La Bruyère's Arrias: A Satirical Portrait
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ScribdTranslationsLa Bruyère's Arrias: A Satirical Portrait
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ScribdTranslationsLINEAR STUDY 1: La Bruyère, The Characters, book 5, remark 9
The Characters is a work published in 1688. The author is Jean de la Bruyère (born in 1645, died
en1696), of which it is the only work to which he dedicated his whole life. Jean de la Bruyère settles
at the Hôtel de Condé in 1685, and is thus close to Versailles that he describes. He is a moralist, it is
to say that he portrays the vices of his contemporaries by drawing vivid and critical satirical portraits.
The 17th century is that of Classicism: of measure, of order, constructed through the figure of
the honest man (measured, polite, learned and not pedantic, social and independent, who adapts) who
opposes stereotypical men. Louis XIV is the king of entertainment and luxury, of splendor and
The etiquette. The courtiers seek to be seen by him. And for this, they indulge in all excesses.
Issues of the text: The excerpt is from book 5, titled "On Society and the
conversation". It thus deals with human relationships. Through the portrait of Arrias, an anti-model of
The Honest Man, La Bruyère seems to conceal a critique of the society of his time, and
notably zealous courtiers.
1st Movement: Arrias: counter-model of the Honest Man
a) Arrias: a pedant: "Arrias (... ) something"
The word 'Arrias' is the first spoken, which shows the character's egocentrism.
"read everything, seen everything": parallelism of construction + hyperbole: the character is excessive,
excessive. He is a supposed 'universal man': he confuses himself with God, excessive
L "he wants to persuade him this way", "presents himself as such", "prefers to lie": lexical field of
the illusion, of appearance which is the mark of the chameleon man who changes according to his
entourage. Arrias plays a role, he pretends at all times. His words are false. He seeks attention.
and appears as the stereotype of the theatrical character in a society that prioritizes appearances.
L He prefers to lie rather than be silent or seem to ignore something: he values the
vice "to lie" at the expense of the virtue "to be silent". The use of the present of general truth.
give a universal scope to this portrait. Arrias is a pedant, a vain character and without
consistency. It is only an illusion.
b) Portrait brought to life during a social conversation: "One speaks (...) in bursting"
The "one", "a", "an": indefinite pronouns showing the insignificance of the audience in face of
Arrias' egocentrism
L "We talk at the table of a great man from a northern court": present of general truth, what is the
mark of a typical general situation taken from the satires of Horace and Boileau: the ridiculous meals
known in the 17th century. The subject is vague and distant from the concerns of the French of the time, this
who shows little interest.
L He takes the floor and removes it, he laughs first at it: the coarseness and lack of respect.
are contrary to the rules of propriety of the 17th century. The lack of politeness and civility
The d'Arrias are thus updated.
L He takes the floor, and removes it ...": alliteration of "l" + "p" that emphasizes the flow of words,
as well as the peremptory tone of Arrias, who authoritatively monopolizes the speech and transforms the
conversation in monologue. The six juxtaposed statements help to illustrate a
feigned behavior and full of emptiness.
The " to those who were going to say what they knew about it": other guests might have expressed themselves about the
subject but Arrias does not give them the opportunity. He prefers to speak to say nothing. He
he disqualifies himself by his behavior.
L « il s'oriente », « il en était », « il discourt », « il récite », « il les trouve », « il en rit »:
dominance of the pronoun 'he' which refers to Arrias, putting himself forward at the expense of others.
Action verbs animate a satirical portrait in which the self-centered character, is
discredit himself.
L "discourse", "recites", "short stories": lexical field of theater; he stages himself but in
at the same time he ridicules himself by the light, unfounded nature of his statements. (tales:
familiar diminutive that designates the idea of travel stories and anecdotes, thus of lies and
lack of etiquette
L He navigates in this distant region as if he were from there: perceptible irony.
the moralist
L He speaks of the manners of this court, the women of the country, its laws and its customs.
enumeration of the pseudo-knowledges of Arrias which are merely clichés. The use of
demonstrative and possessive determinants show that he appropriates the narrative as if he were telling it himself
personal and precise journey, showcasing the extent of his lies and his quest for attention.
