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 1821 · Entry 8152

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French Page · Branch 4371 of 4529

YEAR 1821 · Entry 8152

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 8741

Boileau avoit raison. Si ce qu’on écrit ne plait pas, c’est par [ce que] cela n’est pas vrai. Ou, si cela est vrai, parce que cela n’est pas beau. Et, si cela est vrai et beau au fonds, c’est par ce que cela n’est pas bien énoncé, comme il dit. Et si le mot de Louis XII qu’il cite fait plaisir, c’est parce qu’il participe à la beauté et à la vérité de la maxime générale : « Un roi... » etc.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1821

p. 8742

Boileau was right. If what one writes does not please, it is [because] it is not true. Or, if it is true, because it is not beautiful. And, if it is true and beautiful at bottom, it is because it is not well expressed, as he says. And if the saying of Louis XII that he quotes gives pleasure, it is because it partakes of the beauty and truth of the general maxim: “A king...” etc.

T62.All repeated conditions, at bottom, the reported attribution and unfinished maxim remain. [Because] broadly represents par [ce que], whose printed brackets enclose only part of the French expression; it is not a reproduction loss. The quotation and historical attribution are translated without external authentication. French preserves plain-i plait, au fonds and the distinct printed forms par [ce que], parce que and par ce que. The three points in the closed A king quotation are printed ellipsis; the following etc. remains outside the quotation. All text and the source-editor brackets are roman.

T133.The worn left starts remain identifiable in color; no new loss is certified. Literal plain-i plait, au fonds and the distinct spacings par [ce que], parce que and par ce que remain. The printed roman [ce que] is an editorial supplement, not current damage. All conditions and repeated causal relations, Louis XII, closed quoted fragment and separate etc. remain. The three points inside the quotation are printed ellipsis. This one undated paragraph is roman throughout.

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.