Moral questions in Max Jacob’s Le cabinet noir

Abstract

This essay aims at presenting the book Le Cabinet noir of Max Jacob, a book of fictional letters with comments, taking into consideration the moral judgment: right conduct, principles that govern modes of action. This strategy demonstrates the ambiguity of Max Jacob’s project: divided into a certain Catholicism, which he practiced, and avant-garde literature. On the other hand, this study points to the various contradictions such as a certain morality towards the family preservation or friendship, virtues or Christian attitudes and bourgeois conveniences. Finally, it establishes the dimension of desire in face of René Girard’s questionings in the essay Mensonge romantique et vérité romanesque.