the origins of contemporary france-1-第65章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


language　of　〃honest　people。〃　It　is　fashioned　not　merely　for　them；　but

by　them；　and　Vaugelas；＇11＇　their　secretary；　devotes　himself　for　thirty

years　to　the　registry　of　decisions　according　to　the　usages　only　of

good　society。　　Hence；　throughout；　both　in　vocabulary　and　in　grammar；

the　language　is　refashioned　over　and　over　again；　according　to　the　cast

of　their　intellects；　which　is　the　prevailing　intellect。　　…



　In　the　first　place　the　vocabulary　is　diminished：



*　Most　of　the　words　specially　employed　on　erudite　and　technical

subjects；　expressions　that　are　too　Greek　or　too　Latin；　terms　peculiar

to　the　schools；　to　science；　to　occupations；　to　the　household；　are

excluded　from　discourse；



*　those　too　closely　denoting　a　particular　occupation　or　profession

are　not　considered　proper　in　general　conversation。



*　A　vast　number　of　picturesque　and　expressive　words　are　dropped；

all　that　are　crude；　gaulois　or　naifs；　all　that　are　local　and

provincial；　or　personal　and　made…up；　all　familiar　and　proverbial

locutions；＇12＇　many　brusque；　familiar　and　frank　turns　of　thought；

every　haphazard；　telling　metaphor；　almost　every　description　of

impulsive　and　dexterous　utterance　throwing　a　flash　of　light　into　the

imagination　and　bringing　into　view　the　precise；　colored　and　complete

form；　but　of　which　a　too　vivid　impression　would　run　counter　to　the

proprieties　of　polite　conversation。



　〃One　improper　word；〃　said　Vaugelas；　〃is　all　that　is　necessary　to

bring　a　person　in　society　into　contempt；〃



and；　on　the　eve　of　the　Revolution；　an　objectionable　term　denounced

by　Madame　de　Luxembourg　still　consigns　a　man　to　the　rank　of　〃espèces；〃

because　correct　expression　is　ever　an　element　of　good　manners。　　…

Language；　through　this　constant　scratching；　is　attenuated　and　becomes

colorless：　Vaugelas　estimates　that　one…half　of　the　phrases　and　terms

employed　by　Amyot　are　set　aside。＇13＇　With　the　exception　of　La

Fontaine；　an　isolated　and　spontaneous　genius；　who　reopens　the　old

sources；　and　La　Bruyère；　a　bold　seeker；　who　opens　a　fresh　source；　and

Voltaire　an　incarnate　demon　who；　in　his　anonymous　and　pseudonymous

writings；　gives　the　rein　to　the　violent；　crude　expressions　of　his

inspiration；＇14＇　the　terms　which　are　most　appropriate　fall　into

desuetude。　　One　day；　Gresset；　in　a　discourse　at　the　Academy；　dares

utter　four　or　five　of　these；＇15＇　relating；　I　believe；　to　carriages　and

head…dresses；　whereupon　murmurs　at　once　burst　forth。　　During　his　long

retreat　he　had　become　provincial　and　lost　the　touch。　　…　By　degrees；

discourses　are　composed　of　〃general　expressions〃　only。　　These　are　even

employed；　in　accordance　with　Buffon's　precept；　to　designate　concrete

objects。　　They　are　more　in　conformity　with　the　polished　courtesy　which

smoothes　over；　appeases；　and　avoids　rough　or　familiar　expressions；　to

which　some　views　appear　gross　or　rude　unless　partly　hidden　by　a　veil。

This　makes　it　easier　for　the　superficial　listener；　prevailing　terms

alone　will　immediately　arouse　current　and　common　ideas；　they　are

intelligible　to　every　man　from　the　single　fact　that　he　belongs　to　the

drawing…room；　special　terms；　on　the　contrary；　demand　an　effort　of　the

memory　or　of　the　imagination。　　Suppose　that；　in　relation　to　Franks　or

to　savages；　I　should　mention　〃a　battle…ax；〃　which　would　be　at　once

understood；　should　I　mention　a　〃tomahawk；〃　or　a　〃francisque；〃＇16＇　many

would　imagine　that　I　was　speaking　Teuton　or　Iroquois。＇17＇　In　this

respect　the　more　fashionable　and　refined　the　style；　the　more

punctilious　the　effort。　　Every　appropriate　term　is　banished　from

poetry；　if　one　happens　to　enter　the　mind　it　must　be　evaded　or　replaced

by　a　paraphrase。　　An　eighteenth　century　poet　can　hardly　permit　himself

to　employ　more　than　one…third　of　the　dictionary；　poetic　language　at

last　becomes　so　restricted　as　to　compel　a　man　with　anything　to　say　not

to　express　himself　in　verse。＇18＇



On　the　other　hand　the　more　you　prune　the　more　you　thin　out。　　Reduced

