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For more information on historical developments in this period see: Renaissance, History of France, and Early Modern France. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere The History of France has been divided into a series of separate historical articles navigable through the list to the right Early Modern France is the Early modern period of French history from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century (or from the French Renaissance

For information on French art and music of the period, see French Renaissance. French Renaissance is a recent term used to describe a cultural and artistic movement in France from the late 15th century to the early 17th century

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French Renaissance literature is, for the purpose of this article, literature written in French (Middle French) from the French invasion of Italy in 1494 to 1600, or roughly the period from the reign of Charles VIII of France to the ascension of Henri IV of France to the throne. This article is a general introduction to French literature For detailed information on French literature in specific historic periods see the separate historical articles in the French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Medieval French literature is for the purpose of this article Literature written in Oïl languages (particularly Old French and early Middle French literature of the 17th century &mdashthe so-called Grand Siècle &mdashspans the reigns of Henry IV of France, the Regency of Marie de Medici French literature of the 18th century usually refers to the literature written between 1715, the year of the death of King Louis XIV of France, and 1798 the year French literature of the nineteenth century is for the purpose of this article literature written in French from (roughly 1799 to 1900 French literature of the twentieth century is for the purpose of this article literature written in French from (roughly 1895 to 1990 Contemporary French literature is French literature roughly from the 1990s to Today. Francophone literature is Literature written in the French language. This is an article about Literature in Quebec. 16th and 17th centuries During this period the society of New France was being Post-colonial literature (or "Postcolonial literature" sometimes called "New English literature(s" is a body of literary writings that reacts to the discourse The Culture of Haiti encompasses a variety of Haitian traditions from native Taino customs to practices imported during French colonisation and Spanish Chronological list of French language authors (regardless of nationality by date of birth French poetry is a category of French literature. It may include Francophone poetry composed outside France and poetry written in other Languages of French science fiction is a substantial genre within French literature. Franco-Belgian comics are Comics that are created in Belgium and France. The Fantastique is a French term for a literary and cinematic genre that overlaps with Science fiction, horror and Fantasy Naturalism is a movement in Theatre, film, and Literature that seeks to replicate a believable everyday reality, as opposed to such Symbolism was a late nineteenth-century Art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early-1920s and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members Existentialism is a philosophical doctrine which posits that individuals create the meaning and essence of their lives and that this essence follows from their existence The nouveau roman ( French: "new novel" is a type of 1950s French Novel that diverged from classical literary genres The Theatre of the Absurd ( French: Théâtre de l'Absurde) is a designation for particular plays written by a number of primarily European Playwrights Literary theory in a strict sense is the systematic study of the nature of Literature and of the methods for analyzing literature Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, also known by his Stage name, Molière, ( January 15, 1622 – February 17 1673) was a French Jean Racine ( ( December 22, 1639 &ndash April 21, 1699) was a French Dramatist, one of the "big three" of Henri-Marie Beyle ( January 23, 1783 &ndash March 23, 1842) better known by his Pen name Stendhal, was a 19th-century Gustave Flaubert (gystaːv flobɛːʁ in French ( December 12, 1821 &ndash May 8, 1880) was a French writer who is counted among Émile François Zola ( (2 April 1840 &ndash 29 September 1902 was an influential French Writer, the most important exemplar of the literary school of Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (maʁsɛl pʁust (10 July 1871 &ndash 18 November 1922 was a French Novelist Essayist and Critic Samuel Barclay Beckett (13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989 was an Irish Writer, Dramatist and poet Albert Camus ( (7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960 was an Algerian born French Author, philosopher, and journalist who won the Nobel prize Middle French (le moyen français is a historical division of the French language which covers the period from (roughly 1340 to 1611. Charles VIII, called the Affable (l'Affable 30 June 1470 &ndash 7 April 1498 was King of France from 1483 to his death Henry IV (Henri IV ( 13 December 1553 &ndash 14 May 1610) ruled as King of France from 1589 to 1610 and as Henry III The reigns of François I (from 1515 to 1547) and his son Henri II (from 1547 to 1559) are generally considered the apex of the French Renaissance. Francis I (September 12 1494 &ndash March 31 1547 was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until 1547 Henry II (Henri II (31 March 1519 &ndash 10 July 1559 of the House of Valois and the son and successor of Francis I, was King of France from 31 After Henri II's unfortunate death in a joust, the country was ruled by his widow Catherine de' Medici and her sons François II, Charles IX and Henri III, and although the Renaissance continued to flourish, the French Wars of Religion between Huguenots and Catholics ravaged the country. Catherine de' Medici (April 13 1519 &ndash January 5 1589 was born in Florence, Italy as Caterina Maria Romula di Lorenzo de' Medici. Francis II (François II (19 January 1544 &ndash 5 December 1560 King-consort of Scotland (1558&ndash1560 and King of France (1559 &ndash 1560 was born Charles IX (27 June 1550 &ndash 30 May 1574 born Charles-Maximilien, was King of France, ruling from 1560 until his death Henry III of France (Henri III Henryk ( September 19 1551 – August 2, 1589) The French Wars of Religion (1562 to 1598 between French Catholics and Protestants ( Huguenots involved both civil infighting The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France (or French Calvinists) from the sixteenth to the eighteenth

