - and - æsthetics - of - translation - as - well - as - the interplay -of -fidelity -and -distanciation. - More - importantly, - Leclerc - points - out - that - the - intervention - of - the - author - in the - hypertext - fosters - the - possibility - of - digression, - which - allows - the - modern author - either - to - critique - the - ancient - one, - or - to - leave - entirely - the - diegesis - for (generally - humorous) - considerations - on - the - art - (and - difficulties) - of - versifi--‐ cation. - Clearly, - that, - with - trivialization, - is - what - produces - burlesque. - The - com--‐ bination - of - first--‐person - (and - self--‐conscious) - narration, - digression - and - critique creates -what -Leclerc - calls - “masques -narratifs,” -opening -the -way - for - statements that -would -be -risky -or -even -dangerous, -were -it -not -for -the -mask -of -buffoonery. Leclerc’s - work - is - not - one--‐sided, - however. - He - cites - an - anonymous - author’s concern - that - satire - of - antiquity - might - spill - over - in - other - domains, - notably - the monarchy - and - religion. - He - also - underscores, - with - relevant - quotations, - some--‐ thing - that - should - be - obvious: - the - satire - in - travestissement - touches - upon - con--‐ temporary - topics. - Obvious, - granted, - but - the - quotations - show - a - willful - effort - to pinpoint - aspects - of - life - the - satirist - deems - deserving - of - ridicule. - Furetière - says as -much -in -the -preface -to Le Voyage -de -Mercure. In - the - book’s - third - part, - Leclerc - examines - in - detail - the - notion - of - disconve-nance, - i.e. - the - distance - created - by - the - burlesque - author - between - the - hypotext and -its -elevated -language, -and -the -hypertext’s -deliberately -low -and -even -vulgar expression. -He -also -deals -here -(albeit -less -extensively) -with -the -notion -of -héroï-comique, -which -is -the -exact -opposite -of -travestissement: -the -rendering -of -trivial situations -in -noble -and -elevated -manner, -such -as -Boileau’s -Lutrin -(1674--‐1683). The - reference - to - Perrault’s - Parallèle - des - Anciens - et - des - Modernes - (1688 - on) - is inevitable. His - remark - about - burlesque - being - all--‐encompassing - (pp. - 231--‐232), - a veritable - warehouse - of - all - the - words - of - the - language, - from - the - basest - to - the noblest, -is -illuminating -and -points -out -to -the -universality -of -the -style -and -its -far--‐ reaching -nature. -As -in -many -other -cases, -he -supports -his -assertion -by -numerous quotations -from -various -authors. -Leclerc -assimilates -travestissement, -taken -as -a whole, -to -a -vast -theatrical -endeavor, -featuring -a -variety -of -characters, -all -shown from -their -comical -side. -The -assertion -that -burlesque -authors -consciously -reject Comptes rendus 467 the - noble - style - in - favor - of - the - lowly - and - comical - recurs - quite - a - bit - in - Leclerc’s text. - The - author - also - notes - that - burlesque - authors, - while - adopting - a - satirical/ parodic - voice, - generally - respect - poetic - forms - (except - for - the - adoption - of - octo--‐ syllabic - verse, - which - is - the - norm - for - parody, - burlesque, - and - travestissement). The - extensive - and - abundantly - documented - explanation - of - why - that - is - infor--‐ mative - but, - a - bit - surprisingly, - the - author - does - not - address - the - overarching imperative -of -intelligibility, -the -sine -qua -non -of -any -sort -of -writing. -The -author’s subsequent - exposé - of - how - and - why - Vaugelas - chose - to - classify - burlesque - as “mauvais - usage” - is - perhaps -well--‐suited - for - a - dissertation, - but - might - have - been better - left - out - in - a - revised - version - aimed - at - an - academic - readership. - That - part should - have - been - condensed - or, - better - yet, - skipped - altogether, - as - it - adds nothing -to -our -understanding -of -“bon -usage,” -nor -of -burlesque. The - section - titled - “L’art - de - la - trivialité” - reprises - Genette’s - and - Serroy’s argument - that - burlesque - brings - mythology - in - contact - with - the - reader’s - real world. -Where -he - errs, - in -my -opinion, -is -in -his - comparing -burlesque - travestisse-ment - with - the - great - realistic - novels - of - the - 19 th - century. - He - would - have - been better - inspired, - I - believe, - had - he - taken - as - a - point - of - comparison, - the - contem--‐ porary - histoires - comiques - (all - the - more - so - that - he - lists - Serroy’s - monumental 1981 - dissertation - Roman - et - réalité - in - his - bibliography). - Here - again, - the - author provides - an - abundance - of - examples - of - lower--‐register - expressions, - including openly - vulgar - ones - (pp. - 260--‐271), -with - the - effect - that - antique - fable - is - exposed as -a -fraud -or -a -lie, -its -narrative -devices -laid -bare -and -its -gods’ -status -lowered -to that - of - mere - mortals - or - even - animals. - He - does - cite - here - Sorel’s - Berger extravagant - in - order - to - make - the - point - about - the - desacralization - of - (pagan) gods - in - burlesque - writing - (p. - 277). - His - subsequent - exposé - details - the mechanisms -of -such -degradation, -again -with -a -wealth -of -examples -and -citations. The - chapter’s - conclusion - is - both - interesting - and - daring - in - its - assertion - that travestissement - crystallizes - (his - term) - a - Modern - position - that - asserts - itself progressively - over - the - following - decades. - Such - a - position - may - be - debatable, given - that - the - Moderns, - by - and - large, - wrote - serious - works, - all - the - more - so - in the - Second - Quarrel - (La - Motte--‐Dacier - 1714--‐1717), - and - that - Perrault - distin--‐ guishes -in -the -Parallèle -des -Anciens -et -des -Modernes -between -a -“good” -burlesque and -a -“bad” -one. In - the - chapter - “Les - vestiges - de - l’héroïsme”, - Leclerc - underscores - the - base--‐ ness - of - ancient - authors, - who - portray - the - gods - in - situations - unworthy - of - their exalted -status. -He -goes -on -to -say -burlesque -poets -merely -amplify -these -faults -by rewriting - the - models - in - a - discordant - mode. - Such - a - practice - establishes - a - stark contrast - between - two - sets - of - rhetoric, - something - that - Leclerc - does - not - make explicit, - since - it - was - obviously - not - the - intent - of - ancient - authors - to - make - the gods -look -ridiculous. -His -assertion -that -burlesque -is -the -result -of -re--‐reading -the PFSCL XXXVII, 73 (2010) 468 Ancients - through - the - lens - of - vraisemblance - and - bienséance - clashes - with - his earlier - position - that - travestissement - willfully - rejects - bon - usage. - What - Leclerc does - not - say - is - that - the - first - step - of - travestissement - is - the - rejection - by - the burlesque - author - of - contextual - verisimilitude, - substituting - a - contemporary doxal - one, - which - inevitably - leads - to - the - texte - travesti. - The - burlesque - author’s purpose -is -not -to -correct -the -hypotext, -but -to -provoke -laughter -by -the -rhetorical devices - evoked - above. - I - remain - skeptical - that - burlesque - authors - sought - to chastise - ancient - ones - by - magnifying - their - gods’ - and - heroes’ - shortcomings. Their - comical - inventio - seems - to - go - quite - beyond - that: - rather - than - a - mocking critique - of - Greek - and - Latin - literatures - in - and - of - themselves, - they - sought - to generate - laughter - as - a -result - of -reiterating - their -works - in - a - comical - vein. -What Leclerc - says -about -the -burlesque - “reevaluation” -of -ancient -fictions -may -be -true but - only - partially, - since - burlesque - in - no - way - deterred - more - serious - contem--‐ poraries -from -translating -quite -earnestly -and -respectfully -ancient -authors, -with reverent - commentaries. - At - the - same - time, - he - shows - that - burlesque - authors were - capable - of - a - noble - and - elevated - style - (was - there - ever - any - doubt - about that? ), -as -shown -by -the -Nouguier -quote -(p. -304). The - conclusion - makes - a - - - largely - successful - - - effort - at - being - synthetic. - I must - however - point - out - a - rather - annoying - tendency - of - the - author: - throughout the - book, - he - has - defined - and - redefined - both - burlesque - and - travestissement. Was - it - also - necessary - to - do - so - in - the - conclusion? - That - brings - nothing - to - an already - impressive - body - of - scholarship - showing - indisputably - the - nature, historical - context - and - intellectual - stakes - of - that - literary - movement. - What Leclerc - enunciates - extremely - well, - however, - is - travestissement’s - subversive nature -and -its -thrust -towards -a -resolutely -Modern -literary -voice. Rather - than - a - brief - review, - a - full--‐length - article - would - be - needed - to - do - real justice - to - this - book, - with - its - extensive - research - and - masterful - combination - of authors, - many - of - whom - would - be - little--‐known - or - even - unknown - to - all - but - the most - committed - researchers - of - burlesque -writing. - Despite - the - (few) - perceived contradictions - or - unsupported - assertions, - there - is - enough - first--‐class - research in - this - work - and - enough - information - to - make - it - the - premier - text - on - burlesque and - travestissement - poetry. - Having - read - the - Francis - Bar - book - for - my - own research, -I -can -say -that -Leclerc’s -tome -represents -a -quantum -leap -relatively -to -it in - our - understanding - of - burlesque, - its - æsthetics, - its - place - in - literary - and political -history, -and -its -value -as -a -reflection -of -a -particularly -lively -period -of -the seventeenth - century. - This - book - definitely - belongs - on - a - scholar’s - (and - research library) - shelves - and - will - prove - a - precious - resource - for - anyone - contemplating further - research - on - burlesque - or - travestissement, - whether - for - publication - or the -teaching -of -a -graduate -course. - Francis -Assaf -