Vigny

What Dominique Pagani says

Dominique Pagani places Vigny among the French romantics of the mal du siècle1. In his view, one has to set them aside somewhat in order to understand German romanticism2. He distinguishes Vigny from Nerval by social background3. He reads La Maison du berger above all. He sees in it one of the finest tributes to woman, all the more notable for coming from a reactionary aristocrat4. He finds this poem less argumentative than usual and draws on the line "Viens y cacher l'amour et ta divine faute" ("Come hide love and your divine fault there") to shed light on the question of forgiveness5. He also points to the prosopopoeia in which nature declares "on me dit une mère et je suis une tombe" ("they call me a mother and I am a tomb"), which shatters the romantic illusion of a maternal nature6. He further takes up the line "Aimer ce que jamais on ne verra deux fois" ("To love what one will never see twice"), which for him expresses true singularity7. He also cites the phrase "Les villes sont les ulcères de la nature" ("Cities are the ulcers of nature"), in which he sees an ecological concern already present8. Finally, he recalls that Vigny supports Baudelaire after his trial while reproaching him for not titling his book "Les Fleurs du bien" (The Flowers of Good)9.

1. 19 #19 Le Crépuscule des dieux ou de la répétition à la libération • Partie 214 Apr 2021 · 1:48:56
2. 2Hegel Plage 1/51 Feb 2016 · 15:57
3. 3Assemblée nationale24 Oct 2018 · 1:22:24
4. 4Musicosophie 9. Ironie romantique et sonate de Vinteuil15 Jan 2021 · 7:48
5. 5NOTRE ANCIENNE SAUVAGERIE ? - Lecture à vif d'une illumination d'Arthur Rimbaud13 Jun 2025 · 17:36
6. 6Dominique Pagani - Qui se cache sous les surfaces ? Esthétique et politique20 May 2022 · 19:31
7. 7#2.2 Entre crise et guerre : Philosopher ?15 Feb 2016 · 1:15:58
8. 8Leibniz1 Aug 2017 · 1:02:47
9. 9La mondanité chez Clouscard : Désirer quoi ? Par qui ??3 Sept 2023 · 57:38

Summary produced automatically from 12 of the passages below, to be reviewed; the numbers link to the moment in the session.