ノヴェール『手紙』(1760) における科学的思考の役割

抄録

This paper intends to demonstrate the significance of Jean=Georges Noverre's scientific thinking in his Lettres sur la dance, et sur les ballets (1760). Close reading reveals that Noverre was acknowledged to the contemporary science such as anatomy and mechanics, and that the scientific thinking made a positive contribution to the establishment of his dance theory. Regarding ‘drawing’ as a scientific technique for composing dance as an art form, he employs ‘picture’ as a methodology for representing dance as a scenic spectacle. Besides, he recognizes man's body as a machine and explains the dancing techniques in mechanical terms. Yet he also asserts that the dance spectacle should not unconsciously conform to the rules of science, and that the dancing techniques should not be executed mechanically; they should be guided by the expressions of heart. His concept of man and his view of dance are hybrid mixture of artificiality and nature. Though Noverre has been generally considered as the advocate of Nature-modeled dance, these facts lead us to the reconsideration of his monochromatic figure as the antagonist against the artificiality of dance.