Claude-Joseph Dorat

Claude -Joseph Dorat ( born December 31, 1734 Paris, † April 29, 1780 in Paris) was a French writer of the 18th century and an opponent of the philosophy of the Enlightenment. During his lifetime, known especially as an author of numerous plays, it is estimated today primarily as the author of two novels letter.

• 3.1 theater
• 3.2 Narrative
• 3.3 Theoretical writings
• 3.4 In German translation published works

Life and work

Dorat came from a noble family of civil servants with roots in the Limousin region. An ancestor, Jean Dorat (1508-1588), had been a teacher of the poet Pierre de Ronsard several years. The father saw the young Dorat a legal career before, but Dorat aspired to military glory and joined the troupe of the Royal Musketeers ( Mousquetaires du Roi ) with 23 years. A strictly religious ( Jansenist ) aunt intervened and demanded of her nephew to leave the army, which he did after one year, 1758.

Then he devoted himself entirely to writing and sought the success of a variety of genres: poetry of all kinds, then with fictional letters, narrative poems, Heroiden, finally with a whole series of plays. The numerous publications drove him into financial ruin because he had frequently appear in lavishly decorated, richly illustrated editions the works. Although these activities brought only a limited literary fame, but Dorat reached a level of fame in cultured circles and in Parisian society. His publications have also been regularly reviewed in the Correspondance littéraire of Grimm and master as well as in L' année littéraire of Fréron, reflecting the attention that was devoted Dorat. Dorat was the protégé of Fanny de Beauharnais, which from 1762 onwards led a literary salon, where he was celebrated as a literary mastermind.

Dorat increasingly approached the conservative camp of Élie Catherine Fréron and distanced himself from the thinkers of the Enlightenment, especially Voltaire and the circle around the Encyclopédie. Already in 1765, for example, he moved with sharp-tongued satirical verses against Voltaire 's attention. In 1777, he was directed against the Enlightenment philosophers comedy Les Prôneurs, ou le littéraire tartuffe perform, in particular Jean -François de La Harpe, Jean -Baptiste le Rond d' Alembert and Julie de Lespinasse attack.

These attacks led to him to a seat in the French Academy had no chance with its numerous applications. For financial reasons, he took over from 1777, the line of the Journal des dames. When he died in 1780, he left behind substantial debts, but also a work issue, which had been started already in 1764 and now 20 volumes included.

Reception

18th century

In the 18th century Dorat is primarily known as a prolific writer with a sharp pen and as an author of plays, but never go beyond a short-lived success with the public. The the Encyclopaedists related Correspondance littéraire by Friedrich Melchior Grimm reviewed his writings and pieces usually very critical and drops a tough overall judgment on Dorat: "You have to have in the body, to rhyme about and to write and deliver the printing presses material the devil, if you nothing in his head. " The conservative magazine L' Année littéraire, however, the parties related to the Dorat Élie Catherine Fréron is passed, his work is offset by benevolent.

19th century

Towards the end of the 19th century judges Louis Gustave Vapereau Dorats literary work generally very critical, but praised certain aspects of the shorter Versdichtungen Dorats: " These little poems have Dorats name rescued from oblivion They are poorly designed and written, her style is often of. an artificial and tiresome finesse, but they show nice details, successful turns, fine and elegant expressions He has a large number of small poets caused that one of the ' école de Dorat ' impute '. . At the same time, the first somewhat half -hearted attempts to rehabilitate Dorat, for example by Desnoireterres appear; However, these companies have only limited success.

20th century

Only towards the end of the 20th century, the assessment of Dorat profound changes. In the original 1960 published Dictionnaire des lettres françaises one still reads: " There was Dorat who had quite taste, the belief in the seriousness of the art and the necessity of toil His plays, tragedies and novels are neither well constructed nor performed. and the characters are weak. " Winfried Engler writes in 1984, the Dorats writings would " there original [ ... ], where the poet satirizes ".

However, a real revaluation and changed emphases takes place only when the novels Dorats is revalued: the two hitherto little-noticed letter novels Les Sacrifices de l' amour and Les Malheurs de l' inconstance were reissued and as a bridge between the sentimental Julie or the New Heloise (1761 ) by Jean -Jacques Rousseau and the icy Dangerous Liaisons ( 1782 ) by Choderlos de Laclos detected. Alain Clerval, in 1983 and 1996 re- issues the two novels, noted: " In twenty years [ ... ] the tireless Dorat wrote an impressive number of works that have become largely illegible, with the exception of the novels that stand out a remarkable championship distinguished announcing Laclos. "

Reception in Germany

In Germany Dorat is perceived in the 18th century. This is particularly mind that are translated by the 1770s at some of Dorats works into German or several free edits are published. In this case, no clear preference for certain species can be determined. Under these translations is also one of the two novels Dorats letter, under the title The sacrifice of love, or letters of Vikomtesse of Senanges and the Chevalier de Versenay, which was translated in 1792 (refer to the bibliography).

