Origins and Development
Casual use of the phrase in French can be dated back at least as far as Fénelon in the late 17thC, but it was only brought into literary prominence in the 19thC, first by Michelet (1857) in his pantheistic work Insecte, to contrast the passive life of plants with animal joie de vivre, and then by Émile Zola in his book of that name from 1883-4.
Thereafter, it took on increasing weight as a mode of life, approximating at times almost to a secular religion, in the early 20thC; and subsequently fed into Lacanian emphasis on "a jouissance beyond the pleasure principle" in the latter half of the century - a time when its emphasis on enthusiasm, energy and spontaneity gave it a global prominence with the rise of Hippie culture.
With the neoliberal triumph, the term has gone into partial, but hopefully not total, eclipse.
Read more about this topic: Joie De Vivre
Famous quotes containing the words origins and, origins and/or development:
“Lucretius
Sings his great theory of natural origins and of wise conduct; Plato
smiling carves dreams, bright cells
Of incorruptible wax to hive the Greek honey.”
—Robinson Jeffers (1887–1962)
“The origins of clothing are not practical. They are mystical and erotic. The primitive man in the wolf-pelt was not keeping dry; he was saying: “Look what I killed. Aren’t I the best?””
—Katharine Hamnett (b. 1948)
“Creativity seems to emerge from multiple experiences, coupled with a well-supported development of personal resources, including a sense of freedom to venture beyond the known.”
—Loris Malaguzzi (20th century)