Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Suard, journaliste des lumières by Eric Francalanza (review)

Abstract

MLR, 99.2, 2004 493 in Crebillon's work, Salvan raises several interesting points, most especially her focus on seventeenth- and eighteenth-century definitions of seduction, where the sexual connotation is frequently secondary or entirely absent. The book is divided into three sections, which in turn are subdivided into chapters, allowing the reader to locate specific points with relative ease and giving the study both the look and the feel of a reference work. The firstsection, 'Seduction et con? versation: une pratique mondaine, une forme litteraire', discusses the differenttypes of seduction found in Crebillon's novels along with the characters involved, their so? cial class, and accepted behaviours. She also examines the link between dialogue and fictional narrative and suggests a 'theory' of conversation in Crebillon's works. The second part, 'Le dialogue, unite textuelle et cadre linguistique de la seduction', fo? cuses on the function of dialogue in seduction. Salvan brings her expertise in rhetoric and linguistic analysis to good effectin her connection of the written presentation of the dialogues to their content and function in the narrative. The final section, 'Le dialogue de seduction: le lieu de la parole argumentative', examines the rhetorical processes used in seduction and the differentstrategies chosen by the assorted char? acters. Chapter 7 in this section traces the argumentative forms that are used in each ofthe key novels and underlines the thoroughness of Salvan's analysis. Overall, then, even if her argument about the seduction of the reader could merit furtherdevelopment in order to be entirely convincing, Salvan makes a strong argu? ment for her assessment of the importance of dialogue in Crebillon's novels. As she puts it, 'Le dialogue, devenu le lieu de compatibilite entre le desir et les bienseances, devient le moment langagier de la seduction et la forme romanesque privilegiee de la narration' (p. 330). University of Louisville J.P. Greene Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Suard, journaliste des lumieres. By Eric Francalanza. (Les Dix-huitiemessiecles, 60) Paris: Champion. 2002. 409 pp. ?80. ISBN 2-74530495 -x. Suard's successor at the Academie francaise, Jean-Francois Roger, praised him for building his literary reputation on respect for his person, and from his firstarrival in Paris, Suard impressed others such as Marmontel through his amiability and ease of conversation, as well as his perfect taste and mastery of style. His literary output was not great, but with his wife he was a key member of society formany years, illustrating in what Eric Francalanza sees as emblematic fashion the relationship between the journalist and political power. The only previous comprehensive study of Suard's journalism is that of Alfred Hunter, J. B. A. Suard: un introducteur de la litterature anglaiseen France (Paris: Champion, 1925) and Francalanza subscribes to the latter's view of Suard's major role in introducing the French to English writers through his journalism and his translations. He goes beyond Hunter, however, in analysing the essentially literary nature of Suard's journalism, and, inspired by Frederic Deloffre, he looks not just for the man in his style but to see to what extent Suard masters the rather formalized way of writing at the time. As well as using other evidence such as intertextuality, Francalanza identifies articles written by Suard and not by his more rumbustious collaborator, the Abbe Francois Arnaud, through comparing the two authors' use of the words 'gout' and 'esprit', which for Suard are opposed to one another as internal and external manifestations of the mind. Stylistic analysis also reinforces suggestions of collaboration with La Harpe. Although Francalanza turns to texts written after 1789 when necessary, he refers, rather coyly, to Suard's later nostalgia for the neo-classicism of his youth and thus 494 Reviews glosses over the negative view of Suard in his old age, given, forinstance, by AntoineVincent Arnault, who presents Suard as a crotchety reactionary, irritating his col? leagues and betraying earlier friendship in his desire to clear the Academie francaise of those whom he now thought unworthy of it ((Euvres, 8 vols (Paris: Bossange pere, 1824-27), v: Melanges (1827), 443-01)- Good use is, however, made of unpublished letters to show Suard's early interest in science and to confirm that he...