Vivacity

Use in the book

The early contrast between fiery delivery and cold matter attributes ordinary vivacity to blood rather than soul; its regional generalization belongs to Joubert and is not a verified account of character. A practical instruction asks the mind to learn to function without liveliness, since age and setbacks can remove it. The race between slow taste and rapid mind, reason and imagination, gives maturation a different tempo from immediate brilliance. Voltaire’s verses are said to spring from vivacity alone, gushing instead of flowing. A later warning is more qualified: even the liveliness of good taste can sometimes mislead good judgment. The repeated good prevents this from becoming a simple contrast of bad taste with sound reason.

Places to read

1. I, p. 87, entry 3, ¶1Fiery expression is distinguished from the temperature of its matter.
2. I, p. 195, entry begun p. 194, no. 4, ¶2The mind should learn to work without constant liveliness.
3. I, p. 376, entry 6, ¶1Taste and reason take time to catch up with rapid powers.
4. II, p. 604, entry 10, ¶2Voltaire’s verses gush rather than flow.
5. II, p. 702, entry 12, ¶1Lively good taste can sometimes mislead good judgment.

Translation in this edition

The English translation alternates vivacity and liveliness. The peculiar jaillisssnt in the Voltaire passage is interpreted as gush while retained with qualification in French. The possibility and occasional force of “can sometimes” remain in the final warning.