Tags
Dom Garcie de Navarre, Galant Music, Il Cortegiano, Jean-Baptiste Lully, l'honnête homme, La Princesse d'Élide, Le Galant homme, Le Récit de l'Aurore
Dom Garcie de Navarre ou le Prince jaloux par François Boucher, dessin, et Laurent Cars, gravure
Our next play is Dom Garcie de Navarre. It was not a success, but it is a fine discourse on jealousy.
I must also mention that Molière’s Princesse d’Élide is not entirely rooted in Agustín Moreto‘ El Desdén, con el desdén, (Scorn for Scorn). I forgot to mention that Molière was also influenced by Rabelais′ Gargantua and Pantagruel, the Third of Five Books [eBook #1200]. Panurge wonders whether he should marry. (See Chapter Three of the Third Book of Gargantua and Pantagruel.)
Moreover, before leaving la Princesse d’Élide, a comédie galante, the word galant should be investigated. Although Italy’s Baldassare Castiglione wrote Il Cortegiano, France is the birthplace of both l’honnête homme and le galant homme. As I have noted in an earlier post, sprezzatura is not associated with l’honnête homme because “honnêteté” is not a stance. L’honnête homme had to be virtuous.
I should also note that the term ‘galant,’ overrides disciplines. I know the word ‘galant’ mainly from musicology classes. Johann Sebastian Bach’s son, Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, was a founder of the galant style in music and, according to the Wikipedia entry on galant music, Johann Christian Bach took it further. Galant music is less complex than Baroque music.
However, the term galant originates in France where the galant homme was a close relative of l’honnête homme. The birth of l’honnête homme can be traced back to Baldassare Castiglione. But l‘honnête homme was not a “dandy.”
RÉCIT DE L’AURORE
Quand l’amour à vos yeux offre un choix agréable,
Jeunes beautés laissez-vous enflammer:
Moquez-vous d’affecter cet orgueil indomptable,
Dont on vous dit qu’il est beau de s’armer:
Dans l’âge où l’on est aimable
Rien n’est si beau que d’aimer.
[When Love presents a charming choice
Respond to his flame, oh youthful fair!
Do not affect a pride which no one can subdue,
Though you’ve been told such pride becomes you well.
When one is of a lovely age.]
Soupirez librement pour un amant fidèle,
Et bravez ceux qui voudraient vous blâmer;
Un cœur tendre est aimable, et le nom de cruelle
N’est pas un nom à se faire estimer:
↵ Dans l’âge
Dans le temps où l’on est belle,
Rien n’est si beau que d’aimer.
[Breathe freely sighs for him who faithful loves
And challenge those who wish to blame your ways.
A tender heart is lovely; but a cruel maid
Will never be a title to esteem.
When one is fair and beautiful
Naught is so handsome as to love.]
RELATED ARTICLES
- Molière’s “Forced Marriage” or “Le Mariage forcé” (1 July 2019)
- Gallantry and “l’honnête homme” (16 April 2016)
Love to everyone 💕
Panurge by Albrecht Dürer (BnF)
© Micheline Walker
19 October 2019
WordPress
I was wondering about the influence of Rabelais, dear Micheline, and I am glad you did mention it now. Castiglione’s book is mainly directed at the courtiers, as its title promises, thus I see it as a very valid point that the concept of galant, while drawing its roots in Il Cortegiano, did originate in France.
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Rabelais’ influence is undeniable: to marry or not marry. Molière repeats “Le Marriage forcé” and “La Princesse d’Élide” I left it out unintentionally. Doubt plays an important role in Molière, but it has not been widely noticed. Molière writes in many traditions, including the French tradition and he received the best education.My computer does not work. They keyboard will be replaced. It may be a few before I can work normally. I am also buying a second computer. My computer should be normal a few days from now. I’m using a screen keyboard and may not post for a few days. My posts have come to attention of the CNRS (Centre national de recherche scientifique), in Paris. The French-English Molière has been discovered (Mr. van Laun). I never suspected this development. My site is humble, but informative and free. The step is reading Molière as though one were taking a course.Love my dear. If you do not see a post, you will know the reason. It’s temporary.
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‘But as I have noted in an earlier post, sprezzatura is not associated with l’honnête homme because is not a stance. L’honnête homme had to be virtuous.’
Did you mean this to be repeated in paras 3 and 5?
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No Derrick, It’s old age and a damaged brain! I corrected it. It happens more frequently than it did. It’s a slow rate of perfusion of blood to the brain.
As you know, I caught a virus and never recovered.🙂
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I am sorry
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There is nothing they can do for me. The diagnostic came in 1991, after fifteen years of illness: fatigue, fever, poor balance, etc. I thank God for the fact that I remained intelligent and lucid. But I have not had much of a social life. I go to bed early. In Antigonish, I belonged to the artist community, not the University community because their main pleasure was speaking ill of others. Occasionally, I invited artists for an early dinner. I also had very fine neighbours who knew. I never spoke of my illness to colleagues. However, they used it to my detriment. One colleague prevented me from working as a full-time member of faculty for four years. That absence set a terrible precedent. It led to an effort to get rid of me. They may have taught I was mentally ill. My family talked me into selling my house. The doctor the Insurance Company sent me to reported that after an indefinite leave of absence, I would be able to return to work. He asked my case manager, in writing, to tell me not to sell my house or make important decisions for several months. She did not relay his message. This kind of harm is worse than murder and it involved bullying. I fainted during a fit or rage by the Chair of my department. I was fooled into relinquishing my tenure. I have not stopped crying. Maintaining my weblog is my best therapy, but settling in this apartment seems to have caused the loss of two thirds of my lungs. I was alone. My only companion is my cat. A professor of medicine, not a psychiatrist, sees me at least once a month because, without some form of support, I would let myself die. As well, the virus attacked everything: my lungs. I need professionals to finish settling in, but they are hard to find and everything is so expensive. So, from time to time, I repeat a sentence, or skip a word, or forget the spelling of a word.
I am extremely thankful to my blogging community and to you in particular. Keep well Derrick. 🙂
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Blogging friends are sometimes kinds of lifesavers. Thank you
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They can be. In fact, they are. My doctor keeps me blogging. This way, I’m doing what I like, my brain is working, and I have a community. So blogging friends are at times lifesavers. I never suspected this could be the case, but I have learned. They are very good persons. 🙂
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