1 of 11

La Défense et illustration de la langue française

Joachim du Bellay

History and Theory of Translation

Professor: Zsófia Gombár

Diana Ca nº 152670

Filipa Solla nº163633

2 of 11

Index

Joachim du Bellay

He was a french Renaissance poet;
Born around 1522 in Liré;
Died January 1st of 1560 in Paris, France;
In 1547 became friends with Pierre de Ronsard at the University of Poitiers;
Part of a literary group named “La Pléiade”
Defended the use of French against the Renaissance humanists who preferred Greek and Latin

La Pléiade

Group of seven French writers from the 16th century: Joachim du Bellay, Pierre de Ronsard, Pontus de Tyard, Jacques du Mans, Rémi Belleau, Jean-Antoine de Baïf and Étienne Jodelle
Led by Pierre de Ronsard;
The objective of the group was to elevate French as a language to the level of the classical languages, Latin and Greek, in literature, and to create great french poetry. Taking into consideration “La Défense et illustration de la langue française” as the Pléiade’s manifesto;
Considered the first representatives of French Renaissance poetry as they revived the alexandrine verse form - the dominant poetic form of the French Renaissance.

What is “La Défense et illustration de la langue française” ?

The essay is based on these ideals:

The triumph of the French language over "Latinizers" and those who misuse it ;
To enrich vocabulary and techniques, while avoiding translation
To create a new kind of poetry that would abandon earlier medieval and marotic genres (in reference to Clement Marot) with a focus on antique genres and masters.
To consider the poet's divine function as nothing if it is not something that leads someone that shall chant the national identity and the immortality;

Nacional Identity: Rejection of the French language

In Joachim du Bellay’s work the author asked French writers to start using the language and their own culture more in their work and not to copy classical texts. Bellay believed the French language had potential to create amazing pieces as opposed to sticking to copying the known classical works.
Bellay encouraged that France should develop cultural and literary traditions instead of following ones made before and that didn’t show the country’s potential, drawing inspiration from history, culture and even the language.

Du Bellay’s opinion on Translation

Finds it too slavish and believes that translation would fail to capture the richness of the original work. He devotes three chapters of his First Book to this problem:
In chapter IV, he establishes "That the French language is not as poor as many people think".
In chapter V, he argues "That translations are not sufficient to give perfection to the French language".
Chapter VI deals with "bad translators; and not translating poets". Only the latter half of a title that is believed to be proof in itself has often been retained.
The reasons given by Joachim du Bellay in this, his most extensive essay on the problems of translation, vary greatly in value: some are purely polemical, others historical, and some genuinely

Public reception

The polemical, militant tone, in the work gives it a sort of look appearing as a manifesto, inverting the author's intentions.
Sébilet, provoked by the text, immediately responds with a translation of Euripides' Iphigenia.
Guillaume Des Autels' “Réplique” points out the dangers of imitation.
Supported by Ronsard, Du Bellay responded in the second edition of “L’Olive” with a few dismissive objections to detractors convinced they were dealing with a self-serving enterprise that condemned Maroquite literature under the guise of a struggle with Italy.

Conclusion

The essay defends the use of the French language as opposed to Latin and Greek during the time where these two dominated the world. These languages were mostly used in the areas of literacy and scholarship in Europe.
Criticizes those who overlooked French as a language and literature during Renaissance, saying that French is a language capable of making nice literature pieces.
The essay also made a difference in literature: as the work appeals for the use of vernacular languages (the common language the population uses) instead of Latin, in the Renaissance literature, allowing in the future for other languages, in Europe, develop to what we know them like in modern days.

Bibliography

Kahoot