Humorism A Posteriori: Fables and Dialogues as a Method in Mandeville’s Thought

Abstract

In this essay, I would show how Mandeville’s literary experimentalism seems to be the consequence of an epistemological aim: the objectification of the case study. Taking seriously Mandeville’s statements about the “Reader’s Diversion” in a “Good Humor’d manner”, it is possible to see an explicit aim with an explicit method, which brings to the estrangement from the object analysed. Here came out a particular outline of empiricism that, besides essays and treatises, uses also fables and dialogues to explain Human Nature and its expressions in society. Specifically fables and burlesque poems are genres used for the estrangement and the objectification of their literary subjects. At the same time, Mandeville achieves similar effects in dialogues through the play of points of view. Why ‘Humorism a posteriori’? First of all, because good humour, diversion and amusement are the result of Mandeville’s stylistic choices; secondly, because Humorism is the effect of figures of speech and literary genres. In this perspective, Humorism can be considered an experimental method adopted for the empirical description of Human Nature.