Volume 30, Number 1, Winter 2006 La félicité chez Érasme Guest-edited by Brenda Dunn-Lardeau

EN:

The pursuit of happiness represents one of the major paradoxes of Erasmus' best-known work, Encomium Moriae (The Praise of Folly) (1511). While spiritual bliss is upheld as the ultimate form of happiness, the speaking subject celebrating it, who is no other than Folly herself, also argues for the superiority of the pleasures derived from the five senses. The narrative strategy which helps to maintain such an ambiguous position with regards to the ideal form of happiness, however, was scarcely Erasmus' invention, although he has been traditionally credited for it. As shown by the present comparative analysis, the praise of sensory pleasure through the mouth of Folly can be found in a nearly contemporary source, the Stultiferae naves (The Ship of Foolish Maidens) (1501). This work was probably well-known to Erasmus, since it belonged to the famous early-humanist printer, editor, commentator, and author Jodocus Badius Ascensius, who was also his principal Parisian editor until a regrettable event put an end to their relationship.

EN:

An examination of Erasmus' changing views of Epicureanism must primarily rely on statements by himself that refer to Epicurus or indicate awareness of, and perhaps affinity with, some aspects of his philosophy. A brief first part will survey the intermediate sources for Epicurus' system, classical and patristic, appreciative or critical, with which Erasmus was familiar. Thereafter the procedure will be chronological, examining first the early traces of Erasmus' acquaintance with Epicurus, leading to an attempt to reconcile his moral philosophy with the Gospel teachings. Next Erasmus' years in Italy are considered. Italy had recently experienced a marked revival of interest in Epicurean thought, leading to a positive revaluation. Here Erasmus' familiarity with the work of Lorenzo Valla obtains a crucial importance. Valla turned Erasmus, to put it boldly, into a sort of convert to Epicureanism, as will be shown by a fresh look at his Moriae encomium. After the Moria Erasmus' statements relevant to Epicureanism tend to be more casual and inconsistent. In the end, however, we notice a reawakening of concern and almost a return to his initial endorsement of a Christian Epicureanism. The history of Epicureanism is an ongoing, often radical, quest for enduring felicity, although not always proceeding from the same intellectual premises. Finally, a brief attempt is made to assign Erasmus his modest place in that history.

FR:

Même si, au sein de la masse touffue des Adages, l'attention est principalement centrée sur la philologie et la rhétorique, Érasme reste profondément attiré par les thèmes éthiques. Toutefois, ces thèmes éthiques ou moraux se perdent facilement dans le vaste arsenal de cette compilation de proverbes. Comme Érasme lui-même et plusieurs de ses lecteurs l'ont fait remarquer, l'ouvrage se délecte de son propre désordre. Pourtant, les thèmes éthiques ne sont jamais perdus de vue. Comment, dès lors, aborder la question éthique — dans le but, par exemple, de dégager une position claire sur le bonheur ou la felicitas — dans un ouvrage sans ordre apparent, et au moyen d’une forme, le proverbe, qui est surtout un moyen rhétorique? Cet article fait valoir qu’il y a moyen de trouver un sens à un thème, tel celui de la felicitas, à partir des index et des références internes, même si cet ordre n’est jamais érigé en système. Comme la plupart des autres termes moraux des Adages, celui de la felicitas surgit ici et là à travers l'ouvrage, et on peut en suivre la trace grâce à une série de références internes et d'associations d'idées ou de mots qui tout à coup s'ouvrent à la question. La felicitas apparaît dans le contexte de discussions sur le bien-être matériel, l'équilibre personnel, l'amitié et la vie collective.

EN:

In 1518, Erasmus published The Colloquies (Colloquia), a lively Latin conversation primer, which acquainted European youths with a variety of subjects, including that of happiness. This article examines several of The Colloquies, but most notably the Senile Colloquium, to assess Erasmus' response to the question of the changing interrelationship of the two felicities-celestial and earthly-during the Renaissance. He asserts that personal happiness is no longer scorned upon as in the Middle Ages provided that honestas and voluptas walk hand in hand and philautia steer away for the sake of balance between individual and collective happiness. In addition, The Colloquies, which include pleasure seekers from all walks of life, exposes young readers to a moral discourse, wherein pagan and Christian models mingle, while avoiding the moralizing tone of earlier medieval morality texts. As for the Senile Colloquium, published in 1524 (while Erasmus wrote his Diatribè sive Collatio de libero arbitrio), it distinguishes true and false happiness and adapts the classical models of the conduct of life (voluptuous, active, contemplative) to a Christian society. Erasmus considers, as did Aristotle, that mankind is responsible for its happiness but makes the philosophia Christi the best way to achieve it.