Weakness of the heart is not that of the mind, nor weakness of the soul that of the heart. A feeble soul is without resource in action, and abandons itself to those who govern it. The heart which is weak or feeble is easily softened2, changes its inclinations3 with facility, resists not the seduction or the ascendency required, and may subsist5 with a strong mind; for we may think strongly and act weakly. The weak mind receives impressions without resistance, embraces opinions without examination, is alarmed without cause, and tends naturally to superstition6.
A work may be feeble either in its matter or its style; by the thoughts, when too common, or when, being correct, they are not sufficiently7 profound; and by the style, when it is destitute8 of images, or turns of expression, and of figures which rouse attention. Compared with those of Bossuet, the funeral orations9 of Mascaron are weak, and his style is lifeless.
Every speech is feeble when it is not relieved by ingenious turns, and by energetic expressions; but a pleader is weak, when, with all the aid of eloquence10, and all the earnestness of action, he fails in ratiocination11. No philosophical12 work is feeble, notwithstanding the deficiency of its style, if the reasoning be correct and profound. A tragedy is weak, although the style be otherwise, when the interest is not sustained. The best-written comedy is feeble if it fails in that which the Latins call the “vis comica,” which is the defect pointed13 out by C?sar in Terence: “Lenibus atque utinam scriptis adjuncta foret vis comica!”
This is above all the sin of the weeping or sentimental14 comedy (larmoyante). Feeble verses are not those which sin against rules, but against genius; which in their mechanism15 are without variety, without choice expression, or felicitous16 inversions17; and which retain in poetry the simplicity18 and homeliness19 of prose. The distinction cannot be better comprehended than by a reference to the similar passages of Racine and Campistron, his imitator.
Flowery Style.
“Flowery,” that which is in blossom; a tree in blossom, a rose-bush in blossom: people do not say, flowers which blossom. Of flowery bloom, the carnation20 seems a mixture of white and rose-color. We sometimes say a flowery mind, to signify a person possessing a lighter21 species of literature, and whose imagination is lively.
A flowery discourse22 is more replete23 with agreeable than with strong thoughts, with images more sparkling than sublime24, and terms more curious than forcible. This metaphor25 is correctly taken from flowers, which are showy without strength or stability.
The flowery style is not unsuitable to public speeches or addresses which amount only to compliment. The lighter beauties are in their place when there is nothing more solid to say; but the flowery style should be banished26 from a pleading, a sermon, or a didactic work.
While banishing27 the flowery style, we are not to reject the soft and lively images which enter naturally into the subject; a few flowers are even admissible; but the flowery style cannot be made suitable to a serious subject.
This style belongs to productions of mere28 amusement; to idyls, eclogues, and descriptions of the seasons, or of gardens. It may gracefully29 occupy a portion of the most sublime ode, provided it be duly relieved by stanzas30 of more masculine beauty. It has little to do with comedy, which, as it ought to possess a resemblance to common life, requires more of the style of ordinary conversation. It is still less admissible in tragedy, which is the province of strong passions and momentous31 interests; and when occasionally employed in tragedy or comedy, it is in certain descriptions in which the heart takes no part, and which amuse the imagination without moving or occupying the soul.
The flowery style detracts from the interest of tragedy, and weakens ridicule32 in comedy. It is in its place in the French opera, which rather flourishes on the passions than exhibits them. The flowery is not to be confounded with the easy style, which rejects this class of embellishment.
Coldness of Style.
It is said that a piece of poetry, of eloquence, of music, and even of painting, is cold, when we look for an animated33 expression in it, which we find not. Other arts are not so susceptible34 of this defect; for instance, architecture, geometry, logic35, metaphysics, all the principal merit of which is correctness, cannot properly be called warm or cold. The picture of the family of Darius, by Mignard, is very cold in comparison with that of Lebrun, because we do not discover in the personages of Mignard the same affliction which Lebrun has so animatedly36 expressed in the attitudes and countenances37 of the Persian princesses. Even a statue may be cold; we ought to perceive fear and horror in the features of an Andromeda, the effect of a writhing38 of the muscles; and anger mingled39 with courageous41 boldness in the attitude and on the brow of Hercules, who suspends and strangles Ant?us.
