Le philosophe de l'abbaye-aux-bois d'apres des documents inedits. Lettres de ballanche a madame recamier. 1812-1845
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Abstract EN:
The attraction of an author's correspondence arises from the various fields of investigation which it brings to the reader. Not only is it an incomparable source of information about an private life, often jealously guarded, but also gives interesting insights into the writer's work and shows his reactions to the literary and political events of his time. This is reaffimed by the one hundred and sixty-six letters from ballanche to madame recamier, assembled for the first time, and of which seventy-eight are previously u published. They tell the story of the exceptional friendship carried on for more than thirty years between the philosopher of abbaye-aux-bois and juliette recamier. Critical appartus applies itself to elucidating all historical and biographical allusions and references to his work and the origin of works long out of print. The restoration and the july monarchy live again in these pages where famous names mirgle with others rescued of oblivion. Sincen ballanche is a writer who is too litlle known, and his correspondence implies some knowledge of his system of thought, and introduction is necessary. We have sketched the main lines of the philosophy of the writer of palingenesie and certain of his sources: theosophists and theocrats, vico and herder. These letters which perpetuate the tradition of platonic love also call for a study of woman and love in ballanche's work. After biographical researches on ballanche's sister, fiancee and female friends, reading his work reveals an essentially metaphisical feminism which glorifies woman as victim and redeemer. Wether that of antigone, eurydice opr virginie, the female sacrifice enables humanity to progress towards its redemption.
Abstract FR:
L'attrait d'une correspondance d'ecrivain nait des multiples champs d'investigation qu'elle offre au lecteur. Non seulement elle apporte une incomparable source de reseignements sur une vie privee souvent jalousement defendue, mais elle donne d'interessants apercus sur l'oeuvre et consigne les reactions de l'auteur aux evenements litteraires et politiques de son epoque. C'est ce que confirment les cent-soixante-six lettres de ballanche a madame recamier, rassemblees ici pour,la premiere fois, et dont soixante-huit sont inedites. Elles racontent l'histoire de l'amitie exeptionnelle qui unit plus de trente ans le philosophe de l'abbaye-saux-bois et juliette recamier. L'apparait intique s'est attache a elucider toutes les allusions biographiques, historiques, les references a l'oeuvre et a la genese d'ouvrages longtemps inedits. La soiciete de la restauration et de la monarchie de juillet revit dans ces pages ou les noms illustres en cotoient d'autres, arraches a l'oubli. Parce quye ballanche est un ecrivain encore trop peu connu et que sa correspondance suppose la connaissance de son systeme de pensee, une presentation s'imposait. Nous avons evoque lmes grands traits de la philosophie de l'auteur de la palingenesie, et certaines de ses sources: theosophes et theocrates, vico et herder. Ces lettres qui perpetuent la tradition de l'amour platoncien appelaient aussi une etude sur les representations de la femme et de l'amour dans l'oeuvre de ballanche. Apres des recherches biographiques sur la soeur, la fiancee, les amies de ballanche, la lecture de l'oeuvre revelait u feminisme d'essence metaphysique qui glorifie la femme, victime et redemptrice. Qu'il s'agisse d'antigone, d'eurydice, de virginie, le sacrifice feminin permet a l'humanite de progresser vers sa rehabilitation.