Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens

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Marquis d'Argens (copperplate engraving by Jakob van der Schley (1715–1779) after Theodor van Pee (1668–1746), 1738. Portrait copper from vol. 1 of Lettres juives ou Correspondance philosophique, historique et critique entre un juif voïageur en différens États de l'Europe, et ses correspondans en divers endroits. Nouvelle. Edition. La Haye: Paupie, 1738.)

Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens (born June 27, 1703 , Aix-en-Provence ; † January 12, 1771 , Château de la Garde near Toulon ) was a French writer and philosopher whose work in the 18th century in received great attention in numerous European countries. He spent twenty-seven years of his life, apart from brief interruptions, at the court of Frederick the Great , where he worked as chamberlain to the king, director of the historical-philological class of the Berlin Academy of Sciences and continued as a writer and philosopher.

biography

Childhood and youth in Aix-en-Provence

Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, who was born in Aix-en-Provence on June 27, 1703, was the eldest of seven children of a senior judicial officer, Pierre Jean de Boyer d'Eguilles, marquis d'Argens († 1757), procureur général au Parlement Upbringing at home and at the Jesuit college in his hometown in 1718 in the Toulouse infantry regiment in Strasbourg. His mother was the Angélique de Lenfant.

In 1721 he returned to Aix, where he lived mainly because of his distraction and from 1722 held the title of Marquis, under which he later became known. Because of a love affair with an actress, his parents let him arrest at the citadel of Perpignan for ten months from 1722-1723 and then travel to Constantinople for six months as secretary of the French envoy Jean Baptiste Louis Picon d'Andrezel (1663-1727) . At the end of 1724, d'Argens returned to Aix accompanied by d'Andresel's predecessor Jean Louis Dusson Marquis de Bonnac (1672-1738) and began to prepare for a legal career. After completing his apprenticeship, he settled down as a lawyer and led a number of lawsuits, but was unable to get much enthusiasm from his profession. Around 1728 he left Aix-en-Provence and went to Paris , where he spent much of his time in the studio of the painter Pierre Jacques Cazes (1676–1754).

Between 1730 and 1731, d'Argens, according to his own statements, took part as an eyewitness to the trial in Aix-en-Provence against the Jesuit father Jean-Baptiste Girard , who was accused of seducing his confessor. The affair that moved the entire European public forms the historical backdrop for the novel “ Thérèse philosophe ”, first published in 1748 and attributed to d'Argens. But it also brought d'Argens away from the legal profession for good. In 1733 he returned to the military and took part in a cavalry regiment in the War of the Polish Succession . He was injured during the siege of Kehl . He switched to the Bourbonnais regiment, then to that of the Duke of Richelieu. In 1734 his military career ended when he fell from his horse during the siege of the Philippsburg fortress . Against the wishes of his parents, he said goodbye and went to the Netherlands.

The development to become a writer in the Netherlands

In The Hague, he made contact with the French Calvinist Prosper Marchand (1675–1756), who was active in the publishing industry and who advised and supported him in his literary and philosophical work from 1735 to 1740.

For fear of persecution - after the publication of his first works, the relationship with his parents had more than clouded over - the Marquis changed residence eight times during his five-year stay in the Netherlands and commuted between The Hague, Amsterdam , Utrecht , Maarssen and Maastricht back and forth. Since the climate in the Netherlands did not suit him, he decided in 1739 to settle in Strasbourg , which he knew from earlier days. On the way there he got stuck at the court of the widowed Duchess Maria Auguste von Württemberg , who made him her chamberlain (and probably also her lover).

At the court of Frederick the Great

Through Maria Auguste, whose children were brought up in Berlin, d'Argens became acquainted with Friedrich II. , Who already knew the author of “Lettres juives” from his readings and tried to draw the philosopher to his court. In the winter of 1741 to 1742, d'Argens settled in the immediate vicinity of the king in Potsdam and was soon promoted to chamberlain to the Prussian king with an annual pension of 1,500 Reichstalers . He was involved in the founding of the Berlin Academy of Sciences , which he headed as Vice Director during the first month of its existence. From 1744 to 1771 he was director of the historical-philological class. He continued his writing activity with unbridled vigor and made contacts with the Berlin scholarly world. In particular, his commitment to the Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn is remembered in literary history.

Bust of the Marquis d'Argens

However, he maintained closer contacts with the other French guests at Frederick II's round table, in particular with Voltaire , with whom he was linked by a friendship that was at times clouded but lifelong. His relationship with the Prussian King was characterized by mutual trust , especially during the Seven Years' War .