In poetry and eloquence the great movements of the soul become cold, when they are expressed in common terms, and are unaided by imagination. It is this latter which makes love so animated in Racine, and so languid in his imitator, Campistron.
The sentiments which escape from a soul which seeks concealment42, on the contrary, require the most simple expression. Nothing is more animated than those verses in “The Cid”: “Go; I hate thee not — thou knowest it; I cannot.” This feeling would become cold, if conveyed in studied phrases.
For this reason, nothing is so cold as the timid style. A hero in a poem says, that he has encountered a tempest, and that he has beheld43 his friend perish in the storm. He touches and affects, if he speaks with profound grief of his loss — that is, if he is more occupied with his friend than with all the rest; but he becomes cold, and ceases to affect us, if he amuses us with a description of the tempest; if he speaks of the source of “the fire which was boiling up the waters, and of the thunder which roars and which redoubles the furrows44 of the earth and of the waves.” Coldness of style, therefore, often arises from a sterility45 of ideas; often from a deficiency in the power of governing them; frequently from a too common diction, and sometimes from one that is too far-fetched.
The author who is cold only in consequence of being animated out of time and place, may correct this defect of a too fruitful imagination; but he who is cold from a deficiency of soul is incapable46 of self-correction. We may allay47 a fire which is too intense, but cannot acquire heat if we have none.
On Corruption48 of Style.
A general complaint is made, that eloquence is corrupted49, although we have models of almost all kinds. One of the greatest defects of the day, which contributes most to this defect, is the mixture of style. It appears to me, that we authors do not sufficiently imitate the painters, who never introduce the attitudes of Calot with the figures of Raphael. I perceive in histories, otherwise tolerably well written, and in good doctrinal works, the familiar style of conversation. Some one has formerly50 said, that we must write as we speak; the sense of which law is, that we should write naturally. We tolerate irregularity in a letter, freedom as to style, incorrectness, and bold pleasantries, because letters, written spontaneously, without particular object or act, are negligent51 conversations; but when we speak or treat of a subject formally, some attention is due to decorum; and to whom ought we to pay more respect than to the public?
Is it allowable to write in a mathematical work, that “a geometrician who would pay his devotions, ought to ascend4 to heaven in a right line; that evanescent quantities turn up their noses at the earth for having too much elevated them; that a seed sown in the ground takes an opportunity to release and amuse itself; that if Saturn52 should perish, it would be his fifth and not his first satellite that would take his place, because kings always keep their heirs at a distance; that there is no void except in the purse of a ruined man; that when Hercules treats of physics, no one is able to resist a philosopher of his degree of power?” etc.
Some very valuable works are infected with this fault. The source of a defect so common seems to me to be the accusation53 of pedantry54, so long and so justly made against authors. “In vitium ducit culp? fuga.” It is frequently said, that we ought to write in the style of good company; that the most serious authors are becoming agreeable: that is to say, in order to exhibit the manners of good company to their readers, they deliver themselves in the style of very bad company.
Authors have sought to speak of science as Voiture spoke55 to Mademoiselle Paulet of gallantry, without dreaming that Voiture by no means exhibits a correct taste in the species of composition in which he was esteemed56 excellent; for he often takes the false for the refined, and the affected57 for the natural. Pleasantry is never good on serious points, because it always regards subjects in that point of view in which it is not the purpose to consider them. It almost always turns upon false relations and equivoque, whence jokers by profession usually possess minds as incorrect as they are superficial.
It appears to me, that it is as improper58 to mingle40 styles in poetry as in prose. The macaroni style has for some time past injured poetry by this medley59 of mean and of elevated, of ancient and of modern expression. In certain moral pieces it is not musical to hear the whistle of Rabelais in the midst of sounds from the flute60 of Horace — a practice which we should leave to inferior minds, and attend to the lessons of good sense and of Boileau. The following is a singular instance of style, in a speech delivered at Versailles in 1745:
Speech Addressed to the King (Louis XV.) by M. le Camus, First President of the Court of Aids.
