Abstract
In trying to evaluate the novel as a work of literature 1 I shall refer mainly to the work of Atkinson, the only critic to have discussed, in some detail, the literary aspects of Jaques Massé, Atkinson was encouraged by Lanson to make a study of the imaginary or, as Atkinson was to call it, “extraordinary voyage” in French literature. His first book was devoted to the voyage before 1700 and included sections on the work of Foigny, Veiras and Fénelon. The second book, published in 1922, dealt with the period from 1700 to 1720 and included a section on Tyssot in which he attempted to assess, not only the ideas and their sources, but also the literary techniques Tyssot used in his two novels. In the introduction to his book, Atkinson defined what he understood by the term “extraordinary voyage.” This definition has been challenged on several counts. It is not my intention to participate in this controversy but simply to indicate where the substance of the arguments may be found.
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Literatur
The philosophical elements of the novel have been discussed in Chapter 2 and, more extensively, by McKee, op. cit.
R. E. Tieje, The Prose Voyage Imaginaire before 1800. An Historical and Critical Study, University of IUinois, 1917. Unpublished dissertation. Tieje did not discuss Tyssot’s novel of which he knew only the title.
W. A. Eddy, Gulliver’s Travels, a critical study, Princeton, 1923.
See his review of Eddy’s book in Revue de littérature comparée, IV (1924), pp. 149–154.
Gove, op. cit., p. 175.
There is no foundation for the observation of J. van den Heuvel, Voltaire dans ses contes de Microrné gas à l’Ingénu, Paris, 1967, that Tyssot’s novel unfolds “dans un cadre souvent merveilleux” (p. 112).
In a review of E. von der Mühll, Denis Veiras et son “Histoire des Sévarambes” (1677–1679), Paris 1938, in The Romanic Review, III (1939), pp. 302–304, Henri Peyre observed — “Il semble qu’il y ait eu, dans ces voyages imaginaires, une grosse part de jeu de l’esprit, et moins une courageuse entreprise de critique sociale que l’exploitation d’un genre romanesque.” I am not sure how well this remark applies to writers of imaginary voyages in general but it accurately describes the case of Tyssot’s novel.
Extraordinary Voyage.. . 1700–1720, p. 97. Atkinson’s book caused a mild sensation in 1922 when, in one of the chapters, he “proved” that the Voyages de François Leguat (1708), previously accepted by some as a genuine travel report, was a piece of fiction. Unfortunately for Atkinson the authenticity of the voyage was easily established by those who checked the facts which were readily available. For full details of this curious affair see I. H. van Eeghen, “De reisbeschrijving van François Leguat,” Het Boek, XXX (1951), pp. 227–246;
E. Rainer, L’Utopie d’une république Huguenote du marquis Henri du Quesne et le voyage de François Leguat, Paris, 1959, and the review by I. H. van Eeghen in Tijdschrift voor geschiedenis, 1960, pp. 131–132.
“Je vous avoue qu’à la première lecture, je soupçonnais que l’auteur s’était servi du privilège des voyageurs, en mêlant à sa relation un peu de romanesque; mais après une seconde lecture, et un examen plus particulier, je n’y ai rien trouvé que de fort naturel et de très vraisemblable. Et cet air de candeur et de bonté qu’on trouve partout dans ce bon vieillard qui en est l’auteur, a achevé de me convaincre.” (Lettre de L’Editeur, à M***). See also LC, II, p. 251 — “...je suis surpris de ce que vous doutez d’une relation si bien circonstanciée.” I think Tyssot was teasing his correspondent here.
LC, II, p. 253.
There is much room for disputing my categories and every reader will divide up the book according to what he considers to be a digression. McKee, for example, identified five concentrated sections dealing with the religious question — pp. 22–46, 148–196, 380–396, 412–442, 455–477. The fact that I disagree with McKee’s inclusion of pp. 22–46, for example, which incorporate material not concerned with the attack on religion, does not substantially alter the number of pages devoted to this subject since McKee has excluded other pages that I would include. Chinard’s observation (op. cit., p. 211) that the religious section “est la plus considérable” is without foundation.
According to the Marquis d’Argenson, op. cit., p. 126, “La fable des Abeilles surtout est restée célèbre.”
LC, II, p. 254.
ibid., p. 251.