In later years, d'Argens, who in old age tended to be somewhat indolent and in a curious manner not infrequently presented himself as a conceited sick man or a superstitious rationalist, was not infrequently a target of the inexorable ridicule of Hohenzollern. His stay at the Prussian court, which lasted over a quarter of a century, was only occasionally interrupted by trips to Paris or southern France, either on behalf of the king or for family reasons. In autumn 1768, d'Argens said goodbye to the court of Frederick II and traveled back to his Provencal homeland to end his life there. He died on January 12, 1771 at the castle of his sister, the Baroness de la Garde, not far from Toulon . Frederick II had Charles-Antoine Bridan erect a grave monument for him in the Minorite Church in Aix-en-Provence , of which only fragments are preserved today.

family

D'Argens came from a wealthy and long-established Provencal legal family and was the eldest of seven children of Angélique de Lenfant and Pierre Jean de Boyer d'Eguilles. Two of his brothers were Knights of Malta , one had established himself as a canon in the Cruas Abbey in the south of France and the fourth had continued the family tradition as court president in Aix-en-Provence. D'Argens' only direct descendant was a daughter born from his marriage to the French dancer Barbe Cochois (born April 15, 1754), who was initially baptized in Hamburg in the name of a French dancer at the Berlin theater "Barbe Giraud". It was only after settling long-simmering inheritance disputes with his family that d'Argens recognized Barbe as his biological child. In his will of August 20, 1770, he appointed his wife as chief heir. In the event that his daughter should have no male offspring, he bequeathed his collection of pictures and books to the sons of his brother Alexandre-Jean-Baptiste d'Eguilles.

plant

In addition to his memoirs, which appeared in 1735, with spicy details of a thirty-two-year-old's memoir, the fictional correspondence between various European countries roaming Jewish or Chinese travelers, initially in fortnightly sequels and soon after in book form, established d'Argens' fame. The "Lettres juives", "Lettres cabbalistiques" and "Lettres chinoises", which follow the tradition of the pseudo-oriental letter novel , comment on contemporary debates on religious, philosophical, literary and political issues in a columnist manner with a clear anti-clerical undertone and are often used as early examples of journalistic work cited in the modern sense.

In 1737 d'Argens' main philosophical work, the "Philosophy du bon sens", a skeptical treatise that is indebted to the work of Pierre Bayle on many points and which calls for distrust of all traditional authorities, appeared. It brought it to thirteen editions in the 18th century, to which d'Argens mostly contributed through comments and additions. As if by the way, during the 'Dutch' years of d'Argens' a handful of novels that are now quite well forgotten were created.

His "Reflexions historiques et critiques sur le gout et sur les ouvrages des principaux auteurs anciens et modern" (1743) and the "Pensées Diverses et Critiques, sur les Principaux Auteurs François" (1745), von d'Argens conservative, were created in Berlin . The literary image committed to classicism , especially on the literature of the late 17th and early 18th centuries, as well as his "Réflexions critiques sur les différentes écoles de peinture" (1752), in which French and Italian painting in particular were compared. The Provençal continued its journalistic work covering a wide range of philosophical and literary fields with the “Mémoires Secrets de La République Des Lettres, ou Le Théatre De La Vérité” (1737–1748) and the “Histoire de l'Esprit Humain ou Mémoires Secrets” et Universels de la Republique des Lettres ”(1765–1768) in 14 volumes each. Together with his wife, the French dancer Barbe Cochois, he published "Mémoires pour servir à l'Histoire de l'esprit et du coeur" (1744) and "Nouveaux Mémoires pour servir à l'Histoire de l'esprit et du coeur" (1745–1746), with small stories loosened up columnist considerations on all imaginable topics, which, like almost all of d'Argens' works, were clad in fictional correspondence.

In addition to the utopian novel “Songes philosophiques” (1746), detailed translations of ancient philosophers ( Ocellus Lucanus (1762), Timaeus Locrus (1763)) and the commented edition of an anti-Christian work by the Roman emperor Julian (“Défense du paganisme par l'Empereur Julien ”, 1764), in which d'Argens was able to express his views on questions of religious criticism and the contemporary discussion about priesthood , deism and atheism . His extensive correspondence with the Prussian King Friedrich II first appeared in 1788 in his posthumously published work edition. Boyer d'Argens is also considered to be the author of the erotic novel " Thérèse philosophe " , published anonymously in 1748 .

D'Argens' work can to a large extent be attributed to the Early Enlightenment , although he himself never showed the radicalism of thought that the 19th century sometimes tried to ascribe to him. He showed little understanding for the politically more radical thinking of the encyclopedists around Denis Diderot and Jean-Baptiste le Rond d'Alembert , which began in the second half of the century . His work was largely forgotten as early as the 19th century.

