Bernardin de Saint-Pierre’s paratexts: ‘j’ai senti, j’ai aimé, j’ai parlé’
Bernardin de Saint-Pierre published his first work, the Voyage à l’île de France, in 1773. It appeared anonymously with a permission tacite. The French government had signalled its disapproval of his depiction of settlers and the administration in its colony in Mauritius. The Voyage has an ‘Avant-pr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Catalan |
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Liverpool University Press
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Modern Languages Open |
| Online Access: | https://account.modernlanguagesopen.org/index.php/up-j-mlo/article/view/512 |
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| Summary: | Bernardin de Saint-Pierre published his first work, the Voyage à l’île de France, in 1773. It appeared anonymously with a permission tacite. The French government had signalled its disapproval of his depiction of settlers and the administration in its colony in Mauritius. The Voyage has an ‘Avant-propos’ which contains the quotation in the above title. Bernardin states that his work was written for ‘amis’. Despite his later reputation for favouring a solitary life, his praise of friendship is a leitmotif in his writings. Here he will write of flora and fauna, despite not being a naturalist. Appreciation of the natural world is not reserved for the erudite but is available to everyone. He highlights the hypocrisy of Europeans who proclaim humane values but can be ‘tyrans barbares’ in their treatment of slaves. His subsequent published works have the author’s name on the title page. In the second edition of the Études de la nature (1786), Bernardin includes an ‘Avis sur cette édition’. There he delights in the reaction of readers of all backgrounds with their ‘témoignages honorables d’amitié’. He attacks the scientific establishment as a closed shop hostile to challenging ideas, but indicates his confidence in the open-minded judgement of his readers. He supplies numerous personal details outlining his poor treatment by various authorities. The third edition of this work (1788) featured the first appearance of Paul et Virginie. This was accompanied by another paratext, where Bernardin discusses appropriate book sizes suggested by different social groups (he favours in-12). He also complains about a constant bugbear, pirate editions. Furthermore, he talks of his scientific quarrels – which have no link to the novel – but he is convinced that his readers will wish to be informed in this area, as all is interrelated in Bernardin’s worldview. The novel had its first separate publication in 1789. This printing has a new paratext, ‘Avis sur cette édition’. There one learns that it has appeared in a different size, in-18, so that ladies could put his works ‘dans leur poche’. Bernardin complains about his unfair treatment in the press given his lack of an official status, but contends that he would never stoop to selling his services. A text, subsequently entitled ‘Avis’, which precedes his tale L’Arcadie (also in the 1786 volume of the Études), displays autobiographical details which illustrate his refusal to be anyone’s protégé and thus lose his independence. It reveals too an enduring desire to find a location to found a community which would act as a place of refuge for the ‘individus malheureux’ of multiple nationalities who would adopt there ‘des principes de tolérance universelle’. The ‘Avant-propos’ of La Chaumière indienne (1791) houses a miscellany of topics, while Bernardin added a ‘Préambule’ to the second edition (1792). In all these paratexts (and others), Bernardin spoke to ‘amis’ that he had never met but also gave them a sense of belonging to a community of readers with comparable values. |
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| ISSN: | 2052-5397 |