Sire
“— The conquests of your majesty61 are so rapid, that it will be necessary to consult the power of belief on the part of posterity62, and to soften1 their surprise at so many miracles, for fear that heroes should hold themselves dispensed63 from imitation, and people in general from believing them.
“But no, sire, it will be impossible for them to doubt it, when they shall read in history that your majesty has been at the head of your troops, recording64 them yourself in the field of Mars upon a drum. This is to engrave65 them eternally in the temple of Memory.
“Ages the most distant will learn, that the English, that bold and audacious foe66, that enemy so jealous of your glory, have been obliged to turn away from your victory; that their allies have been witnesses of their shame, and that all of them have hastened to the combat only to immortalize the glory of the conqueror67.
“We venture to say to your majesty, relying on the love that you bear to your people, that there is but one way of augmenting68 our happiness, which is to diminish your courage; as heaven would lavish69 its prodigies70 at too costly71 a rate, if they increased your dangers, or those of the young heroes who constitute our dearest hopes.”
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1
soften
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| v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和 | |
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softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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inclinations
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| 倾向( inclination的名词复数 )； 倾斜； 爱好； 斜坡 | |
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ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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subsist
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| vi.生存，存在，供养 | |
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superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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destitute
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| adj.缺乏的；穷困的 | |
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orations
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| n.（正式仪式中的）演说，演讲( oration的名词复数 ) | |
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eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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ratiocination
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| n.推理；推断 | |
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philosophical
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| adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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sentimental
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| adj.多愁善感的，感伤的 | |
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mechanism
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| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
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felicitous
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| adj.恰当的，巧妙的；n.恰当，贴切 | |
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inversions
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| 倒置( inversion的名词复数 )； （尤指词序）倒装； 转化； （染色体的）倒位 | |
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simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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homeliness
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| n.简朴，朴实；相貌平平 | |
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carnation
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| n.康乃馨（一种花） | |
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lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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replete
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| adj.饱满的，塞满的；n.贮蜜蚁 | |
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sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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metaphor
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| n.隐喻，暗喻 | |
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banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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banishing
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的现在分词 ) | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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stanzas
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| 节，段( stanza的名词复数 ) | |
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momentous
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| adj.重要的，重大的 | |
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ridicule
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| v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄 | |
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animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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susceptible
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| adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的 | |
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logic
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| n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性 | |
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animatedly
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| adv.栩栩如生地，活跃地 | |
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countenances
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| n.面容( countenance的名词复数 )；表情；镇静；道义支持 | |
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writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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mingle
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| vt.使混合，使相混；vi.混合起来；相交往 | |
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courageous
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| adj.勇敢的，有胆量的 | |
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concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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44
furrows
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| n.犁沟( furrow的名词复数 )；（脸上的）皱纹v.犁田，开沟( furrow的第三人称单数 ) | |
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45
sterility
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| n.不生育，不结果，贫瘠，消毒，无菌 | |
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incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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allay
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| v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等) | |
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corruption
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| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
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49
corrupted
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| （使）败坏( corrupt的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）腐化； 引起（计算机文件等的）错误； 破坏 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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negligent
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| adj.疏忽的；玩忽的；粗心大意的 | |
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52
Saturn
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| n.农神，土星 | |
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53
accusation
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| n.控告，指责，谴责 | |
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54
pedantry
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| n.迂腐，卖弄学问 | |
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55
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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56
esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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improper
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| adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的 | |
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medley
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| n.混合 | |
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flute
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| n.长笛；v.吹笛 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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posterity
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| n.后裔，子孙，后代 | |
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dispensed
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| v.分配( dispense的过去式和过去分词 )；施与；配（药） | |
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recording
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| n.录音，记录 | |
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engrave
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| vt.（在...上）雕刻，使铭记，使牢记 | |
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66
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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conqueror
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| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
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68
augmenting
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| 使扩张 | |
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lavish
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| adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍 | |
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prodigies
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| n.奇才，天才（尤指神童）( prodigy的名词复数 ) | |
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costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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