游戏与路易十四宫廷社会的构建

Games and the Construction of French Court Society Under Louis ⅩⅣ

在路易十四时代的法国宫廷社会,游戏是宫廷贵族特权身份的重要标志,因为只有他们才能“正当”地通过游戏来消磨过多的空闲时间,且他们的游戏和游戏方式与平民明显不同。游戏也是重要的宫廷社交场合,不仅影响到宫廷人士的荣辱,而且是贵族借以证明其特权身份的重要途径。这使游戏变成宫廷贵族的一种“义务”。路易十四有意识地利用游戏来构建和强化绝对君权,包括控制贵族和加强臣民的效忠。游戏的社交性还使它在宫廷伦理的构建中扮演特殊的角色。这种“优雅”的游戏伦理尽管是以宫廷贵族的特权意识为中心,但对理性和鉴赏力的推崇使它孕育了“平等”等现代意识,并促进文学艺术的繁荣,为18世纪的启蒙运动创造了条件。

In the French court society under Louis ⅩⅣ,playing games was a crucial symbol of aristocratic privilege.This is because only the nobilities had the privilege of killing the excessive free time through playing,and their games and ways of playing were different from those of the civilians.Games also served as important social occasions for the court society,which means playing could have fundamental effect on one’s status therein.Meanwhile,it was also essential for the nobilities to prove their privileged identity through conspicuous game consumption.These turned games into an obligation for the court nobilities.Louis ⅩⅣconsciously utilized games to build the absolute monarchy,including controlling the nobilities and strengthening the allegiance of the subjects.Games,through enhancing court sociability,also played a special role in the construction of the court ethic of“bonne grace”.Although this courtly game ethic was centered on the sense of privilege of the court aristocracy,its value for reason and judgement sowed the seed of modern consciousness such as“equality”and promoted the flourishment of literature and art,thus paving the way for the Enlightenment in the 18th century.