Rousseau and the Arts

A Reading from the Pygmalion

Abstract

This text presents a translation of the theatre play Pygmalion, written by the Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778). The translation has been made directly from the original in French, which is part of the “Contes et Apologues” (Tales and Apologists) of the Œuvres Complètes (Complete Works), published in five volumes, in France, by the Gallimard Editions, of the Bibliothèque de la collection Pléiade, under the direction of Bernard Gagnebin and Marcel Raymond. Following the translation, a discussion is provided on the problem: while Rousseau condemned the arts, including theater, as one of the elements that have caused human corruption, he wrote several artistic works, including poetry, novels, operas and plays. In fact, the author can be considered as one of the precursors of romanticism, having influenced names like that of the great German writer Goethe. However, the Rousseaunian aesthetic has the perspective of finding the remedy in the poison itself, that is, the use of the arts as a remedy for the ills they have caused in the human heart.