Contents

Introduction

The sixteenth century in France was a remarkable period of literary creation (the language of this period is called Middle French). Middle French (le moyen français is a historical division of the French language which covers the period from (roughly 1340 to 1611. The use of the printing press (aiding the diffusion of works by ancient Latin and Greek authors; the printing press was introduced in 1470 in Paris, and in 1473 in Lyon), the development of humanism and Neo-Platonism, and the discovery (through the wars in Italy and through Henri II’s marriage with Catherine de' Medici) of the cultivated refinement of the Italian courts (Baldassare Castiglione’s book The Courtier was also particularly important in this respect) would profoundly modify the French literary landscape and the mental outlook (or “mentalité”) of the period. A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a medium (such as paper or cloth thereby transferring an image Humanism is a broad category of ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appealing to universal Neoplatonism (also Neo-Platonism) is the modern term for a school of religious and mystical Philosophy that took shape in the 3rd century AD founded by Baldasare Castiglione, count of Novellata ( December 15, 1478 &ndash February 28, 1529) was an Italian Courtier, There is a slow evolution from the rude warrior class to a cultivated noble class (giving rise to the idea of the “honnête homme” in the seventeenth century). In all genres, there is a great interest in love (both physical and platonic) and in psychological and moral analysis.

This period saw: a proliferation of pamphlets, tracts, satires and memoirs; the success of short-story collections (“nouvelles”) as well as collections of oral tales and anecdotes (“propos and devis”); a public fascination with tragic tales from Italy (most notably those of Bandello); a considerable increase in the translating and publishing of contemporary European authors (especially Italians and Spaniards) compared to authors from the Middle Ages and classical antiquity; an important increase in the number of religious works sold (devotional books would beat out the “belles-lettres” as the most sold genre in France at the beginning of the seventeenth century); and finally, the publication of important works of moral and philosophical reflection. Matteo Bandello (c 1480 &ndash 1562 was an Italian novelist Biography Matteo Bandello was born at Castelnuovo Scrivia, near Tortona (current

The history of literature of the Renaissance is not monolithic: the royal court, the universities, the general public, the "noblesse de robe", the provincial noble, and the humanist all encountered different influences and developed different tastes. Humanist theater would come slowly to the general public; the old warrior class discovered court etiquette and polished manners only over time; and the extravagance of the Italian-inspired court was frequently criticized by detractors. Literacy itself is an important issue in the dissemination of the texts of the Renaissance: the culture of the 16th century remains profoundly oral, and the short story, the chivalric novel and Rabelais's works make this orality a central part of their style. As a Literary genre of High culture, romance or chivalric romance refers to a style of heroic Prose and verse Narrative Finally, the Renaissance book was a physical and economic object of great scarcity and — depending on its size and illustrations — of great prestige. A library such as Montaigne's was a rare occurrence for people other than lawyers and members of parliament who had had an elite education in the universities; for the public, the broadsheet or penny press (with woodcut illustrations) sold door to door by colporters would have been their only access to the written word. Penny press Newspapers were cheap Tabloid -style papers produced in the middle of the 19th century

Poetry

Poetry in the first years of the sixteenth century is characterised by the elaborate sonorous and graphic experimentation and skillful word games of a number of Northern poets (such as Jean Lemaire de Belges and Jean Molinet), generally called “les Grands Rhétoriqueurs” who continued to develop poetic techniques from the previous century. Jean Lemaire de Belges (c 1473 &ndash c 1525 was a Walloon poet and historian who lived primarily in France. Jean Molinet (1435 &ndash August 23, 1507) was a French Poet, Chronicler, and Composer. The Grands Rhétoriqueurs or simply the "Rhétoriqueurs" is the name given to a group of poets from 1460 to 1520 (or from François Villon to Clément Marot Soon however, the impact of Petrarch (the sonnet cycle addressed to an idealised lover, the use of amorous pardoxes), Italian poets in the French court (like Luigi Alamanni), Italian Neo-platonism and humanism, and the rediscovery of certain Greek poets (such as Pindar and Anacreon) would profoundly modify the French tradition. Francesco Petrarca ( July 20, 1304 – July 19, 1374) known in English as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar A sonnet cycle is a group of Sonnets arranged to address a particular person or theme and designed to be read both as a collection of fully-realized individual poems and as Luigi Alamanni (sometimes spelt Alemanni; March 6 1495 &ndash April 18 1556 was an Italian Poet and Statesman. Neoplatonism (also Neo-Platonism) is the modern term for a school of religious and mystical Philosophy that took shape in the 3rd century AD founded by Humanism is a broad category of ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appealing to universal Pindar (ˈpɪndɚ (or Pindarus, Greek:) (probably born 522 BC in Cynoscephalae a village in Boeotia; died 443 BC in Argos) was an Ancient Anacreon ( Greek) (570 BC-488 BC was a Greek lyric Poet, notable for his drinking songs and hymns In this respect, the French poets Clément Marot and Mellin de Saint-Gelais are transitional figures: they are credited with some of the first sonnets in French, but their poems continue to employ many of the traditional forms. Clément Marot (23 November 1496 – 12 September 1544 was a French Poet of the Renaissance period Mellin de Saint-Gelais (or Melin de Saint-Gelays or Sainct-Gelais; c The sonnet is one of the poetic forms that can be found in Lyric poetry from Europe.

