A journey to the confines of humanity On a remarque from Les Caractères (“De l’Homme,” 128 [IV])

By focusing on the famous entry or “remarque” 128 of the chapter entitled “De l’Homme,” which can be considered as both specific to, and emblematic of, the thought and writing of the Les Caractères, this study aims to highlight the principal sources that La Bruyère tapped into: the writings of the members of the Petit Concile (especially Bossuet and Fleury), the Essais by Montaigne, and On the Sublime by Pseudo-Longinus.