Charles Batteux
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| - | [[Denis Diderot]] felt that [[imagination]] is merely "the memory of forms and contents," and "creates nothing" but only combines, magnifies or diminishes. It was precisely in [[18th century|18th-century]] [[France]], indeed, that the idea of man's creativity met with resistance. [[Charles Batteux]] wrote that "The human mind ''cannot create'', strictly speaking; all its products bear the [[stigmata]] of their [[model]]; even monsters invented by an imagination unhampered by laws can only be composed of parts taken from nature." [[Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues]] ([[1715]]-[[1747]]), and [[Étienne Bonnot de Condillac]] ([[1715]]-[[1780]]) spoke to a similar effect. | + | '''Charles Batteux''' ([[May 6]] [[1713]] – [[July 14]] [[1780]]) was a [[France|French]] [[philosopher]] and writer on [[aesthetics]]. |
| - | <hr> | + | Batteaux was born near [[Vouziers]] ([[Ardennes]]), and studied [[theology]] at [[Reims]]. In [[1739]] he came to [[Paris]], and after teaching in the colleges of [[Lisieux]] and [[Navarre]], was appointed to the chair of [[Greek philosophy|Greek]] and [[Roman philosophy|Roman]] philosophy in the [[Collège de France]]. In [[1746]] he published his treatise ''Les Beaux-Arts réduits à un même principe'', an attempt to find a unity among the various theories of [[beauty]] and [[taste (aesthetics)|taste]], and his views were widely accepted. |
| - | [[Leo Tolstoy]] @180 | + | The reputation thus gained, confirmed by his translation of [[Horace]] ([[1750]]), led to his becoming a member of the [[Académie des Inscriptions]] ([[1754]]) and of the [[Académie Française]] ([[1761]]). His ''Cours de belles lettres'' ([[1765]]) was afterwards included with some minor writings in the large treatise, ''Principes de la littérature'' ([[1774]]). His philosophical writings were ''La morale d'Épicure tirée de ses propres écrits'' ([[1758]]), and the ''Histoire des causes premières'' ([[1769]]). In consequence of the freedom with which in this work he attacked the abuse of authority in philosophy, he lost his professorial chair. His last and most extensive work was a ''Cours d'études à l'usage des élèves de l'école militaire'' in forty-five volumes. |
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| + | In the ''Beaux-Arts'', Batteux developed a theory which is derived from [[John Locke]] through [[Voltaire]]'s sceptical [[sensualism]]. He held that [[Art]] consists in the faithful imitation of the beautiful in nature. Applying this principle to the art of [[poetry]], and analysing, line by line and even word by word, the works of great poets, he deduced the law that the beauty of poetry consists in the accuracy, beauty and harmony of individual expression. This theory had at least the merit of insisting on propriety of expression. His ''Histoire des causes premières'' was among the first attempts at a history of philosophy, and in his work on [[Epicurus]], following on [[Pierre Gassendi|Gassendi]], he defended [[Epicureanism]] against the general attacks made against it. | ||
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| + | See ''[[André Dacier|Dacier]] et Dupuy, Éloges'', in ''Mémoires de l'Académie des Inscriptions''. | ||
| - | [[Stéphane Mallarmé]] died 110 years ago. | ||
| - | <hr> | ||
| - | :[[Howard Bloom]] sees [[Shakespeare]]'s two supreme "[[Machiavel]]s", [[Iago]] and [[Edmund (King Lear)|Edmund]], along with [[Chaucer]]'s wicked [[The Pardoner's Prologue and Tale|Pardoner]], as prefigurations of corrupt, exploitative [[Fyodor Dostoyevsky|Dostoyevskian]] [[nihilism|nihilists]] (and uncanny proto-[[Freud]]ian [[depth psychology|depth psychologists]]) like [[Svidrigailov]] in ''[[Crime and Punishment]]'' and [[Stavrogin]] in ''[[The Possessed (novel)|The Possessed]]''. [[William R. Elton]] has argued that Edmund's [[atheism]] and [[materialist]] [[sensualism]] can be seen as precursor to the [[Don Juan]] tradition of the later seventeenth century. | ||
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Revision as of 20:19, 9 September 2008
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Charles Batteux (May 6 1713 – July 14 1780) was a French philosopher and writer on aesthetics.
Batteaux was born near Vouziers (Ardennes), and studied theology at Reims. In 1739 he came to Paris, and after teaching in the colleges of Lisieux and Navarre, was appointed to the chair of Greek and Roman philosophy in the Collège de France. In 1746 he published his treatise Les Beaux-Arts réduits à un même principe, an attempt to find a unity among the various theories of beauty and taste, and his views were widely accepted.
The reputation thus gained, confirmed by his translation of Horace (1750), led to his becoming a member of the Académie des Inscriptions (1754) and of the Académie Française (1761). His Cours de belles lettres (1765) was afterwards included with some minor writings in the large treatise, Principes de la littérature (1774). His philosophical writings were La morale d'Épicure tirée de ses propres écrits (1758), and the Histoire des causes premières (1769). In consequence of the freedom with which in this work he attacked the abuse of authority in philosophy, he lost his professorial chair. His last and most extensive work was a Cours d'études à l'usage des élèves de l'école militaire in forty-five volumes.
In the Beaux-Arts, Batteux developed a theory which is derived from John Locke through Voltaire's sceptical sensualism. He held that Art consists in the faithful imitation of the beautiful in nature. Applying this principle to the art of poetry, and analysing, line by line and even word by word, the works of great poets, he deduced the law that the beauty of poetry consists in the accuracy, beauty and harmony of individual expression. This theory had at least the merit of insisting on propriety of expression. His Histoire des causes premières was among the first attempts at a history of philosophy, and in his work on Epicurus, following on Gassendi, he defended Epicureanism against the general attacks made against it.
See Dacier et Dupuy, Éloges, in Mémoires de l'Académie des Inscriptions.