The new direction of poetry is fully apparent in the work of the humanist Jacques Peletier du Mans. Jacques Peletier du Mans (1517 Le Mans – 1582 Paris) was a humanist, Poet and Mathematician of the French Renaissance In 1541, he published the first French translation of Horace's Ars poetica and in 1547 he published a collection poems Œuvres poétiques, which included translations from the first two cantos of Homer's Odyssey and the first book of Virgil's Georgics, twelve Petrarchian sonnets, three Horacian odes and a Martial-like epigram; this poetry collection also included the first published poems of Joachim Du Bellay and Pierre de Ronsard. Quintus Horatius Flaccus, ( Venosa, December 8, 65 BC - Rome, November 27, 8 BC known in the English-speaking world as Horace Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the The Odyssey ( Greek: Ὀδύσσεια or Odússeia) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. Publius Vergilius Maro ( October 15, 70 BCE &ndash September 21, 19 BCE later called Virgilius, and known in English as Virgil or The Georgics, published in 29 BCE, is the second major work by the Latin poet Virgil. Francesco Petrarca ( July 20, 1304 – July 19, 1374) known in English as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar The sonnet is one of the poetic forms that can be found in Lyric poetry from Europe. Quintus Horatius Flaccus, ( Venosa, December 8, 65 BC - Rome, November 27, 8 BC known in the English-speaking world as Horace Ode (from the Ancient Greek) is a form of stately and elaborate lyrical verse. Marcus Valerius Martialis (known in English as Martial) (March 1 40 AD - ca An epigram is a short Poem, often with a clever twist at the end or a concise and witty statement Joachim du Bellay (c 1522 &ndash January 1, 1560) was a French Poet, Critic, and a member of the Pléiade. Pierre de Ronsard ( 11 September, 1524 – December 1585 was a French Poet and "prince of poets" (as his own generation in France

Around Ronsard, Du Bellay and Jean Antoine de Baïf there formed a group of radical young noble poets of the court (generally known today as La Pléiade, although use of this term is debated). Jean Antoine de Baïf ( February 19, 1532 - September 19, 1589) was a French Poet and member of the This article is about French poetry For other uses see Pleiades (disambiguation The Pléiade is the name given to a group of 16th-century The character of their literary program was given in Du Bellay's manifesto, the "Defense and Illustration of the French Language" (1549) which maintained that French (like the Tuscan of Petrarch and Dante) was a worthy language for literary expression and which promulgated a program of linguistic and literary production (including the imitation of Latin and Greek genres) and purification. Francesco Petrarca ( July 20, 1304 – July 19, 1374) known in English as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar For some of the members of the Pléiade, the act of the poety itself was seen as a form of divine inspiration (see Pontus de Tyard for example), a possession by the muses akin to romantic passion, prophetic fervor or alcoholic delirium. Pontus de Tyard (c 1521 - September 23, 1605) was a French Poet and priest a member of " La Pléiade " In Greek mythology, the Muses ( Ancient Greek, hai moũsai: perhaps from the Proto-Indo-European root * men- "think" are

The forms that dominate the poetic production of the period are the Petrarchian sonnet cycle (developed around an amorous encounter or an idealized woman) and the Horace/Anacreon ode (especially of the carpe diem — life is short, seize the day — variety). Francesco Petrarca ( July 20, 1304 – July 19, 1374) known in English as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar A sonnet cycle is a group of Sonnets arranged to address a particular person or theme and designed to be read both as a collection of fully-realized individual poems and as Quintus Horatius Flaccus, ( Venosa, December 8, 65 BC - Rome, November 27, 8 BC known in the English-speaking world as Horace Anacreon ( Greek) (570 BC-488 BC was a Greek lyric Poet, notable for his drinking songs and hymns Ode (from the Ancient Greek) is a form of stately and elaborate lyrical verse. Carpe diem is a phrase from a Latin poem by Horace (See section below Ronsard also tried early on to adapt the Pindaric ode into French. Pindar (ˈpɪndɚ (or Pindarus, Greek:) (probably born 522 BC in Cynoscephalae a village in Boeotia; died 443 BC in Argos) was an Ancient Throughout the period, the use of mythology is frequent, but so too is a depiction of the natural world (woods, rivers). The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore" Other genres include the paradoxical encomium (such as Remy Belleau's poem prasing the oyster), the “blason” of the female body (a poetic description of a body part), and propagandistic verse. Encomium is a Latin word deriving from the Classical Greek ἐγκώμιον ( encomion) meaning the praise of a person or thing Remy (or Rémi Belleau (1528 Nogent-le-Rotrou - 1577 Paris) was a Poet of the French Renaissance. Blason originally comes from French Heraldry and means either the codified description of a coat of arms or the coat of arms itself

Du Bellay's greatest poems were written during his long stay in Rome; his discovery of the ruined city, dismay at the corruption of the Papal court and loneliness gave rise to a sonnet cycle of remarkable sadness and severity (partially inspired by Ovid's Tristia). Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Publius Ovidius Naso ( March 20, 43 BC – 17 AD was a Roman poet known to the English -speaking world as Ovid who wrote on many topics including Tristia ('Sadness' is a work of poetry in five books written by the Roman poet Ovid at some time after he was banished from Rome in AD 8.

