Jacques CHARDONNE. L.A.S., La Frette November 5, 1943, to Ja - Lot 171

Jacques CHARDONNE. L.A.S., La Frette November 5, 1943, to Jacques Boulenger; 2 pages in-4. Beautiful letter on man and woman. Chardonne thanks Boulenger for his article, and indulges in an astonishing parallel between man and woman: "If I say that man and woman are the same (except for sex and certain forms of sensitivity - which constitute an enormous difference), this implies knowing the immense literature that opposes them, Keyserling's thousand pages, in particular, on this subject. And I just want to say, with a quip that's bound to startle a few people, that the difference isn't that great. I feel this way, I think, because for thirty years I handed out some fifty functions, each of which demanded a specific ability and almost a specific temperament, and they were filled equally well by men and women. I believe that Bernard Grasset is a woman, and that most of the traits we consider especially feminine can be found in many men. The difference is not as clear-cut as is commonly said"... He regrets that Boulenger did not write a "history of feelings in France", and points out that "in the last forty years, family mores and especially those of young girls have changed a great deal. [...] Don't you think that until 1789, there was an innocence in pomp that has since been lost? I think I see an ingenuity in wealth, a way of "flaunting one's jewels", as if luxury were a duty of the nobility, a pleasing spectacle for the people? The king set the example. Am I wrong?