The Matter of Mind: Reason and Experience in the Age of Descartes

357 Pages·2012·2.933 MB·English

by  Christopher Braider

THE MATTER OF MIND:
REASON AND EXPERIENCE IN THE AGE
OF DESCARTES
This page intentionally left blank
CHRISTOPHER BRAIDER
The Matter of Mind
Reason and Experience in the
Age of Descartes
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS
Toronto Buffalo London
©UniversityofTorontoPress2012
Toronto Buffalo London
www.utppublishing.com
PrintedinCanada
ISBN978-1-4426-4348-2
Printedonacid-free,100%post-consumerrecycledpaperwithvegetable-based
inks.
LibraryandArchivesCanadaCataloguinginPublication
Braider,Christopher,1950–
Thematterofmind:reasonandexperienceintheageofDescartes/Christopher
Braider.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-1-4426-4348-2
1. Frenchliterature–17thcentury–Historyandcriticism. 2. France–
Intellectuallife–17thcentury. 3. Experienceinliterature. 4. Reasonin
literature. 5. Descartes,Rene´,1596–1650–Influence. I. Title.
PQ245.B732012 840.9´38409032 C2011-905347-0
UniversityofTorontoPressacknowledgesthefinancialassistancetoits
publishingprogramoftheCanadaCouncilfortheArtsandtheOntarioArts
Council.
UniversityofTorontoPressacknowledgesthefinancialsupportofthe
GovernmentofCanadathroughtheCanadaBookFundforitspublishing
activities.
fortheBoys,bigandlittle
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
ListofIllustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction.ExperienceandtheMatterofMind:
Dualism,Classicism,andtheMythoftheModernSubjectin
Seventeenth-CenturyFrance 3
1 FrontMatter:PlacingDescartes’sMeditations 34
2 AStateofMind:EmbodyingtheSovereigninPoussin’s
TheJudgmentofSolomon 66
3 TheWitchfromColchis:Corneille’sMe´de´e,Chime`ne’sLeCid,and
theInventionofClassicalGenius 122
4 SeeingIsBelieving:ImageandImaginaireinMolie`re’s
Sganarelle 150
5 TheGhostintheMachine:Reason,Faith,andExperiencein
PascalianApologetics 173
6 Desmotssansfin:MeaningandtheEnd(s)ofHistoryinBoileau’s
SatireXII,‘Surl’Equivoque’ 201
Notes 243
Bibliography 305
Index 323
Colourplatesfollowpage 84
This page intentionally left blank
Illustrations
Plate1 NicolasPoussin,ChristRestoringSighttotheBlindofJericho.Paris,
Muse´eduLouvre. 83andcoloursection
Plate2 NicolasPoussin,TheJudgmentofSolomon.Paris,Muse´edu
Louvre. 89andcoloursection
Plate3 NicolasPoussin,Self-PortraitforJeanPointel.Berlin,Staatliche
Museen. 107andcoloursection
Plate4 NicolasPoussin,Self-PortraitforPaulFre´artdeChantelou.Paris,
Muse´eduLouvre. 110andcoloursection
Fig.1 NicolasPoussin,IsraelitesGatheringtheMannaintheWilderness.
Paris,Muse´eduLouvre. 74
Fig.2 Anger,fromCharlesleBrun,Confe´rencesurl’expressionge´ne´raleet
particulie`re. 75
Fig.3 NicolasPoussin,TheSacramentofOrdination.Edinburgh,
NationalGalleryofScotland. 77
Fig.4 PeterPaulRubens,DescentfromtheCross.Antwerp,Cathedralof
OurLady. 79
Fig.5 NicolasPoussin,TheFindingofMoses.Paris,Muse´edu
Louvre. 81
Fig.6 ColourchartfromAthanasiusKircher,Arsmagnaluciset
umbrae. 84
Fig.7 NicolasPoussin,LandscapewithPolyphemus.StPetersburg,The
Hermitage. 92
Fig.8 NicolasPoussin,LandscapewithaCalm.LosAngeles,J.Paul
GettyMuseum. 93
Fig.9 NicolasPoussin,LandscapewithaManKilledbyaSnake.London,
TheNationalGallery. 94
Fig.10 TitlepagefromThomasHobbes,Leviathan. 99