A doll as a character of the Rococo novel “La Poupée” (1747) by Jean Galli de Bibiena

The article analyzes the novel “La Poupée” (“Doll”) by a French writer of Italian origin Jean Galli de Bibiena, which introduced into the literature of the 18th century the theme of the doll mentoring an adult. The doll character combines, on the one hand, the ideas of the era about “man-machine”, t...

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Main Author: Pakhsarian , Natalia T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Saratov State University 2022-11-01
Series:Известия Саратовского университета. Новая серия. Серия Филология: Журналистика
Subjects:
Online Access:https://bonjour.sgu.ru/sites/bonjour.sgu.ru/files/2022/11/filologiya_2022_4_7._pahsaryan.pdf
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author Pakhsarian , Natalia T.
author_facet Pakhsarian , Natalia T.
author_sort Pakhsarian , Natalia T.
collection DOAJ
description The article analyzes the novel “La Poupée” (“Doll”) by a French writer of Italian origin Jean Galli de Bibiena, which introduced into the literature of the 18th century the theme of the doll mentoring an adult. The doll character combines, on the one hand, the ideas of the era about “man-machine”, the fascination with “live” automations, on the other hand, the tradition of depicting fairy-tale creatures, concentrated in Montfaucon de Villar’s book “Count Gabalis”. The writer sets up a kind of an artistic experiment through the play of sensuality and sensitivity. The sylph doll gives lessons in gallantry to a young Abbot who has tried in vain to succeed in love by imitating the coxcombs (petit-maîtres) Libertines. She explains to the hero the diff erence between love generated by feeling and simple sensual attraction. Libertines’ tactics turn out to be untenable. In the end, the reformed Abbot falls in love with the doll, who, while the student was acquiring the norms of sensitive gallantry, reached the natural size of a living being. The ambiguous game of gallant eroticism simultaneously in the fi eld of reality and imagination is emphasized by the novel features of narrative, including the chain of narrators: the Abbot – the “author”-observer of the story, the Abbot, the narrator of the doll story, the doll as a narrator. The layering of narrators creates an uncertain discourse, makes the readers doubt the truth of the story and at the same time makes them suspect that it is real. Despite the fact that later romantics sharply deepen the relationship of the “mechanical” and the “natural”, in Rococo there was already a confl ict between these concepts. However, this confl ict in Bibiena’s novel does not achieve the contrasting absolute confrontation characteristic for the romantic vision. In this text Rococo poetics demonstrates its compromising nature.
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spelling doaj.art-3f240513a68049048a69d84f729f6d872022-12-22T04:36:43ZengSaratov State UniversityИзвестия Саратовского университета. Новая серия. Серия Филология: Журналистика1817-71152541-898X2022-11-0122440941410.18500/1817-7115-2022-22-4-409-414A doll as a character of the Rococo novel “La Poupée” (1747) by Jean Galli de BibienaPakhsarian , Natalia T.0Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia, 119991, Moscow, Leninskie Gory, 1The article analyzes the novel “La Poupée” (“Doll”) by a French writer of Italian origin Jean Galli de Bibiena, which introduced into the literature of the 18th century the theme of the doll mentoring an adult. The doll character combines, on the one hand, the ideas of the era about “man-machine”, the fascination with “live” automations, on the other hand, the tradition of depicting fairy-tale creatures, concentrated in Montfaucon de Villar’s book “Count Gabalis”. The writer sets up a kind of an artistic experiment through the play of sensuality and sensitivity. The sylph doll gives lessons in gallantry to a young Abbot who has tried in vain to succeed in love by imitating the coxcombs (petit-maîtres) Libertines. She explains to the hero the diff erence between love generated by feeling and simple sensual attraction. Libertines’ tactics turn out to be untenable. In the end, the reformed Abbot falls in love with the doll, who, while the student was acquiring the norms of sensitive gallantry, reached the natural size of a living being. The ambiguous game of gallant eroticism simultaneously in the fi eld of reality and imagination is emphasized by the novel features of narrative, including the chain of narrators: the Abbot – the “author”-observer of the story, the Abbot, the narrator of the doll story, the doll as a narrator. The layering of narrators creates an uncertain discourse, makes the readers doubt the truth of the story and at the same time makes them suspect that it is real. Despite the fact that later romantics sharply deepen the relationship of the “mechanical” and the “natural”, in Rococo there was already a confl ict between these concepts. However, this confl ict in Bibiena’s novel does not achieve the contrasting absolute confrontation characteristic for the romantic vision. In this text Rococo poetics demonstrates its compromising nature.https://bonjour.sgu.ru/sites/bonjour.sgu.ru/files/2022/11/filologiya_2022_4_7._pahsaryan.pdf“man-machine”a doll characterfairy-talesfantasyeroticismlibertinagegallantrynarrative play
spellingShingle Pakhsarian , Natalia T.
A doll as a character of the Rococo novel “La Poupée” (1747) by Jean Galli de Bibiena
Известия Саратовского университета. Новая серия. Серия Филология: Журналистика
“man-machine”
a doll character
fairy-tales
fantasy
eroticism
libertinage
gallantry
narrative play
title A doll as a character of the Rococo novel “La Poupée” (1747) by Jean Galli de Bibiena
title_full A doll as a character of the Rococo novel “La Poupée” (1747) by Jean Galli de Bibiena
title_fullStr A doll as a character of the Rococo novel “La Poupée” (1747) by Jean Galli de Bibiena
title_full_unstemmed A doll as a character of the Rococo novel “La Poupée” (1747) by Jean Galli de Bibiena
title_short A doll as a character of the Rococo novel “La Poupée” (1747) by Jean Galli de Bibiena
title_sort doll as a character of the rococo novel la poupee 1747 by jean galli de bibiena
topic “man-machine”
a doll character
fairy-tales
fantasy
eroticism
libertinage
gallantry
narrative play
url https://bonjour.sgu.ru/sites/bonjour.sgu.ru/files/2022/11/filologiya_2022_4_7._pahsaryan.pdf
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