Les Caractères, elements for the dissertation

~ Jean de La Bruyère

• lawyer
• from a wealthy family
• bourgeois
• wrote Les Caractères in 1688, which is his only work
• defends the old in the dispute between the old and the moderns
• tutor of the grandson of the Grand Condé
• elected to the French Academy in 1693

~ Les Caractères

• based on several editions as it is a reworking of the first edition by Theophrastus
• immediate success despite criticism from the moderns due to its fragmented form
• a depiction of the world and individuals
• a mirror held up to the reader so that they can recognize themselves
• La Bruyère aims to correct men and thus takes on the role of a moralist
• depicts men's flaws, stupidity, and vanity, and through this, creates a portrait of the ideal man called the "honnête homme" during the 17th century: a measured, reasonable, and natural man who avoids artifice and appearances.
• oppositions between portraits and maxims (maxims= indisputable truths)
• the general title emphasizes the moral perspective
• as an observer of the world, La Bruyère seems to act as a director of men and society in his time. However, while they claim to reveal certain mechanisms or correct inappropriate customs, Les Caractères are not devoid of ambiguity and retain an energetic dimension.
• in the preface, La Bruyère states that he did not intend to write "short and concise" maxims that would be like "laws of morality". He prefers the term "remarks" to describe his statements.

~ Social comedy in Les Caractères

• comedy performed in society rather than on stage, the actors are not comedians but men in general. This suggests that men's behavior is false, that they play a role and conceal their true nature in society.
• thus, ideas of hypocrisy, dissimulation, and artifice are metaphorically associated with comedy. Jean de La Bruyère denounces, through these ideas, the reign of illusions, lies, and appearances, in the manner of Molière in The Imaginary Invalid, for example.
• 17th-century moralists denounce the hypocrisy of men playing a role in society and expertly presenting the best possible image of themselves to attract attention and admiration.
• men put on a show in front of their contemporaries to create an illusion in society.
• because it exposes social behavior and exposes its artificial nature, La Bruyère primarily reveals the behind-the-scenes aspect to his readers.
• in this world where domination is a matter of appearances, all actions appear as pretense, clothing as disguises, and words as lies.
• authors suggest that men wear masks
• the "social comedy" seems inevitable: characters are compelled to play a role to fit into society

~ Theater of the world

• every courtier is an actor
• society and the court are portrayed as a theater

~ Book V

• series of reflections on the behavior to adopt in society to be a perfect honnête homme
• according to Jean de La Bruyère, one must adapt to imperfect human nature and show moderation
• the honnête homme must know how to use language without appearing pedantic
• the moralist makes a connection between manner of speaking and social relationships

quotes from Book V:

• "a very bland character is one that has none at all" §1
• "Is it such a bad thing to be understood when speaking, and to speak like everyone else" §7 (Acis)
• "he only comes back from this great artifice to mumble vanities and nonsense" §12 (Théodecte)
• "for certain people, speaking and offending are exactly the same thing" §27
• "mockery is often a sign of lack of intelligence" §57

~ Book VI

• La Bruyère recalls the effects of chance
• criticizes courtiers for equating wealth with happiness
• question of wealth accumulation, courtiers eager to do anything to get rich

quotes from Book VI:

• "do not envy a certain type of people for their great wealth" §13

~ Book VII

• Parisians put on a show to attract attention
• the moralist reveals the vanity of behaviors
• men act mechanically
• they have corrupt and superfluous practices

quotes:

• "women gather together to show off their beautiful fabric" §3
• "they take from the court what is worst about it: they appropriate vanity" §7
• §13 man who observes everything all the time (who...? x4)
• "one cannot do without this same world [...] that they mock" §1

~ Book VIII

• satirical portrayal of the court
• satire of the mechanical behaviors of courtiers
• climbing the ranks appears indispensable, La Bruyère mocks this futile race dominated by personal interest
• cruel irony of unyielding judgments

quotes:

• "one is small at court [...] and even the great are small" §5
• "one sees men of great fortune fall due to the same flaws that had propelled them there"
• text 2 ascent/fall of a man §32

~ Book IX

• the great are the most powerful in the kingdom
• the moralist criticizes the illegitimacy of the hierarchy
• the great seem inaccessible

quotes:

• pamphile
• "the advantage the great have over other men is immense" §3
• lucile §14, prefers to live with the Great but "endure their company" rather than "wear oneself out by reducing oneself" to live with equals
• "the contempt the great have" §18

Book X

• professorial tone of the moralist (tutor of a noble)
• answers the question of what makes a good prince

quotes