There was, however, the Dutch writer H. Smeeks who had used his imaginary-voyage in this way and whose work Tyssot may well have read. In his Beschryvinge van het magtig koningrijk Krinke Kesmes (1708), Smeeks devoted fewer than half the 286 pages of the novel to a description of his ideal society. Almost a hundred pages were taken up with a robinsonade episode that had nothing to do with his utopia, and other digressions included a dissertation on the treatment of scurvy, a discussion of currents in the waters round Holland, and how to deal with drunkenness. Smeeks, like Tyssot, was much concerned with displaying his talents as a thinker and writer. For bibliographical details of this imaginary voyage see Gove, op. cit., pp. 211–216.
Pp. 29–31, 49–53, 54–56, 141–144, 229–235, 248–252, 402–403, 404–408, 446–453.
Pp. 32–39, 83–97, 216–219, 256–264, 270–272, 373–378, 378–394, 432–437.
Lachèvre, op. cit., pp. 127–129.
The three love stories all occur in the second volume and include the story of Bemistar and Pansona (20–34), Foristan and Calenis (80–98) and Balsimé and her three suitors (257–276). Unlike Atkinson, I do not regard as digressions the stories of Omigas the impostor, and Dionistar and Ahinoé the martyrs, since these episodes constitute an integral part of the religious satire. My references are to the 1716 edition. Scientific digressions were also a feature of the didactic novel: “Tirsis fait sur le soleil des conférences qui durent six jours ... le tonnerre, la foudre, la glace, la neige, la rosée, sont expliqués selon les théories du temps ... Mareschal disserte sur les vers intestinaux des enfants, et condamne énergiquement la saignée ...” (M. Magendie, Le Roman français au XVIIe siècle, Paris, 1932, pp. 335–336).
Cf. A. J. Tieje, “The expressed aim of the long prose fiction from 1579 to 1740,” Journal of English and Germanic Philology, XI (July 1912), pp. 402–432. The desire to picture Utopias ... exercised a disintegrating influence upon all the important voyages imaginaires. Without exception, the New Atlantis, Jacques Sadeur, the Sévarambians. .. are broken by digressions germane to the purpose of composition ...” For a more detailed discussion of these digressions see my article, “Digressions in Imaginary Voyages” in The Varied Pattern, A. M. Hakkert, Amsterdam, 1971.
Cf. Ruyer, op. cit., pp. 44–45: “La passion d’unité et d’uniformité (qui a les mêmes racines que l’amour de la symétrie) implique la croyance en la puissance, et aussi en la valeur presque suprême de l’éducation. L’éducation est un fétiche ... l’“utopie pédagogique” tient une place centrale dans beaucoup d’utopies et, l’éducation préconisée une fois achevée, l’utopie est faite.” R. Gonnard, La Légende du bon sauvage, Paris, 1946, pp. 72–73, also commented on Tyssot’s lack of interest in his Utopia and noted that Tyssot “s’occupe plutôt de disserter sur l’existence de Dieu et l’immortalité de l’âme que d’entrer dans de grands détails d’ordre social ou économique sur la vie des sauvages que rencontre son héros.”
P. 71.
Apart from the examples to which I have already drawn attention, there are many repetitions of the theme of curiosity. Cf: ... aux interrogations que je lui faisais, pour contenter ma curiosité (p. 6) ... le désir que j’avais naturellement de voyager (p. 16) ... il fallut borner ma curiosité (p. 141) ... dans le dessein de voir... si nous ne découvririons rien de nouveau (pp. 344–345) ... la curiosité de savoir ce qu’elle était devenue (p. 347) ... de voir ... s’ils ne découvriraient rien de nouveau (p. 360).
Pp. 11–12, 33, 340.
P. 381. Cf. also a more indirect way of forestalling the charge of pedantry .”Pendant ces doux entretiens, qui se faisaient plutôt en vue de passer le temps, que d’augmenter le nombre des philosophes” (p. 98).
Pp. 39, 242, 381. Interruptions were also a feature of More’s Utopia, not to mention Plato’s Dialogues. The use of interruptions and other features of first-person narrative technique are discussed in P. Stewart, Imitation and Illusion in the French Memoir-Novel, 1700–1750, Yale University Press, 1969.
LC, II, p. 253.
Ibid., pp. 358–359.
Cf. pp. 160 and 197.
Pp. 81, 103–105, 347–348.
P. 114.
P. 199. It was almost prophetic of Tyssot to anticipate trouble from the court,since it was through his dedication of the Lettres choisies to royalty that his difficulties began. He was certainly prophetic in the last letter he wrote to Ceylon in which he told his son that “les doutes, par rapport à la religion, peuvent avoir des suites funestes.” (LC, II, p. 576).
