Diotimos Library · Journals, Notebooks & Fragments Collection · Bilingual Edition

Joseph Joubert

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II

Name: The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II
Author: Joseph Joubert

Complete Notebooks · French with an independent English translation.

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The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume IIYEAR 1820 · Entry 8098

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English Page · Branch 4317 of 4529

YEAR 1820 · Entry 8098

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 8633

5 mars.

Les Genevois. Ames froides dans des corps froids. Lorsque l’austérité est inutile à l’âme, elle ne vaut pas mieux et vaut peut-être moins que son contraire. Les vertus tendres et ardentes qui peuvent en être l’effet la recommandent seules et la recommandent assés. Mais toute régularité n’est pas vertu, quoiqu’elle en usurpe l’apparence.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1820

p. 8634

March 5.

The Genevans. Cold souls in cold bodies. When austerity is useless to the soul, it is worth no more, and perhaps less, than its opposite. Only the tender and ardent virtues that can result from it recommend it, and recommend it sufficiently. But not all regularity is virtue, though it usurps its appearance.

T16.Both nominal fragments, repeated cold, when, no-more/perhaps-less comparison, can and repeated recommendation remain. Initial Only explicitly restricts the virtues that recommend austerity, corresponding to feminine plural seules, rather than restricting where those virtues can originate. Not all preserves the partial negation; usurps retains the final personification. No assessment of Genevans is added. French retains plain capital Ames and final-s assés. English shares the worth predicate across the two comparative terms and supplies the commas around and perhaps less and before the repeated and recommend.

T57.The complete 5, plain capital Ames, the paired froides/froids forms and comparative/modal relations remain. Assés ends in s, not normalized z. Aus-/térité and all lower left starts are identifiable complete in color; no continuation passes to 900. The whole nine-entry topology, named upper marks, margins, title elevation, two italic extents and damaged dates/openings have been read in color with two native 431 top comparisons. These source-specialist contour readings retain every stated uncertainty; no complete damaged initial or uncertain upper-mark shape is certified beyond those limits.

About This Reading Edition

Joubert’s notebooks return to the work of thinking and writing, the demands of friendship, and questions of faith, beauty and conduct. This edition pairs the French with a new English translation, preserving the order of the chosen source and the unfinished character of its fragments. Dates and source references allow readers to follow a thought through time or return to its printed context.

Historical Text and Translation

The French text follows André Beaunier’s 1938 edition of Les Carnets de Joseph Joubert, published by Gallimard from Joubert’s autograph manuscripts. Volume II continues the notebooks and includes seventy undated pieces. French and English are aligned paragraph by paragraph, retaining the source order, printed dates and page references so readers can return to the facsimile.

About Diotimos Editions

Diotimos Editions prepared this new English translation directly from the French, preserving Joubert’s distinctions, recurring images, ambiguities and unfinished thoughts. Translator’s notes clarify wording, references and uncertain readings: Essential keeps notes that help explain a passage, while All includes technical detail. Annotations from the 1938 source edition remain distinct from the new translator’s notes.

Rights

The linked facsimile records identify the French source as public domain in the United States. The new English translation and editorial notes are © 2026 Diotimos, with source annotations and new editorial contributions credited separately. This edition pairs the complete French notebooks with an independent English translation, preserving the distinction between Joubert’s text and its accompanying notes.