Le Livre italien dans la société française au 18e siècle
Institution:
Paris, EHESSDisciplines:
Directors:
Abstract EN:
The cultural exchanges between the french and italian societies during the eigthteenth century are brought out by the study of book production. Based only on printed sources the research has led to the establishment of an inventory covering the period from 1700 to 1790, which includes the publications of books and librettos both in italian and translated, printed in france or in foreign cities supplying the french market. This compilation, deemed to be complete, was useful in establishing a graph which shows a very considerable difference between the two halves of the century. Through the quantitative method used, which gives no priority ton any particular kind of book, one discovers by studying the decennial curves the constants and the changes in the public's taste. What remains absolutely constant is the preponderance of "belles-lettres"; within this category, works written for the theater predominate : plays and librettos, published either as copies meant to be preserved, or as copies meant for immediate use, the latter of which few survive due to their brittleness. In this sub-category, there takes place a quantitative increase which is closely linked to events not related to the world of books : the "rappel des comediens italiens, querelle des bouffons, querelle des gluckistes et des piccinnistes". The world of entertainment is the driving power behind the production of printed materials. Thanks to it, italianism has always remained alive from the well-known baroque poets to the contemporaries. The influence of the theater extends even into grammar books and dictionaries, the production of which increases simultancously to that of works for the entertainment world. Some printers and publishers were specialized in italian texts. One of them, the italien gian claudio molini did this exclusively, as a bookseller, an editor, an international businessman, and the supplier to the bibliotheque royale. His customers consisted of a motivated and fortunate elite, the collections of which are known to us thanks to the catalogues of private libraries and post-mortem inventories.
Abstract FR:
Les rapports culturels franco-italiens au 18e siecle sont mis en evidence par l'etude de la production du livre. La recherche, fondee uniquement sur les sources imprimees a abouti a la constitution d'un inventaire comprenant les publications de livres et livrets musicaux en langue originale et en traduction, imprimees en france ou dans les villes etrangeres fournissant le marche francais, pour la periode 1700-1790. Ce releve, qui se voudrait exhaustif, a permis d'etablir une courbe generale mettant en evidence un ecart tres sensible entre les deux moities du siecle. La methode quantitative, dans sa rigueur scientifique qui exclut toute hierarchisation a fait ressortir a travers l'analyse thematique des courbes decennales, les constantes et les mutations du gout du public. La constante absolue est representee par la preponderance des belles-lettres; a l'interieur de cette categorie, la dominante reste la litterature pour le spectacle : pieces de theatre et livrets musicaux, publies soit comme exemplaires de conservation, soit comme produits de consommation culturelle immediate dont la fragilite a entraine la rarete. C'est la qu'apparaissent des progressions quantitatives etroitement liees a des manifestations exterieures a l'edition : rappel des comediens italiens, querelle des bouffons, querelle des gluckistes et des piccinnistes. C'est le spectacle qui est le moteur de la production imprimee. Par lui, l'italianisme est reste toujours vivant, des grands poetes baroques aux contemporains. On en trouve l'influence jusque dans les grammaires et dictionnaires dont la production se developpe parallelement. Certains libraires imprimeurs parisiens se font une specialite de la production de textes italiens. L'un d'eux, l'italien gian claudio molini en fait une exclusivite, dans ses multiples activites : de libraire, d'editeur, de fournisseur de la bibliotheque royale et de commercant international. Sa clientele etait faite d'une elite motivee et fortunee, dont les collections nous sont connues par les catalogues de bibliotheques prives et les inventaires apres deces.