oa Diderot, Est-il bon ? Est-il méchant ? ou la tentation nouvelle de parler de soi au théâtre

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[Diderot’s Est-Il Bon, Est-Il Méchant ?, or a New Temptation to Talk about Oneself in the Theatre]

The paper aims to evaluate the autobiographical section contained in one of the late plays by Diderot, Est-il bon ? Est-il méchant ? (1775-1781), at a time when this kind of writing was not yet popular and seemed, especially in the theatre, out of place and even obscene. The paper queries Diderot’s ability to deal in this play – reserved for the théâtre de société, and through the transparent character of Hardouin the writer – with subjects that were important to him, such as the difficulty for a public figure to write in loneliness; for an atheist to maintain virtuous conduct; for a man to hope for a paternity that is both biological and intellectual. These three dilemmas, set against the backdrop of farce and comedy, delicately convey subjects that really darkened Diderot’s life.