to　a　select　vocabulary　the　Frenchman　deals　with　fewer　subjects；　but　he

describes　them　more　agreeably　and　more　clearly。　　〃Courtesy；　accuracy〃；

（Urbanité；　exactitude！）；　these　two　words；　born　at　the　same　time　with

the　French　Academy；　describes　in　a　nutshell　the　reform　of　which　it　is

the　tool；　and　which　the　drawing…room；　by　it；　and　alongside　of　it；

imposes　on　the　public。　　Grand　seigniors　in　retirement；　and　unoccupied

fine　ladies；　enjoy　the　examination　of　the　subtleties　of　words　for　the

purpose　of　composing　maxims；　definitions　and　characters。　　With

admirable　scrupulousness　and　infinitely　delicate　tact；　writers　and

people　society　apply　themselves　to　weighing　each　word　and　each　phrase

in　order　to　fix　its　sense；　to　measure　its　force　and　bearing；　to

determine　its　affinities；　use　and　connections　This　work　of　precision

is　carried　on　from　the　earliest　academicians；　Vaugelas；　Chapelain　and

Conrart；　to　the　end　of　the　classic　epoch；　in　the　Synonymes　by　Bauzée

and　by　Girard；　in　the　Remarque　by　Duclos；　in　the　Commentaire　by

Voltaire　on　Corneille；　in　the　Lycée　by　la　Harpe；＇19＇　in　the　efforts；

the　example；　the　practice　and　the　authority　of　the　great　and　the

inferior　writers　of　which　all　are　correct。　　Never　did　architects；

obliged　to　use　ordinary　broken　highway　stones　in　building；　better

understand　each　piece；　its　dimensions；　its　shape；　its　resistance；　its

possible　connections　and　suitable　position。　　…　Once　this　was　learned；

the　task　was　to　construct　with　the　least　trouble　and　with　the　utmost

solidity；　the　grammar　was　consequently　changed　at　the　same　time　and　in

the　same　way　as　the　dictionary。　　Hence　no　longer　permitting　the　words

to　reflect　the　way　impressions　and　emotions　were　felt；　they　now

had　to　be　regularly　and　rigorously　assigned　according　to　the

invariable　hierarchy　of　concepts。　　The　writer　may　no　longer　begin　his

text　with　the　leading　figure　or　the　main　purpose　of　his　story；　the

setting　is　given　and　the　places　assigned　beforehand。　　Each　part　of　the

discourse　has　its　own　place；　no　omission　or　transposition　is

permitted；　as　was　done　in　the　sixteenth　century＇20＇。　　All　parts　must　be

included；　each　in　its　definite　place：　at　first　the　subject　of　the

sentence　with　its　appendices；　then　the　verb；　then　the　object　direct；

and；　finally；　the　indirect　connections。　　In　this　way　the　sentence　forms

a　graduated　scaffolding；　the　substance　coming　foremost；　then　the

quality；　then　the　modes　and　varieties　of　the　quality；　just　as　a　good

architect　in　the　first　place　poses　his　foundation；　then　the　building；

then　the　accessories；　economically　and　prudently；　with　a　view　to　adapt

each　section　of　the　edifice　to　the　support　of　the　section　following

after　it。　　No　sentence　demands　any　less　attention　than　another；　nor　is

there　any　in　which　one　may　not　at　every　step　verify　the　connection　or

incoherence　of　the　parts。＇21＇　　…　　The　procedure　used　in　arranging　a

simple　sentence　also　governs　that　of　the　period；　the　paragraph　and　the

series　of　paragraphs；　it　forms　the　style　as　it　forms　the　syntax。　　Each

small　edifice　occupies　a　distinct　position；　and　but　one；　in　the　great

total　edifice。　　As　the　discourse　advances；　each　section　must　in　turn

file　in；　never　before；　never　after；　no　parasitic　member　being　allowed

to　intrude；　and　no　regular　member　being　allowed　to　encroach　on　its

neighbor；　while　all　these　members　bound　together　by　their　very

positions　must　move　onward；　combining　all　their　forces　on　one　single

point。　　Finally；　we　have　for　the　first　time　in　a　writing；　natural　and

distinct　groups；　complete　and　compact　harmonies；　none　of　which

infringe　on　the　others　or　allow　others　to　infringe　on　them。　　It　is　no

longer　allowable　to　write　haphazard；　according　to　the　caprice　of　one's

inspiration；　to　discharge　one's　ideas　in　bulk；　to　let　oneself　be

interrupted　by　parentheses；　to　string　along　interminable　rows　of

citations　and　enumerations。　　An　end　is　proposed；　some　truth　is　to　be

demonstrated；　some　definition　to　be　ascertained；　some　conviction　to　be

brought　about；　to　do　this　we　must　march；　and　ever　directl