In particular, between Christoph Martin Wieland and Dorat was a connection. On the one hand Dorat was apparently influenced by Wieland. On the other hand, Wieland Werke Dorats had in his library and had apparently wanted him as a translator of some of his works into French.

Works (selection)

A comprehensive list of works Dorats can be found in the output of the mishap de l' inconstance by Peter Cryle.

Theater

Tragedies

• Zulica, in 1760.
• Regulus, 1765th
• Les Deux Reines, in 1769.
• Zoramis, in 1780.

• La feinte par amour, in 1773. ( Verskomödie )
• Le Célibataire, 1775.
• Le Malheureux imaginaire, 1776.
• Les Prôneurs, ou le tartuffe littéraire, 1777.

Narrative

Novels

• Les Sacrifices de l' amour, ou Lettres de la vicomtesse de Senanges et du chevalier de Versenay. 2 vols, Amsterdam & Paris: Delalain, 1771 - Modern Issues:. Ed. by Alain Clerval, Paris: Le Promeneur, 1995, and with a foreword by Raymond Trousson, Paris - Genève: Slatkine, 1996.
• Les Malheurs de l' inconstance, ou Lettres de la Marquise de Circé et du comte de Mirbelle, 2 vols, Amsterdam and Paris. Delalain, 1771 - Modern Issues: ed. by Peter Cryle, in: novelists libertins you XVIIIe siècle, vol. 2, Paris: Gallimard, Bibliothèque de la Pléiade, 2005, pp. 409-590, and ed. by Alain Clerval, Paris: Déjonquères, 1983.

Stories

• Les Dévirgineurs et Combabus, contes en vers, Precedes par of Reflexions sur le conte, et suivis de Flori Court, histoire Francoise. Amsterdam, 1765th ( narrative poems and prose narrative)

Theoretical writings

• Essai sur la declamation tragique, 1758.
• " Réflexions sur le conte ", in: Les Dévirgineurs et Combabus, contes en vers, Precedes par of Reflexions sur le conte, et suivis de Flori Court, histoire Francoise. Amsterdam, 1765th
• La declamation théâtrale, poème didactique en trois chants, Paris: Sébastien Jorry, 1766 ( Reprint in: . Écrits sur l'art théâtral ( 1753-1801 ), edited by Sabine Chaouche, Paris. Honoré Champion, 2005, Volume 1, S. 163-254. )
• " Idée sur la poésie anglaise ", in: Sélim et Selima, Poème de l' anglais imité, suivi du Rêve d'un musulman, traduit d'un poète arabe; Precede et de quelques Reflexions sur la poésie anglaise, Sébastien Jorry: Leipzig and Paris, 1769, p. 3-33. ( Dorat praises especially Haller and Gessner as a "painter of nature" ).
• " Idées sur les romans ", in:. Les Sacrifices de l' amour, 1771 ( Dorat stated the superiority of the English novelists, which he calls " Observateurs Britanniques ", in relation to French novelists. )

In German translation published works

Some works of various kinds have been translated into German in the 18th century, with the following list does not distinguish between translations and free adaptations.

• Barnwell in prison. Yariko in slavery. Zwey heroic poems. A prose translation. Braunschweig, 1766, 62 pages. (Original Title: Lettre de Barnevelt, dans sa prison, à Truman, son ami. )
• Dorats Essay on the Erzehlungen. Translated by C. A. S. Leipzig, in 1773.
• My philosophy. Translated from the French of Mr. Dorat. [ S. L. ]: [ S. N. ], 1773, 48 pages. ( Original: Ma philosophie, name of the translator unknown. )
• The cherries. From Wilhelm Heinse, after Claude -Joseph Dorat. Berlin, 1773, 80 pages. ( Free German handling of Claude -Joseph Dorat, Les cerises. )
• Peter the Great: A tragedy. Translated from the French of the former Mousquetairs Mr. Dorat. In addition to a remarkable fragment: The Czarowitz Batan. Offenbach am Mayn, printed, and to find bey Ulrich Weiss, 1777, 126 pages. ( Translator's name unknown. )
• The marriage -shy: a comedy in five acts. By Friedrich Wilhelm Gotter, by Claude -Joseph Dorat. Leipzig, the publishers of Dykischen Bookstore, 1777.
• The Painted declaration of love: a comedy in drey lifts to La feinte par amour. Germanized by Friedrich Ludewig ivy and Garlieb Hanker. . Berlin, 1782 ( Available on Microfiche, Munich: Saur, 1994, Library of German literature. )
• The sacrifice of love, or letters of Vikomtesse of Senanges and the Chevalier de Versenay. From the French. Breslau, 1792.