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 1818 · Entry 7890

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English Page · Branch 4109 of 4529

YEAR 1818 · Entry 7890

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 8217

4 octobre.

Du merveilleux dans le discours. Tout discours, s’il est destiné au public, doit avoir quelque chose de merveilleux; le merveilleux en assure seul la durée.

« Les anciens, dit le bonhomme dom Calmet (dissertation sur l’histoire des Hébreux) les anciens vouloient avoir trop d’esprit. Ils ne croyoient rien dire quand ils ne disoient rien de merveilleux. » Les anciens avoient raison et leur soin à cet égard n’étoit pas ce que Boileau a depuis appelé « un soin vicieux ». (Remarq. sur Longin et in Balzac.) En un certain sens cette attention est nécessaire, et par là même convenable aux premiers et aux derniers temps.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1818

p. 8218

October 4.

Of the marvelous in discourse. Every discourse, if it is intended for the public, must contain something marvelous; the marvelous alone assures its lastingness.

“The ancients,” says the good old Dom Calmet (dissertation on the history of the Hebrews), “the ancients wanted to have too much wit. They thought they were saying nothing when they said nothing marvelous.” The ancients were right, and their care in this respect was not what Boileau later called “a vicious care.” (Remarks on Longinus and in Balzac.) In a certain sense this attention is necessary, and for that very reason appropriate to the earliest and the latest times.

T125.The topic fragment, every, conditional qualification and obligation remain. The repeated marvelous and alone retain the exclusive relation; lastingness renders durée without supplying historical fame.

T365.The complete 4 octobre governs two paragraphs. Tout, the if condition, devoir, repeated merveilleux and seul remain. In the French source, the Calmet quotation is one uninterrupted quoted span including its attribution and parenthesis, with repeated Les anciens. The source form dom is lowercase and all bibliographical words are roman. The later French Boileau quotation has its baseline period outside the closing guillemet; the separate parenthetic Remarq. pointer retains et in and its internal period. The his-/toire wrap is complete. No external quotation is independently verified.

T126.The repeated ancients, too much, paired nothing and quoted vicious care remain, together with the subsequent disagreement and time contrast. English separates the narrator’s says clause with quotation marks for readability; the French has one uninterrupted quoted span around that sentence and its report. The abbreviated bibliographical pointer receives an English gloss, including its unusual in Balzac, without identifying an edition or authenticating either quotation. English capitalizes Dom conventionally for printed lowercase dom and places the period inside the Boileau quotation. The quotations and bibliographical pointer remain roman.

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.