Works

His most important works, many of which have been translated into German, English, Dutch and Italian and many have been published several times, are:

  • Mémoires de Monsieur le Marquis d'Argens: avec quelques lettres sur divers sujets (London, 1735). German Translation: "Strange description of the life of the Marquis von Argens: together with his letters on various subjects" (Frankfurt [and others] 1749).
  • Mémoires du marquis de Mirmon, ou le solitaire philosophe (Amsterdam 1736). German Translation: "The philosophical hermit or special messages from the Margrave of Mirmon" (Hamburg 1736).
  • Lettres juives, ou correspondance philosophique, historique, et critique, entre un juif voyageur à Paris et ses correspondans en divers endroits (The Hague 1735–1737). German Translation: "Jewish letters, or philosophical, historical and critical correspondence, between a Jew who travels through different countries in Europe and his correspondents in other places" (Berlin and Stettin 1763–1765).
  • Lettres cabalistiques, ou correspondance philosophique, historique et critique, entre deux cabalistes, divers esprits élémentaires, et le Seigneur Astaroth (The Hague 1737–1738). German Translation: “Kabbalistic letters, or philosophical, historical and critical correspondence between two Kabbalists, various elementals and the infernal Astaroth” (Danzig 1773–1777).
  • Lettres chinoises ou correspondance philosophique, historique et critique, entre un chinois voyageur à Paris et correspondans à la Chine, en Moscovie, en Perse et au Japon (The Hague 1739–1740). German Translation: “Chinese letters, or philosophical, historical and critical correspondence, between a Chinese traveling in Paris and his good friends in China, Moscow, Persia and Japan” (Berlin 1768–1771).
  • La philosophie du bon-sens, ou reflexions philosophiques sur l'incertitude des connoissances humaines à l'usage des Cavaliers et du beau-sexe (The Hague 1737). German Translation: “The philosophy of common reason or philosophical considerations on the uncertainty of human knowledge. For the use of distinguished persons of both sexes ”(Breslau and Leipzig 1756).
  • Le législateur moderne, ou les mémoires du chevalier de Meillcourt (Amsterdam 1739). German Translation: "The philosophical seafarer, or life and travels of the knight von Meillcourt: who after many cases of luck and misfortune ... was finally elected a king over two unknown races" (Berlin 1740).
  • Reflexions historiques et critiques sur le gût et sur les ouvrages des principaux auteurs anciens et modern (Amsterdam and Berlin 1743).
  • Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire de l'esprit et du cœur. Par Monsieur le Marquis d'Arg *** et par Mademoiselle Cochois (The Hague 1744). German Translation: The Marquis d'Argens ud Demoiselle Cochois joint contributions to the pleasure of the mind and heart (Berlin 1763–1764).
  • Critique su siècle, ou Lettres sur diverse subjects. Par l'Auteur des Lettres Juives . (The Hague 1745). German Translation: "Judgment of the people of this time, or letters about various things" (Berlin 1745).
  • Nouveaux Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire de l'esprit et du coeur (The Hague 1745–1746).
  • Mémoires Secrets de La République Des Lettres, ou Le Théatre De La Vérité (Amsterdam 1737–1748).
  • Lettres morales et critiques sur les différens états et les diverses occupations des hommes (Amsterdam 1737).
  • Songes philosophiques: suivant la copie originale (Berlin 1746).
  • Réflexions critiques sur les différentes écoles de peinture (Paris 1752 and Berlin 1768).
  • Ocellus Lucanus en grec et en françois: avec des dissertations sur les principales questions de la métaphysique, de la phisique, et de la morale des anciens (Berlin and Utrecht 1762). German Translation: “Ocellus of Lucania's reflections on the world. Translated from Greek into French ”(Breslau 1763).
  • Timée De Locres en grec et en françois… qui peuvent servir de suite et de conclusion à la Philosophie du Bons Sens (Berlin 1763).
  • Déffense du paganisme par l'Empereur Julien: en grec et en françois; avec dissertations et des notes pour servir d'éclaircissement au texte et pour en refuter les ereurs (Berlin 1764).
  • Histoire de l'Esprit Humain ou Mémoires Secrets et Universels de la Republique des Lettres (Berlin 1765–1768).
  • Correspondance entre Frédéric II. Roi de Prusse et le marquis d'Argens, avec les Epîtres du Roi au Marquis. Königsberg and Paris 1798. Dt. Translation: Correspondence between Frederick the Second, King of Prussia, and the Marquis d'Argens. Along with the poetic epistles from the king to the marquis (Königsberg and Leipzig 1798).

literature

Web links

Wikisource: Jean-Baptiste Boyer d'Argens  - Sources and full texts (French)
Commons : Jean-Baptiste Boyer d'Argens  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Biographical data, compiled from the University of Trier
  2. ↑ Genealogy of the family (PDF; 44 kB)
  3. ^ Robert Darnton : The Forbidden Best-Sellers of Pre-Revolutionary France. Norton, New York NY 1996, ISBN 0-393-03720-7 , pp. 85-114.
personal data
SURNAME Argens, Jean-Baptiste de Boyer Marquis d '
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Boyer d'Argens, Jean-Baptiste de; Marquis d'Argens; Argens; d'Argens
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French writer and philosopher
DATE OF BIRTH June 27, 1703
PLACE OF BIRTH Aix-en-Provence
DATE OF DEATH January 12, 1771
Place of death Château de La Garde , near Toulon