"Myth, Language, and Perception in Rousseau's "Narcisse

The lion's share of critical studies on Rousseau's one-act play Narcisse ou 'Amant de lui-meme focus chiefly on the play's preface while leaving aside several crucial concerns within the play itself.x The polemic over the sciences and the arts is usually taken to be the primary subject of the preface, and not that of the play.2 Yet it is precisely the fundamentally human drama that occurs at the transition from primitive to civilized society that underlies the action of this comedy. The language and perception of the characters disclose their affinity with one stage or another in the movement from nature to culture. The way in which they perceive themselves and their environment parallels the way in which they speak. Upon ultimately modifying their perception, they effect a significant change in their language. An analysis of this play offers a poignant view into Rousseau's theory of language and sheds considerable light on the preface. Narcisse first deals with a seemingly simple case of misleading appearances. Its plot unfolds quickly as the characters literally rush to dupe Valere into falling in love with a portrait of himself disguised as a woman. The enhanced awareness that might result from seeing oneself as an object ends up in narcissism and schizophrenia, which receive a comic treatment.3 As Rousseau pointed out in his First Discourse (or Dis

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• The Political Philosophy of Rousseau

  Roger D Masters•Political Philosophy of Rousseau•2015

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