Molière ou l'honnêteté
Institution:
Lyon 3Disciplines:
Directors:
Abstract EN:
The notion of urbanity lies at the centre of the molieresque creation. It explains its dramaturgy and aesthetic evolutions; it is the moral substratum upon which his vision of the world is founded; it gives his work a unity and an ethical dimension which constitutes its justification. The purification of farce, the creation of "great comedy" and the invention of comedie-ballet appear as repeated attempts to appeal to selected audiences by offering them laughter and entertainment in keeping with their expectations, favouring wit, elegance and naturalness. The stage thus enhances an ideal of civility which is the ideal of urbane people. The quest for the urbane theatre character leads to list all the ridiculous ones and to point out their failure to adapt to life in society. They are bad comedians who betray the actor performing a part. On the contrary, the accomplished gentleman is the one in whom being and appearances are indissociable. Rather than give examples of it, comedy transposes on the stage the problem of urbanity in the classical period, where the refined character wavers between two poles: an ideal of genuineness on the one hand, and a certain necessary complacency, on the other. But he finds his distinctive feature in an "ethic of altruism" and a complete control of self-esteem. A real treaty of good manners, as l'astree or clelie may have been in their time, comedy speaks up for urbanity in matters of social life and problems of society. The poet doesn't place himself on the level of strict individual ethics but on the level of civility, and he sees in refined morals and manners a remedy for the diseases of the social body. It would be pointless to seek here the mark of an acknowledged philosophy. Moliere's wisdom originates in a hedonistic pragmatism. It is a wisdom of "self-invention" and "achievement" through the appropriation of a culture to one's nature. It is an art of living.
Abstract FR:
La notion d'honnetete est au centre de la creation molieresque. Elle en explique la dramaturgie et les evolutions esthetiques ; elle est le substrat moral sur lequel se fonde sa vision du monde ; elle donne a l'oeuvre une unite et une dimension ethique qui en constitue la justification. L'epuration de la farce, la creation de la "grande comedie" et l'invention de la comedie-ballet apparaissent comme autant de tentatives de plaire a un public de qualite, en lui offrant un rire et un spectacle en accord avec ses attentes, faisant la part belle au plaisant, a l'elegance et au naturel. La scene valorise ainsi un ideal de civilite qui est celui des honnetes gens. La quete de l'honnete homme du theatre amene a repertorier tous les ridicules et a montrer leur inadaptation a la vie en societe. Ils sont de mauvais comediens qui trahissent l'acteur sous le role. A l'oppose, l'honnete homme accompli est celui chez qui l'etre et le paraitre sont indissociables. Plus qu'elle n'en donne des exemples, la comedie transpose sur la scene la problematique de l'honnetete a l'epoque classique: le personnage poli y oscille entre deux poles qui sont celui de l'authenticite ideale d'une part et celui d'une certaine complaisance necessaire de l'autre. Mais il trouve dans une ethique du don et dans la maitrise de tout amour-propre son element distinctif. Veritable traite de bonnes manieres comme ont pu l'etre en leur temps l'astree ou la clelie, la comedie tient sur les activites mondaines et sur les problemes de societe le discours de l'honnetete. Le poete ne se situe pas sur le plan de la stricte morale individuelle mais sur celui de la civilite, et il fait de la politesse mondaine un remede aux maladies du corps social. Rien ne sert d'y chercher la marque d'une philosophie reconnue. La sagesse de moliere releve d'un pragmatisme hedonistique. Elle est une sagesse de l'invention de soi et de l'accomplissement par l'appropriation d'une culture a sa nature. Elle est un art de vivre.