29/1/2015 Fiction:TheDisputesoftheFlutePlayers

TheDisputesoftheFlutePlayers
AnatoleFrance

Inaesthetics,thatistosayintheclouds,onecanarguemoreandbetterthaninanyothersubject.
Itistherethatonemustbecautious.

THEDISPUTESOFTHEFLUTEPLAYERS
AnatoleFrance

Inaesthetics,thatistosayintheclouds,onecanarguemoreandbetterthaninany
othersubject.Itistherethatonemustbecautious.Itistherethatonehaseverything
tofear:indifferenceaswellaspartiality,coldnessaswellaspassion,knowledgeaswell
asignorance,artfulness,wit,subtletyandaninnocencewhichismoredangerousthan
craft.Inal]mattersofaestheticsyoumustdreadsophisms,especiallywhentheyare
beautiful,andyouwillfindadmirableones.Inthisfieldyoumustnoteventrustthe
mathematicalmind,whichissoperfectandsosublime,butofsuchdelicacyasa
mechanismthatitcannotworkexceptinthevoid,becauseagrainofsandinits
wheelworkisenoughtomakeitgowrong.Oneshudderswhenonethinkstowhat
lengthsuchagrainofsandcandragamathematicalbrain.ThinkofPascal!

Aestheticsisfoundedonnothingsolid.Itisacastleintheair.Menhavetriedtoprop
ituponethics.Butthereisnoethics.Thereisnosociology.Noristhereanybiology.
ThecompletionofthescienceshasneverexistedexceptinthebrainofM.Auguste
Comte,whosebooksareprophetical.Whenanexactbiologywillhavebeen
established,thatistosayinsomemillionsofyears,itmayperhapsbepossibleto
establishasociology.Thatwillalsotakeagreatnumberofcenturies.Thenwillcome
thetimewhenyoumayproperlycreateanaestheticscienceonsolidfoundations.But
bythattimeourplanetwillbeveryoldandwillapproachthetermofitsdestiny.The
sunwhosespots,notwithoutreason,troubleusevennow,willinthosedaysturnto
theearthafaceofsomberandfuliginousred,halfcoveredbyopaquescoriae,andthe
lastmen,takingrefugeinthedepthsofmines,willbelessanxioustodisputeonthe
essenceofthebeautifulthantobumtheirlastfragmentsofcoalbeforeplunginginto
theeternalice.

Traditionanduniversalagreementhavebeentakenasfoundationsofcriticism.
Neitheroneexists.Itistruethatanalmostgeneralopinionfavorscertainworks.But
itdoessobyvirtueofaprejudiceandnotatallthroughchoiceandtheeffectofa
spontaneouspreference.Theworkswhicheverybodyadmiresarethosewhichnoone
looksat.Onereceivesthemlikeapreciousburdenwhichonehandsontoothers
withoutlookingatit.Doyoureallybelievethatthereismuchfreedomofjudgmentin
theapprobationwhichwegivetotheGreek,theLatinoreventheFrenchclassics?
Andisthetastewhichdrawsustoacertaincontemporaryworkandawayfromsome
otherreallyfree?Isitnotdeterminedbymanycircumstancesquitealientothe
contentofthework,thechiefofwhichisthespiritofimitationsopowerfulboth
amongmenandbeasts?Thatspiritofimitationisnecessarytoustohelpuslive
withouttoomuchdisorderwecarryitintoallouractionsanditdominatesour
aestheticsense.Withoutitouropinionsinmattersofartwouldbeevenmorediverse
thantheyare.Itisinthiswaythatsomeworkwhich,forsomereasonorother,has,
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29/1/2015 Fiction:TheDisputesoftheFlutePlayers

tobeginwith,gainedthesuffragesofsome,willthereupongatherthoseofmany.The
firstalonewerefreealltheothersdidnothingbutobey.Theyhaveneither
spontaneity,norinsight,norcourage,noranycharacter.Andtheirmultiplication
createsfame.Italldependsonaverysmallbeginning.Onealsoobservesthatworks
despisedattheirbirthhavelittlechanceofpleasinglater,andthatonthecontrary
workscelebratedfromtheirappearancewilllongguardtheirreputationandbe
respectedevenaftertheyhavebecomeunintelligible.Theutterdependenceof
agreementuponprejudiceisprovedbythefactthattheyceasetogether.Numerous
instancesofthiscouldbegiven....

Whataninterestingbookcouldbewrittenonthevariationsofcriticismconcerning
oneofthoseworkswithwhichmenhavemostbusiedthemselvesHamlet,theDivine
Comedy,theIliad.TheIliadcharmsustodaybyabarbarousandprimitivecharacter
whichwediscoverinitinallgoodfaith.IntheseventeenthcenturyHomerwas
praisedforhavingobservedtherulesofepiccomposition.

"Youmaybesure,"Boileausaid,"thatifHomerusedtheword'dog'itisbecause'dog'
isanoblewordinGreek."

Suchideasseemabsurdtous.Oursmayseemequallyabsurdintwohundredyears.
Forafterall,onecannotrankamidtheeternalveritiestheperceptionthatHomeris
primitiveandthatprimitivebarbarismisadmirable.Thereisnotasingleopinionin
literaturewhichonecannoteasilyfightwithitspreciseopposite.Who,then,willbe
abletoendthedisputesofthefluteplayers?

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