Extraordinary Voyage . .. 1700–1720, p. 78. In the Histoire des Sévarambes (1716 edition) I came across — “Cette aventure le fit rire” (I, p. 151); “Cette réponse le fit sourire” (I, p. 156) ; “Cela fit rire Simmadé” (II, p. 28). In Cyrano’s imaginary voyage we read, “Cet ignorant ne fit que rire,” “Il se fit sur cela un grand éclat de rire.” There are probably other instances to be found if one looks for them specifically.
I agree with the comment of E. Pons that “ce rire est encore bien lointain, bien indirect: nous entendons parler des gens qui rient, mais sans les voir rire ni rire avec aux nous-mêmes. Rien là qui annonce un génie comique ou qui ressemble même à de l’humour vrai.” See “Deux points de vue sur le roman philosophique en France à l’époque classique,” Revue de littérature comparée III (1923), p. 316.
There is laughter at Jacques’ escape from drowning (p. 22), when he falls in a quicksand (p. 69), Jacques laughs at La Forêt who is confused when suddenly awakened (p. 327), the sailors laugh as they torment a drunkard (p. 402), the mad boy laughs at his victim (p. 451).
In the Lettres choisies, I, pp. 10–11, there is a similar observation on the attitude of Tyssot’s own mother. When the family had first arrived in Holland the country was ravaged by plague and Tyssot commented that his mother “espère d’écarter ce fléau de notre famille par le chant des psaumes et la lecture de la parole de Dieu.”
P. 9.
P. 443.
“On peut remarquer dans l’esprit français deux tendances contraires, nettement opposées, au XVIIe siècle; l’une mène à une certaine liberté de pensée et d’expression, au goût de la plaisanterie un peu grasse de la grivoiserie; l’autre se manifeste par des raffinements, des scrupules timides dans le langage, cette recherche de l’exquis, du bel esprit, des pointes, qui constituent ce qu’on appelle l’esprit précieux. Le roman français au XVIIe siècle a subi ces deux tendances; il est précieux ou gaulois selon qu’il est écrit par Mlle de Scudéry ou par Scarron.” (L. Clarétie, Lesage, romancier, Paris, 1890, p. 105).
P. 283. This section is vaguely reminiscent of the eating scene in the film of Tom Jones, although the circumstances are quite different.
I have borrowed this expression from H. Goulet, Le Roman jusqu’à la révolution, Paris, 1967, vol. I, p. 317.
P. 49. Tyssot seems to have forgotten about this pledge and, later on, allowed Jacques to gorge himself at the king’s expense (pp. 255–256).
P. 286.
Pp. 81, 351, 341, 72.
P. 70.
Extraordinary Voyage ... 1700–1720, pp. 76–77.
P. 279.
Pp. 72–73, 105, 332.
Pp. 145, 320–321.
Pp. 84–85, 185.
P. 374.
Pp. 113, 328.
Ghinard’s profound distaste for the novel as a whole (op. cit., p. 211) “which he regarded as a series of “diatribes interminables” seems to have clouded his judgement of La Foret whom he found cynical in love, unscrupulous in religion and “au total un triste sire.”
Lichtenberger, op. cit., p. 44, referred to “d’heureuses trouvailles d’expression.” Van Slee found the style “ingénieux et piquant à la fois, plein de sens, et la facilité avec laquelle il s’exprime sur les sujets les plus différents passe l’ordinaire.” (“Simon Tyssot de Patot,” p. 219).
Atkinson, Extraordinary Voyage ... 1700–1720, p. 86.
Cf. pp. 58, 359, 34–39, 203–205, 136–139, 256–264.
P. 70.
Pp. 131–132.
Ruyer, op. cit., pp. 45–46.
See pp. 21, 79, 85, 94–95, 293, 368, 387 for examples of similes. The only metaphors I have found occur on pp. 27–28, 236 and 285.
P. 109.
P. 284.
A few of the more recent references to Tyssot and his novel include, A. L. Constandse, Geschiedenis van het Humanisme in Nederland, Den Haag, 1967, pp. 88–92;
W. P. Friedrich, Australia in Western Imaginative Prose Writings, 1600–1960, Chapel Hill, 1967, pp. 23–25;
T. Molnar, Utopia: The Perennial Heresy, New York, 1967, pp. 187–188.
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Rosenberg, A. (1972). Jaques Massé as Literature. In: Tyssot de Patot and His Work 1655–1738. Archives Internationales D’histoire des Idées / International Archives of the History of Ideas. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-4692-2_9
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