第105章
Never have dialogues borne such a strong resemblance to verbal sparring matches. Each narration， each portrait， each detail of action， might be detached and serve as a good example for schoolboys， along with the masterpieces of the ancient tribune. So strong is this tendency that， on the approach of the final moment， in the agony of death， alone and without witnesses， the character finds the means to plead his own frenzy and die eloquently.
II. ITS ORIGINAL DEFICIENCY.
Its original deficiency. - Signs of this in the 17th century. - It grows with time and success. - Proofs of this growth in the 18th century. - Serious poetry， the drama， history and romances. - Short-sighted views of man and of human existence.
This excess indicates a deficiency. In the two operations which the human mind performs， the classicist is more successful in the second than in the first. The second， indeed， stands in the way of the first， the obligation of always speaking correctly makes him refrain from saying all that ought to be said. With him the form is more important than abundant contents， the firsthand observations which serve as a living source losing， in the regulated channels to which they are confined， their force， depth and impetuosity. Real poetry， able to convey dream and illusion， cannot be brought forth. Lyric poetry proves abortive， and likewise the epic poem.[27] Nothing sprouts on these distant fields， remote and sublime， where speech unites with music and painting. Never do we hear the involuntary scream of intense torment， the lonely confession of a distraught soul，[28] pouring out his heart to relieve himself. When a creation of characters is imperative， as in dramatic poetry， the classic mold fashions but one kind， that which through education， birth， or impersonation， always speak correctly， in other words， like so many people of high society.
No others are portrayed on the stage or elsewhere， from Corneille and Racine to Marivaux and Beaumarchais. So strong is the habit that it imposes itself even on La Fontaine's animals， on the servants of Molière， on Montesquieu's Persians， and on the Babylonians， the Indians and the Micromégas of Voltaire. - It must be stated， furthermore， that these characters are only partly real. In real persons two kinds of characteristics may be noted； the first， few in number， which he or she shares with others of their kind and which any reader readily may identify； and the other kind， of which there are a great many， describing only one particular person and these are much more difficult to discover. Classic art concerns itself only with the former； it purposely effaces， neglects or subordinates the latter. It does not build individual persons but generalized characters， a king， a queen， a young prince， a confidant， a high-priest， a captain of the guards， seized by some passion， habit or inclination， such as love， ambition， fidelity or perfidy， a despotic or a yielding temper， some species of wickedness or of native goodness. As to the circumstances of time and place， which， amongst others， exercise a most powerful influence in shaping and diversifying man， it hardly notes them， even setting them aside. In a tragedy the scene is set everywhere and any time， the contrary， that the action takes place nowhere in no specific epoch， is equally valid. It may take place in any palace or in any temple，[29] in which， to get rid of all historic or personal impressions， habits and costumes are introduced conventionally， being neither French nor foreign， nor ancient， nor modern. In this abstract world the address is always "you"(as opposed to the familiar thou)，[30]
"Seigneur" and "Madame，" the noble style always clothing the most different characters in the same dress. When Corneille and Racine， through the stateliness and elegance of their verse， afford us a glimpse of contemporary figures they do it unconsciously， imagining that they are portraying man in himself； and， if we of the present time recognize in their pieces either the gentleman， the duelists， the bullies， the politicians or the heroines of the Fronde， or the courtiers， princes and bishops， the ladies and gentlemen in waiting of the regular monarchy， it is because they have inadvertently dipped their brush in their own experience， some of its color having fallen accidentally on the bare ideal outline which they wished to trace. We have simply a contour， a general sketch， filled up with the harmonious gray tone of correct diction. - Even in comedy， necessarily employing current habits， even with Molière， so frank and so bold， the model is unfinished， all individual peculiarities being suppressed， the face becoming for a moment a theatrical mask， and the personage， especially when talking in verse， sometimes losing its animation in becoming the mouth-piece for a monologue or a dissertation.[31] The stamp of rank， condition or fortune， whether gentleman or bourgeois， provincial or Parisian， is frequently overlooked.[32] We are rarely made to appreciate physical externals， as in Shakespeare， the temperament， the state of the nervous system， the bluff or drawling tone， the impulsive or restrained action， the emaciation or obesity of a character.[33]