L He finds them enjoyable, he laughs first: in addition to the wish to be the main actor, he
is its own audience. It develops a love for itself and an attention that it gives to itself.
He is the only one who takes pleasure and interest in his words.
L until bursting: a final burst of laughter but it can also be seen as a metaphor for being
a display of pride that eventually bursts like a balloon.
Summary: presentation of Arrias as a director (self-centered), main actor
(monopolization of speech), or spectator (love for oneself, laughter) of a play
(his lies). But the true director remains La Bruyère who highlights the flaws of character.
d'Arrias, anti-model of the Honest Man who goes against classical ideals.
II. Second movement: intervention of an opposition, the
morale
a) The turnaround (Someone ventures ... no circumstances)
L Someone dares to contradict him: indefinite pronoun and therefore disinterest in the other
a person, one among many others. This person takes a risk by opposing it. One can see
the irony of La Bruyère in the use of this verb. Indeed, one can imagine that the audience it
Knowing this, he refrains from intervening, as it would only serve to double his fervor and not to
stopper.
L and clearly proves to him that he is saying things that are not true: lexical field of the
truth, which opposes illusion, and therefore Arrias.
L "Arrias (...) catches fire": Arrias's reaction is depicted through a metaphor of anger.
Arrias, caught in fault, does not show either self-reflection or humility. To avoid losing.
on the contrary, he gets carried away. He is neither calm nor reasonable as an Honest person would be.
Man.
L "the switch": negative periphrase to refer to the other person. It is about perspective.
d'Arrias who despises the speaker because he contradicts him (thus marking his pretension). This shows that
The conversation is just an opportunity for Arrias to shine in society.
L "I do not advance", "I do not tell", "as far as I know": direct speech, the repetition of
the first person "I" and the restrictive negation "not" mark a change in narration for
give more strength to the portrait. Arrias responds and gains importance as he is now the narrator of the
first person. The negation emphasizes Arrias's bad faith.
L I do not know of any original, I learned it, question, circumstances: we are in
the lexical field of the investigation, of scientific rigor, which gives the illusion of a discourse of truth,
which depicts the enormity of the lie.
L "Sethon", "ambassador of France", "returned to Paris a few days ago": he uses a
argument of authority to give credibility to one's narrative and respond to it
detractor. The mention of a specific place also lends substance to this presentation.
L that I know familiarly, that I have questioned greatly, and that has not hidden anything from me
circumstance.[/i ]": a chain of three relative clauses, which gives a cumulative effect, a
the impression that Arrias's words are more important than those of the speaker. And that in
His interrogation of Arrias is both close to and superior to Sethon, the ambassador of France. He wants
at the same time silence the unwelcome person, and make oneself valuable thanks to displayed proximity with
the one who serves as his alibi, Séthon.
b) The final fall (he resumed ..... embassy)
L He resumed the thread of his narration with more confidence than he had.
"began": with the comparative and the term "narration", La Bruyère ironically places the
domain of Arrias in fiction and not in truth: Arrias is a manipulator who almost believes
to his own lies.
L The twist: 'when one of the guests says to him' : subordinating conjunction,
marks a change of situation. The shift from the imperfect to the simple past also marks
a turnaround, sudden and rapid action.
L The comic fall: "It is Sethon you are talking to, himself": Here we have the reprisal of
name given by Arrias, and therefore the revelation of the identity of the person who was hidden behind the
circumlocution given earlier "switch" for Arrias, who is actually Sethon himself.
L "And who arrives from his embassy": Here we again see the repetition of Arrias' words, which
is ironic and comedic and updates his lie in front of the entire audience. It is guaranteed shame.
Conclusion: This is the end of the portrait of the fat one, ridiculed to the end. His lie is now at
discovered. In a very brief fall testifying to La Bruyère's talent who in a few lines,
succeeds in portraying the pedant and his punishment, while making us laugh. This caricatural portrait
depicted through this anecdote resonates with the project, which pertains to Classical aesthetics "to punish the
"morals through laughter". text echo: the Molière-esque comedy (T. DIAFOIRUS vs )