Although Ronsard attempted a long epic poem of the origins of the French monarchy entitled La Franciade (modeled on Virgil and Homer), this experiment was largely judged a failure, and he remains most remembered today for his various collections of Amours (or love poems), Odes and Hymnes. An epic is a lengthy Narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation Publius Vergilius Maro ( October 15, 70 BCE &ndash September 21, 19 BCE later called Virgilius, and known in English as Virgil or Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the

Jacques Peletier du Mans's later encyclopedic collection L'Amour des amours, consisting of a sonnet cycle and a series of poems describing meteors, planets and the heavens, would influence the poets Jean Antoine de Baïf and Guillaume de Salluste Du Bartas (whose Semaine is a Baroque description of the creation of the world). A sonnet cycle is a group of Sonnets arranged to address a particular person or theme and designed to be read both as a collection of fully-realized individual poems and as Jean Antoine de Baïf ( February 19, 1532 - September 19, 1589) was a French Poet and member of the Guillaume de Salluste Du Bartas (1544–July 1590 was a French poet

Several poets of the period — Jean Antoine de Baïf (who founded an "Académie de Poésie et de Musique" in 1570), Blaise de Vigenère and others — attempted to adapt into French the Latin, Greek or Hebrew poetic meters; these experiments were called "vers mesurés" and "prose mesuré" (for more, see the article "musique mesurée"). Académie de Poésie et de Musique, later re-named Académie du Palais, was the first Academy in France. Blaise de Vigenère ( April 5, 1523 - 1596 was a French Diplomat and Cryptographer. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly In Poetry, the meter or metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse. Musique mesurée, or Musique mesurée à l'antique, was a style of vocal musical composition in France in the late 16th century.

Although the royal court was the center of much of the century's poetry, Lyon — the second largest city in France in the Renaissance — also had its poets and humanists, most notably Maurice Scève, Louise Labé, Olivier de Magny and Pontus de Tyard. ||-||} Lyon, also known as Lyons in English is a city in east-central France. Maurice Scève (c 1500-c 1564 French Poet, was born at Lyon, where his father practised Law. Louise Labé, (c 1520 or 1522 Lyon - April 25, 1566, Parcieux-en-Dombes) also identified as La Belle Cordière, was a female Pontus de Tyard (c 1521 - September 23, 1605) was a French Poet and priest a member of " La Pléiade " Scève's Délie, objet de plus haulte vertu — composed of 449 ten syllable ten line poems (dizains) and published with numerous engraved emblems — is exemplary in its use of amorous paradoxes and (often obscur) allegory to describe the suffering of a lover. An emblem is a pictorial Image, abstract or representational that epitomizes a Concept — e An allegory (from αλλος allos "other" and el αγορευειν agoreuein "to speak in public" is a figurative mode of representation

Similarly, Madeleine Des Roches and her daughter Catherine Des Roches were the center of a literary circle based in Poitiers between 1570 and 1587, and which included the poets Scévole de Sainte-Marthe, Barnabé Brisson, René Chopin, Antoine Loisel, Claude Binet, Nicolas Rapin and Odet de Turnèbe. Madeleine Des Roches, née Madeleine Neveu (c 1520 - November 1587 was a French woman writer of the Renaissance. Catherine Fradonnet, called Catherine Des Roches (December 1542-November 1587 was a French woman writer of the Renaissance. Poitiers is a town on the Clain River in west central France. Nicolas Rapin (1535 Fontenay-le-Comte - 16 February, 1608, Poitiers) was a Magistrate, royal officer translator poet and Satirist Odet de Turnèbe ( 23 October 1552, Paris - 20 July 1581) was a French dramatist [1]

Poetry at the end of the century was profoundly marked by the civil wars: pessimism, dourness and a call for retreat from the world predominate (as in Jean de Sponde). The French Wars of Religion (1562 to 1598 between French Catholics and Protestants ( Huguenots involved both civil infighting Jean de Sponde ( Mauléon, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, 1557 - Bordeaux, 1595 was a Baroque French Poet. However, the horrors of the war were also to inspire one Protestant poet, Agrippa d'Aubigné, to write a brilliant poem on the conflict:Les Tragiques. Théodore-Agrippa d'Aubigné ( February 8, 1552 &ndash April 29, 1630) was a French Poet, Soldier,

Principal French poetry collections published in the 16th century:

