Voltaire en anglais : grand débutant ou anglophone d’adoption ?

Les lettres en anglais John Humbley Université Paris-Diderot GEHLF 17 avril 2015

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Lettres de Voltaire en anglais (1726-1735) • De la lettre 197 (Besterman 1977) – à Alexander Pope (1726)

• à la lettre 536 – à Nicolas-Claude Thieriot (janvier 1735 ?)

• soit 39 lettres – entièrement ou partiellement rédigées en anglais GEHLF 17 avril 2015

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Destinataires • 17 destinées à des Anglais – 3 à Swift – 2 à Richmond

• 22 destinées à des Français – 19 à Thieriot

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Méthode • Relever les écarts par rapport à l’anglais contemporain • Comparer à des corpus du XVIIIè siècle – Œuvres de Richardson, Addison, Swift – Tout écrit (épistolaire) de l’époque – Autres témoignages

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Exemple : lettre 199 à Nicolas-Claude Thieriot (Besterman : 204) • • • • • • •

…two or three poems of Mr Pope, … …the best poet of England, and at present, of all the world. …to be sensible of all the charms… …I look on his poem [...] as superior to the art of poetry …above the lutrin of Despreaux. …so gentle graces… …so great variety… …so refined knowledge …having fully answered to what you asked. I came again into England

• • • • •

…my secret voyage into France both unsuccessful and expensive. I had about me onely some bills of exchange …rekoning all… At my coming to London I found my damned Jew was broken. I was without a penny, sick to death of a violent agüe… GEHLF 17 avril 2015

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Ponctuation • Quelques constations fragmentaires – Séparation des relatives déterminatives • That water you fell in, was not Hippocrene’s water…

– autres • … if I durst not trouble yr lordship, about it… • … has been for many centuries, so glorious among us French, GEHLF 17 avril 2015

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Orthographe • Variation admise à l’époque • no body • an other London citizen • onely – (Milton : thou hast taught us to admire onely that which is good)

• …i attribute interely to… • …who ows to yr writings, the love he bears to yr language… • Etc… GEHLF 17 avril 2015

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Coquilles

– …tut in the warmer season… – You must read sogether… – … I d’ont believe… – Two verses are enouhg ;

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Mots français

– …by the avertissement that… – …which are in the pacquet directed to you… – … is writ by one Faget, an enthousiastic refugiee who knows neither english nor french

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Cas contraires à l’orthoépie – …wretch’d – Do not bable out you… – …wiked pieces of barbarity… – … the man intends to writ… don’t talk of the occasional writer – … hippocondriaks especially are well come…. – … as I will be in all likelood… GEHLF 17 avril 2015

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Morphologie : conjugaison • Variation admise – I have not writ a word… I have wrote a play… – … swore he had wrote nothing … – mais “… discourse written one day…” • A new English grammar (1746) de John Kirby, variation de conjugaison de différents verbes forts notée : passé : wrote/writ ; participe passé : wrote/writ/written. Hogg, Denison (2006), A History of the English Language. Cambridge

– Cf. he has utterly forgot me… GEHLF 17 avril 2015

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Cas de doute • mais : – …to those who had write to me ? – …all that is King, or belongs to a King frights my republican philosophy (archaïque au XVIIIè ?)

– …M. Bernard has stealed my compliment… (pas attesté ???)

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Pronoms personnels

• I wish the translation could be your. • …forgive an admirer of you…

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Dénombrables / indénombrables – …I wo you take a better care of yr health. ? – …I am sure your advices would mend my constitution as well as you mend my poem. – …beyond the vain applauses of the publick. Voltaire – 1820 « The satisfaction to a true friend may receive from the communication of my thoughts, is beyond the vain applause of the public.

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Aspect • …. since I am in England. • … the time when I was used to write to you • … he should sell none before mine had been deliver’d……

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Temporel : no future • … when the time shall be proper • … and to send him for the future every one that shall come out… • … the first letter I shall receive from you will be entirely english. GEHLF 17 avril 2015

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Ordre des mots : prédicat • • • • • • •

My star… pours always on me some kind refreshments I received lately two letters…. I had two years ago snatched from yo court… She payd to friendship and to nature the tender dutys she ow’d to love. … I must tell I have to day put in the hands of yr brother two s hrolles of rhimes, one for MM. Fontaine Martel… They have made here four editions of it. …. who makes in that noble garden the figure of an Eunuque GEHLF 17 avril 2015

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Syntagme nominal • … the italian luscious whores…. • … I’ll tell you I have made three acts entirely new which will be added in a very few days. ?

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Détermination • I have written freely to the abbot Desfontaines it is true • …you will not be understood by the women, and by the young trippers.

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Possessif • Two or three poems of Mr Pope • Let the hand of Dennis… be cut off • I must certify that this Woodman’s edition is entirely correct? • …my english essay’s translation…

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Prépositions • Variation admise au XVIIIè – I am extreamly sensible of yr Kindness…. – I will never let slip an opportunity of making you sensible of my gratitude • Cf “Above all things I am sensible of your good nature…” Dryden !

• Doutes – ….you may easily get a private licence of printing it. – …. I am strongly tempted of coming to Barbadoes … – Pope, the best poet of England • It was soon after this that Voltaire called him "the best poet of England and, at present, of all the world,"--which is about as near the truth as Voltaire generally ... WJ. Long, English Literature. De très nombreuses citations de Voltaire. GEHLF 17 avril 2015

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Prépositions : régime verbal – Having fully answered to what you asked – Which Gulliver discovers to him… – You ought not to discover anything to him but let him discover to you what he knows. – …my desire of living with you… – I forgive to you and to Bernard… – … I intend in about a fortnight hence to ask that licence. GEHLF 17 avril 2015

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Où s’arrête l’interférence … où commence le style personnel ? • • • •

My English talkativeness A dream full of starts of folly nor at the bad success? The breaking of yr leg was public at Paris some weeks ago, … • … a cargo of French dullness…. GEHLF 17 avril 2015

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Le ‘parler bilingue’ – My duties to the ladies of your house if they have not quite forgot me; I am mightily glad for your improvement in english. I hope you won’t take hereafter the rape of the lock pour une serrure. But remember that there is no other way to get the true english pronunciation than to come over in to England. • Lettre 201 à Thieriot, 1727. GEHLF 17 avril 2015

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