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Marciano Guerrero
Rameau's Nephew (In Contemporary American English)
Rameau's Nephew (In Contemporary American English)
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This brilliant and witty dialogue begins with a chance encounter in a Paris café between two acquaintances—philosopher Diderot and the rascal Rameau. Their talk moves across several fields: art, music, education, and survival in the French nation.
The rascal, portrayed as the nephew of well-known composer Jean Philippe Rameau, is an amoral, bohemian, and shameless sponger. Not only does he amuse Diderot’s bourgeois bonhomie, but also makes him think hard about what is right or wrong. Erasmus of Rotterdam had already argued about the virtues of Folly, but in elevated language. Rameau’s nephew gets into the gutter in defense not only of folly, but of immorality.
Much like Berkeley or Hume, the rascal’s arguments are often invulnerable even to the depth of a polymath like Diderot. In that verbal duel who the winner or loser is remains for the reader to decide.
This translation is for the American reader, student of literature, French studies, history, and philosophy. My long experience as a teacher has proved time and again that American readers find earlier European translations slow—not to say boring.
So, they abandon the book only after a few pages, depriving themselves of a magnificent piece of literature, going through life deaf to the utterances of a wise rascal. At one point the rascal says, “A dead man doesn’t hear the bells tolling.” I hope you hear my words and read this book.
The rascal, portrayed as the nephew of well-known composer Jean Philippe Rameau, is an amoral, bohemian, and shameless sponger. Not only does he amuse Diderot’s bourgeois bonhomie, but also makes him think hard about what is right or wrong. Erasmus of Rotterdam had already argued about the virtues of Folly, but in elevated language. Rameau’s nephew gets into the gutter in defense not only of folly, but of immorality.
Much like Berkeley or Hume, the rascal’s arguments are often invulnerable even to the depth of a polymath like Diderot. In that verbal duel who the winner or loser is remains for the reader to decide.
This translation is for the American reader, student of literature, French studies, history, and philosophy. My long experience as a teacher has proved time and again that American readers find earlier European translations slow—not to say boring.
So, they abandon the book only after a few pages, depriving themselves of a magnificent piece of literature, going through life deaf to the utterances of a wise rascal. At one point the rascal says, “A dead man doesn’t hear the bells tolling.” I hope you hear my words and read this book.
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