Self-care and meeting hearts: pleasure and moral discourse in the Age of Eligtenment

Abstract

In the 18th century, the question of pleasure is in the center of a dual tension between sexual behavior and philosophical reflection, and sensitive experience and moral analysis. Aiming to explore this complex configuration, this paper proposes to study some texts published in the 1740’s: two short novels by Meusnier de Querlom – les Dortoirs de Lacédémone (1740) and Psaphion, or la Courtisane de Smyrne (1748) – and a treaty of moral philosophy, the Théorie des sentiments agréables (1747), by Lévesque de Pouilly. By demonstrating the roles of musical theory and metaphors found in these texts, the author seeks to show how the question of pleasure makes the moral discourse renewed, affirming both the necessity of self-care and when beginning a harmonious relationship with others.