L'Organe des Anciens? Retour sur les rééditions des Caractères de La Bruyère

This article challenges fundamental assumptions about Jean de La Bruyère's Les Caractères and the eight reissues of the work that were published in just six years - a unique case in canonical French literature. Contrary to critical refrains since the mid-nineteenth century, these editions should not be considered as drafts that preceded a definitive version. Following early modern editorial practices, the reissues are better understood within a concept of periodicity: Les Caractères functioned as a media platform that allowed La Bruyère to compete with the Mercure galant (the fashionable official media outlet of Louis XIV's reign) to intervene in topical debates and secure election to the Académie française. Throughout the editions, he subtly re-oriented his positioning and moulded his work into a literary monument. Behind its venerable philosophical tone, Les Caractères reveals itself to be a dynamic book, tightly linked to contemporary issues and elaborated from sophisticated media strategies, as well as a textbook case in the historiography of French studies

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