Long prose fiction

In the first half of the century, the novel in France was still dominated by the chivalric novels of the Middle Ages (in their prose versions) such as: Les Quatre Fils Aymon (or Renaud de Montauban), Fierabras, Ogier le Danois, Perceforest and Galien le Réthoré. Clément Marot (23 November 1496 – 12 September 1544 was a French Poet of the Renaissance period Clément Marot (23 November 1496 – 12 September 1544 was a French Poet of the Renaissance period Maurice Scève (c 1500-c 1564 French Poet, was born at Lyon, where his father practised Law. Pernette Du Guillet ( Lyon, c 1520 - July 7, 1545) was a female French Poet of the Renaissance. Jacques Peletier du Mans (1517 Le Mans – 1582 Paris) was a humanist, Poet and Mathematician of the French Renaissance Mellin de Saint-Gelais (or Melin de Saint-Gelays or Sainct-Gelais; c Joachim du Bellay (c 1522 &ndash January 1, 1560) was a French Poet, Critic, and a member of the Pléiade. Pierre de Ronsard ( 11 September, 1524 – December 1585 was a French Poet and "prince of poets" (as his own generation in France Pontus de Tyard (c 1521 - September 23, 1605) was a French Poet and priest a member of " La Pléiade " Jean Antoine de Baïf ( February 19, 1532 - September 19, 1589) was a French Poet and member of the Pierre de Ronsard ( 11 September, 1524 – December 1585 was a French Poet and "prince of poets" (as his own generation in France Pierre de Ronsard ( 11 September, 1524 – December 1585 was a French Poet and "prince of poets" (as his own generation in France Jacques Peletier du Mans (1517 Le Mans – 1582 Paris) was a humanist, Poet and Mathematician of the French Renaissance Louise Labé, (c 1520 or 1522 Lyon - April 25, 1566, Parcieux-en-Dombes) also identified as La Belle Cordière, was a female Pontus de Tyard (c 1521 - September 23, 1605) was a French Poet and priest a member of " La Pléiade " Jean Antoine de Baïf ( February 19, 1532 - September 19, 1589) was a French Poet and member of the Remy (or Rémi Belleau (1528 Nogent-le-Rotrou - 1577 Paris) was a Poet of the French Renaissance. Joachim du Bellay (c 1522 &ndash January 1, 1560) was a French Poet, Critic, and a member of the Pléiade. Joachim du Bellay (c 1522 &ndash January 1, 1560) was a French Poet, Critic, and a member of the Pléiade. Joachim du Bellay (c 1522 &ndash January 1, 1560) was a French Poet, Critic, and a member of the Pléiade. Remy (or Rémi Belleau (1528 Nogent-le-Rotrou - 1577 Paris) was a Poet of the French Renaissance. Étienne de La Boétie (modern French pronunciation; November 1 1530 – August 18 1563) was a French judge writer Pierre de Ronsard ( 11 September, 1524 – December 1585 was a French Poet and "prince of poets" (as his own generation in France Philippe Desportes (1546 &ndash 5 October 1606) was a French Poet. Étienne Jodelle seigneur de Limodin (1532-July 1573 French Dramatist and Poet, was born in Paris of a noble family Théodore-Agrippa d'Aubigné ( February 8, 1552 &ndash April 29, 1630) was a French Poet, Soldier, Nicolas Rapin (1535 Fontenay-le-Comte - 16 February, 1608, Poitiers) was a Magistrate, royal officer translator poet and Satirist Remy (or Rémi Belleau (1528 Nogent-le-Rotrou - 1577 Paris) was a Poet of the French Renaissance. Guillaume de Salluste Du Bartas (1544–July 1590 was a French poet Étienne de La Boétie (modern French pronunciation; November 1 1530 – August 18 1563) was a French judge writer Jacques Peletier du Mans (1517 Le Mans – 1582 Paris) was a humanist, Poet and Mathematician of the French Renaissance Jean Antoine de Baïf ( February 19, 1532 - September 19, 1589) was a French Poet and member of the Jean de Sponde ( Mauléon, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, 1557 - Bordeaux, 1595 was a Baroque French Poet. Jean de Sponde ( Mauléon, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, 1557 - Bordeaux, 1595 was a Baroque French Poet. Renaud de Montauban, (also spelled Renaut, Renault, Italian: Rinaldo di Montalbano, Dutch: Reinout van Montalba(en) was Ogier the Dane ( Danish: Holger Danske, French: Ogier de Danemarche) is a Legendary Danish Hero who The prose romance of Perceforest with lyrical interludes of poetry in six books appears to have been composed in French in the Low Countries From 1540 on however, the genre was dominated by foreign productions, most notably the Hispano-Portuguese multi-volume adventure novels Amadis de Gaule, Palmerin d'Olive, Primaléon de Grèce and others like them. The first of these, Amadis of Gaul — in its celebrated French translation/adaptation by Nicolas de Herberay des Essarts — became the de facto code of conduct of the French court from François I through Henri IV and was emulated in jousts and in manners. Amadis de Gaula (original Castilian Spanish version ( English: Amadis of Gaul, Spanish: Amadís de Gaula Nicolas de Herberay des Essarts (d about 1557 French Translator, was born in Picardy. Of similar tone and content (albeit in verse), the Italian epic poems Roland amoureux (Orlando Innamorato) by Matteo Maria Boiardo and Roland furieux (Orlando furioso) by Ludovico Ariosto (and, at the end of the century, Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered) were also enormous successes (French translations of these works were often in prose). Orlando Innamorato ("Orlando in Love" is an Epic poem written by the Italian Renaissance author Matteo Maria Boiardo. Matteo Maria Boiardo (c 1434 &ndash December 20, 1494) was an Italian Renaissance Poet. Orlando Furioso ("The Frenzy of Orlando" more literally "Mad Orlando" in Italian furioso is seldom capitalized is an Italian Jerusalem Delivered ( La Gerusalemme liberata) (first published 1581 is an Epic poem by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso which tells Finally, the Italian Luigi Pulci's Morgant le géant, a comic version of the chivalric novel, was an important model for Rabelais's giants. Luigi Pulci ( 15 August 1432 &ndash 1484 was an Italian Poet best known for his Morgante, an epic story of a giant who

The most notable French novels of the first half of the century are François Rabelais’s masterpieces Pantagruel, Gargantua and their sequels. The Life of Gargantua and of Pantagruel (in French, La vie de Gargantua The Life of Gargantua and of Pantagruel (in French, La vie de Gargantua Rabelais’s works blend both humanism (Erasmus, Thomas More) and medieval farce (giants, heroic battles, scatological humor) in a manner that is grotesquely extravagant (the language and humor were often viewed as coarse by later centuries), but along with the buffoonery there is a keen satire of religious hypocrisy, political injustice and human doubt. Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535 from 1935 Saint Thomas More, was an English Lawyer, author and statesman who in his lifetime gained

