Le Diable du Village
AURICE CRANSTON’S fascinating documentary, Rousseau in England, dealing mainly with Jean Jacques’ relationship with David Hume, taught me more about the character of the strange genius than books have done. It seemed throughout as if Mr Cranston were doing his level best to be both dispassionate and faithful to the records, and the playing of Robert Eddison as Rousseau (as of James McKechnie as Hume) was most sympathetic. Yet what a distasteful personality emerged-mean, touchy; hysterical, neurotic, more than half-mad with delusions of persecution, imprisoned in the cell of his own ego, spitting in the faces of his friends-a hopelessly inadequate character, a creature to be pitied rather than admired. As the most influential of his writings had been produced before the English adventure began, Mr Cranston was spared the tackling of the problem of how such a character could have turned out such potent works. But the programme was, in many ways, a disturbing one. "Rousseau," says Dr Alex Forman, "was one of the creators of the modern consciousness." If he is right, this would go far to explain some of the odder features of the contemporary climate of thought.
J. C.
R.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19570816.2.36.6
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 37, Issue 940, 16 August 1957, Page 23
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198Le Diable du Village New Zealand Listener, Volume 37, Issue 940, 16 August 1957, Page 23
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Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
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