BARBEY D'AUREVILLY JULES (1808-1889)

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BARBEY D'AUREVILLY JULES (1808-1889)
MANUSCRIPT autograph signed "J. Barbey d'Aurevilly", De l'idolâtrie au Théâtre (2nd article). La comédie de société, [1858]; 3 pages infol. cut out for printing and reassembled. Beautiful manuscript on the theater, with multicolored inks. This article, written alternately in black and red ink, with a few words in green ink, was published in Le Réveil on March 16, 1858 (the first article appeared on February 6); it was collected in volume xxVi of Les Œuvres et les Hommes: Critiques diverses (Lemerre, 1909). Barbey wants to warn against histrionism, the proliferation of society theatres and the reign of actors over Parisian society, "a society so overwhelmed by theatre that it makes theatre itself and weary of its true character, enters roles that it rehearses. It was spiritual for its own sake, it is now only spiritual in the manner of monkeys and parrots. ...] In such a society what becomes of the spirit, what becomes of conversation, this divine thing, this spontaneous creation, this Genie on the spot that was once our glory and what do you want them to become? ...] Between tobacco, which narcotizes the spirit of the modern world to the extent that science and history will see later, and the theatre, this passion of tired people and decaying nations, the spirit dies.... Barbey is becoming increasingly virulent in denouncing the degradation of intelligence, the alteration of social relations, and asserts that dramatic literature must be given the task of educating people; he refers to ancient theatre and Christianity to condemn vaudevillies and light comedies "that whitewash all vanities" and force the exchange of roles between teachers and actors... PROVENANCE Collections Roger Monmélien (stamp, n° 166) then Daniel Sickles (XII, n° 4664)
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