Alongside the chivalric, French literary tastes of the period were drawn to the amorous and pathetic, especially as depicted in the novels of Spaniards Diego de San Pedro and Juan de Flores, themselves inspired by Boccaccio's Lady Fiammeta and its psychologically insightful portrayal of a woman spurned. Diego de San Pedro (ca 1437-ca 1498 was a Castilian writer about whom no one knows very much other than what he says in his works This sentimental vein would find admirable expression in parts of Hélisenne de Crenne’s Les Angoisses douloureuses qui procèdent d’amours which blends sentimental and chivalric elements, humanist scholarship, orality and eloquence. Hélisenne de Crenne was the pseudonym of Marguerite Briet (c

The foreign adventure novel would start to face competition from domestic French production in the second half of the century in the long works of authors Béroalde de Verville and Nicolas de Montreux. Nicolas de Montreux ( Maine, c 1561 - 1608 was a French nobleman novelist poet translator and dramatist These authors (largely unread today) — like the authors of the later volumes of the Amadis cycle — abandoned many of the traditional chivalric modes, replacing them with techniques and incidents borrowed from two new sources of inspiration: the ancient Greek novel (Heliodorus, Longus and Achilles Tatius) and the mixed-form (prose and verse) pastoral novel from Italy and Spain (Jacopo Sannazaro and Jorge de Montemayor). Heliodorus of Emesa, from Emesa, Syria, was a Greek writer generally dated to the third century AD who is known for the ancient Greek romance Longus, sometimes Longos (Λόγγος was a Greek Novelist and romancer and author of Daphnis and Chloe. Achilles Tatius (in Greek Ἀχιλλεύς Τάτιος) of Alexandria was a Roman era Greek writer whose fame is attached to his Pastoral, as an adjective refers to the lifestyle of Shepherds and Pastoralists moving livestock around larger areas of land according to seasons and availability Jacopo Sannazaro or Sannazzaro ( 28 July 1458 - April 27, 1530) was an Italian poet humanist and epigrammist Jorge de Montemayor ( Jorge de Montemor) (1520? &ndash February 26, 1561) was a Portuguese Novelist and Poet, who wrote

The novelty and inventiveness of the last years of the century are best seen in the anonymous La Mariane du Filomene (1596) which mixes the frame-tale, amorous sentiment, dreams, and pastoral elements to tell the story of a man wandering through the Parisian countryside trying to forget the woman who betrayed him.

Notable works of long prose fiction, including translations (preceded by an --) published in France in the sixteenth century:

The Short Story

The French Renaissance is dominated by the short story (under various names: "conte", a tale; "nouvelle", a short story like the Italian novella; "devis" and "propos", a spoken discussion; "histoire", a story). Jean Lemaire de Belges (c 1473 &ndash c 1525 was a Walloon poet and historian who lived primarily in France. Diego de San Pedro (ca 1437-ca 1498 was a Castilian writer about whom no one knows very much other than what he says in his works Pantagruel is an international Early Music ensemble specialising in semi-staged performances of Renaissance music The Life of Gargantua and of Pantagruel (in French, La vie de Gargantua Maurice Scève (c 1500-c 1564 French Poet, was born at Lyon, where his father practised Law. Baldasare Castiglione, count of Novellata ( December 15, 1478 &ndash February 28, 1529) was an Italian Courtier, Hélisenne de Crenne was the pseudonym of Marguerite Briet (c Diego de San Pedro (ca 1437-ca 1498 was a Castilian writer about whom no one knows very much other than what he says in his works Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo (or Garci Ordóñez de Montalvo) (died 1504 was a Spanish author who arranged the modern version of the chivalric romance Amadis de Gaula (original Castilian Spanish version ( English: Amadis of Gaul, Spanish: Amadís de Gaula Nicolas de Herberay des Essarts (d about 1557 French Translator, was born in Picardy. Jacopo Sannazaro or Sannazzaro ( 28 July 1458 - April 27, 1530) was an Italian poet humanist and epigrammist Orlando Furioso ("The Frenzy of Orlando" more literally "Mad Orlando" in Italian furioso is seldom capitalized is an Italian Francesco Colonna (1433(? &ndash 1527 was an Italian Dominican Priest and Monk who was credited with the authorship of the Hypnerotomachia Jean Goujon ( Normandy ? c 1510 &ndash Bologna after 1572) French sculptor and Architect, is one of the major figures Heliodorus of Emesa, from Emesa, Syria, was a Greek writer generally dated to the third century AD who is known for the ancient Greek romance Jacques Amyot ( October 30, 1513 - February 6, 1593) French Renaissance writer and translator was born of poor parents at Melun Longus, sometimes Longos (Λόγγος was a Greek Novelist and romancer and author of Daphnis and Chloe. Jacques Amyot ( October 30, 1513 - February 6, 1593) French Renaissance writer and translator was born of poor parents at Melun Achilles Tatius (in Greek Ἀχιλλεύς Τάτιος) of Alexandria was a Roman era Greek writer whose fame is attached to his François de Belleforest ( Comminges, 1530 - Paris, January 1, 1583) was a prolific French author poet and translator of the François de Belleforest ( Comminges, 1530 - Paris, January 1, 1583) was a prolific French author poet and translator of the Jorge de Montemayor ( Jorge de Montemor) (1520? &ndash February 26, 1561) was a Portuguese Novelist and Poet, who wrote Nicolas de Montreux ( Maine, c 1561 - 1608 was a French nobleman novelist poet translator and dramatist Jerusalem Delivered ( La Gerusalemme liberata) (first published 1581 is an Epic poem by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso which tells Nicolas de Montreux ( Maine, c 1561 - 1608 was a French nobleman novelist poet translator and dramatist Nicolas de Montreux ( Maine, c 1561 - 1608 was a French nobleman novelist poet translator and dramatist Nicolas de Montreux ( Maine, c 1561 - 1608 was a French nobleman novelist poet translator and dramatist The short story is a literary genre of Fictional Prose Narrative that tends to be more concise and to the point than longer works of fiction such A novella is a written, Fictional Prose Narrative longer than a Novelette but shorter than a Novel. For the period, part of the attraction of the dialogued short story and the frame tale (with its fictional speakers discussing each other's stories) lies in their "performability" by someone reading out loud to a non-literate public and in their grab-bag and (frequently) digressive structure: these tales are capable of taking on all kinds of material, both sophisticated and vulgar. A frame story (also frame tale, frame narrative, etc is a narrative technique whereby an introductory main story is composed at least in part for the purpose of

