Jacques the Fatalist and His Master: Analysis of Setting
"Jacques the Fatalist and His Master" is a novel by Denis Diderot that explores themes of fate and free will through a series of episodic interactions between its characters. The setting is integral to the narrative, as it takes the reader on a journey through various locations in France, including towns, inns, farms, and domestic spaces. These shifting landscapes are not only physical backdrops but also serve as catalysts for the unfolding humor and satire in the story, particularly regarding the dynamics of sexual relationships. Diderot’s approach to setting creates a sense of disorientation, reflecting the unpredictability of life and human interactions. The novel presents scenarios, such as that involving the baker’s wife, where the placement of the characters in specific locations leads to comical and poignant outcomes. This interplay between settings and character actions invites readers to reflect on the absurdities of social norms and human behavior. Overall, the multi-faceted settings enhance the narrative's exploration of philosophical themes, making it a rich text for those interested in literature that examines the complexities of life through humor and critical observation.
Jacques the Fatalist and His Master: Analysis of Setting
First published:Jacques le fataliste et son maître, 1796 (English translation, 1797)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Picaresque
Time of work: Mid-eighteenth century
Asterisk denotes entries on real places.
Places Discussed
*France
*France. Interrupted tales bounce the main characters and readers from place to place throughout France. Settings include towns, inns, farms, roadways, houses, and even lofts and doorsteps. The constantly shifting scenes are so disorienting that even the narrator is not always sure where the characters are.
Like his contemporary French writer Voltaire, Diderot often viewed sexual relationships between men and women as good sources of humor and satire. The novel includes several places which by their nature create humorous situations based on these relationships. The tale of the baker’s wife and her lover, for example, is one in which place is essential to the action. When the local authorities come to arrest the baker, the wife’s lover, not the baker, is with her. Later the lover leaves and is arrested in spite of his protests because “whoever sleeps with the baker’s wife is the baker.”
Bibliography
“Diderot’s Great Scroll: Narrative Art in Jacques le Fataliste,” in Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century. LXXXVIII (1975).
Fellows, Otis. Diderot. Boston: Twayne, 1989. In this updated edition, the author was able to incorporate the latest research on Diderot in general and on Jacques the Fatalist and His Master, which is discussed in the penultimate chapter, in particular.
Furbank, P. N. Diderot: A Critical Biography. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1992. Fine biographical study, which includes critical analyses of Diderot’s writings. The study of Jacques the Fatalist and His Master in chapter 24 offers astute treatment of the philosophical issues and of the theories about fiction.
Loy, J. Robert. Diderot’s Determined Fatalist. New York: King’s Crown Press, 1950. The pioneering study that first opened up Diderot’s experimental novel to intelligent critical evaluation of its qualities as a work of art and as a profound philosophical discussion of the nature of human existence.
Vartanian, Aram. “Jacques the Fatalist: A Journey into the Ramifications of a Dilemma.” In Essays on Diderot and the Enlightenment in Honor of Otis Fellows. Geneva: E. Droz, 1974. Exceptionally clear and elegant essay on Diderot’s uncomfortable awareness of the contradictions in fatalism and determinism as philosophical systems.
Wilson, Arthur M. Diderot. New York: Oxford University Press, 1972. A thorough and scholarly critical study of Diderot’s life and works. Chapter 46 has a fine discussion of Jacques the Fatalist and His Master as an exposition of Diderot’s views on determinism and humanism.