The Decameron, the short story collection by the Italian author Boccaccio — with its frame tale of nobles fleeing the plague and telling each other stories — had an enormous impact on French writers. The Decameron (subtitle Prencipe Galeotto) is a collection of 100 Novellas by Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio, probably begun in The sister of François I, Marguerite of Navarre — who was the center of a progressive literary circle — undertook her own version ("the Heptameron") which — although incomplete — is one of the masterpieces of the century. Francis I (September 12 1494 &ndash March 31 1547 was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until 1547 Marguerite de Navarre ( April 11, 1492 &ndash December 21, 1549) also known as Marguerite of Angouleme and Margaret The Heptameron is a collection of 72 short stories written in French by Marguerite of Navarre (1492-1549 Other important writers of short stories include Noël du Fail and Bonaventure des Périers. Noël du Fail, seigneur de La Hérissaye (c 1520 on the family property of Château-Letard - 1591 Rennes) was a French jurist and writer of the Renaissance Bonaventure des Périers (c 1501 &ndash 1544 was a French author As the century progressed, the use of oral discourse, multiple voices and table talk led to a dialogued form which often seems revolutionary and chaotic to modern ears.

The French reading public was also fascinated by the dark tragic novellas (“les histories tragiques”) of Bandello which were avidly adapted and emulated into the beginning of the seventeenth century (Jacques Yver, Vérité Habanc, Bénigne Poissenot, François de Rosset, Jean-Pierre Camus). Matteo Bandello (c 1480 &ndash 1562 was an Italian novelist Biography Matteo Bandello was born at Castelnuovo Scrivia, near Tortona (current Jean-Pierre Camus ( November 3, 1584 ( Paris) - April 26, 1652) was a French Bishop and writer of works of

Short story collections in France in the Renaissance:

Theatre

Sixteenth century French theater followed the same patterns of evolution as the other literary genres of the period.

For the first decades of the century, public theater remained largely tied to its long medieval heritage of mystery plays, morality plays, farces, and soties, although the miracle play was no longer in vogue. Mystery plays and Miracle plays are among the earliest formally developed plays in Medieval Europe. Morality Play is a detective story by Barry Unsworth, a Man Booker Prize -winning author for his book Sacred Hunger Published in 1996 by A farce is a Comedy written for the stage or film which aims to Entertain the audience by means of unlikely extravagant and improbable situations disguise and mistaken Mystery plays and Miracle plays are among the earliest formally developed plays in Medieval Europe. Public performances were tightly controlled by a guild system. The guild “les Confrères de la Passion” had exclusive rights to theatrical productions of mystery plays in Paris; in 1548, fear of violence or blasphemy resulting from the growing religious rift in France forced the Paris Parliament to prohibit performances of the mysteries in the capital, although they continued to be performed in other places. This article is for the Ancien Régime institution For the post-Revolutionary and present-day institution see French Parliament. Another guild, the “Enfants Sans-Souci” were in charge of farces and soties, as too the “Clercs de la Basoche” who also performed morality plays. Like the "Confrères de la Passion", "la Basoche" came under political scrutiny (plays had to be authorized by a review board; masks or characters depicting living persons were not permitted), and they were finally suppressed in 1582. The Basoche was the Guild of legal clerks of the Paris court system under the pre-revolutionary French monarchy. By the end of the century, only the "Confrères de la Passion" remained with exclusive control over public theatrical productions in Paris, and they rented out their theater at the Hôtel de Bourgogne to theatrical troupes for a high price. In 1599, they abandoned this privilege.

It is of note that, alongside the numerous writers of these traditional works (such as the farce writers Pierre Gringore, Nicolas de La Chesnaye and André de la Vigne), Marguerite of Navarre also wrote a number of plays close to the traditional mystery and morality play. Pierre Gringoire (1475? - 1538 was a popular French poet and playwright Marguerite de Navarre ( April 11, 1492 &ndash December 21, 1549) also known as Marguerite of Angouleme and Margaret

As early as 1503 however, original language versions of Sophocles, Seneca, Euripides, Aristophanes, Terence and Plautus were all available in Europe and the next forty years would see humanists and poets both translating these classics and adapting them. Sophocles (ˈsɒfəkliːz Ancient Greek, sopʰoklɛ̂ːs circa Lucius Annaeus Seneca (often known simply as Seneca, or Seneca the Younger; Σένεκας in Ancient Greek literature (c Euripides ( Ancient Greek:) (ca 480 BC–406 BC was the last of the three great tragedians of classical Athens (the other two being Aeschylus Aristophanes (Ἀριστοφάνης ˌærɪˈstɒfəniːz in English ca Publius Terentius Afer (195/185&ndash159 BC better known as Terence, was a Playwright of the Roman Republic. Titus Maccius Plautus (c 254–184 BCE commonly known as Plautus, was a Roman Playwright. In the 1540s, the French university setting (and especially — from 1553 on — the Jesuit colleges) became host to a Neo-Latin theater (in Latin) written by professors such as George Buchanan and Marc Antoine Muret which would leave a profound mark on the members of La Pléiade. George Buchanan (February 1506 - September 28, 1582) was a Scottish Historian and humanist scholar Muretus is the Latinized name of Marc Antoine Muret ( April 12, 1526 &ndash Rome June 4, 1585) a French This article is about French poetry For other uses see Pleiades (disambiguation The Pléiade is the name given to a group of 16th-century From 1550 on, one finds humanist theater written in French.

The influence of Seneca was particularly strong in humanist tragedy. Lucius Annaeus Seneca (often known simply as Seneca, or Seneca the Younger; Σένεκας in Ancient Greek literature (c His plays — which were essentially chamber plays meant to be read for their lyrical passages and rhetorical oratory — brought to many humanist tragedies a concentration on rhetoric and language over dramatic action.

Humanist tragedy took two distinct directions:

During the height of the civil wars (1570-1580), a third category of militant theater appeared:

Along with their work as translators and adaptors of plays, the humanists also investigated classical theories of dramatic structure, plot, and characterization. Horace was translated in the 1540s, but had been available throughout the Middle Ages. Quintus Horatius Flaccus, ( Venosa, December 8, 65 BC - Rome, November 27, 8 BC known in the English-speaking world as Horace A complete version of Aristotle's Poetics appeared later (first in 1570 in an Italian version), but his ideas had circulated (in an extremely truncated form) as early as the 13th century in Hermann the German's Latin translation of Averroes' Arabic gloss, and other translations of the Poetics had appeared in the first half of the 16th century; also of importance were the commentaries on Aristotle's poetics by Julius Caesar Scaliger which appeared in the 1560s. Aristotle (Greek Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC was a Greek philosopher a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. Abū 'l-Walīd Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Rushd (Arabicأبو الوليد محمد بن احمد بن رشد better known just as Ibn Rushd (ابن رشد and in European Julius Caesar Scaliger or Giulio Cesare della Scala ( April 23, 1484 &ndash October 21, 1558) was an Italian scholar and physician The fourth century grammarians Diomedes and Aelius Donatus were also a source of classical theory. Aelius Donatus (fl late 4th century AD was a Roman Grammarian and teacher of Rhetoric. The sixteenth century Italians played a central role in the publishing and interpretation of classical dramatic theory, and their works had a major effect on French theater. Lodovico Castelvetro's Aristote-based Art of Poetry(1570) was one of the first enunciations of the three unities; this work would inform Jean de la Taille's Art de la tragedie (1572). Lodovico Castelvetro (c1505-1571 was an important figure in the development of Neo-classicism, especially in Drama. The classical unities or three unities are rules for Drama derived from a passage in Aristotle 's Poetics. Jean de La Taille (c 1540 - c 1607) was a French Poet and Dramatist born in Bondaroy. Italian theater (like the tragedy of Gian Giorgio Trissino) and debates on decorum (like those provoked by Sperone Speroni's play Canace and Giovanni Battista Giraldi's play Orbecche) would also influence the French tradition. Gian Giorgio Trissino ( July 8, 1478 - December 8, 1550) was an Italian Renaissance humanist, poet dramatist Sperone Speroni degli Alvarotti (1500 - 1588 was an Italian Renaissance humanist, scholar and dramatist Giovanni Battista Giraldi (November 1504 - December 30, 1573) was an Italian Novelist and Poet.

In the same spirit of imitation — and adaptation — of classical sources that had informed the poetic compositions of La Pléiade, French humanist writers recommended that tragedy should be in five acts and have three main characters of noble rank; the play should begin in the middle of the action (in medias res), use noble language and not show scenes of horror on the stage. In medias res, also medias in res ( Latin for "into the middle of things" is a literary and artistic technique where the Narrative Some writers (like Lazare de Baïf and Thomas Sébillet) attempted to link the medieval tradition of morality plays and farces to classical theater, but Joachim du Bellay rejected this claim and elevated classical tragedy and comedy to a higher dignity. Lazare de Baïf (1496 - 1547 was a French diplomat and humanist. Thomas Sébillet ( 1512 – 1589) was a French jurist and grammarian Joachim du Bellay (c 1522 &ndash January 1, 1560) was a French Poet, Critic, and a member of the Pléiade. Of greater difficulty for the theorists was the incorporation of Aristotle's notion of "catharsis" or the purgation of emotions with Renaissance theater, which remained profoundly attached to both pleasing the audience and to the rhetorical aim of showing moral examples (exemplum). Catharsis ( Κάθαρσις) is a Greek word meaning "purification" "cleansing" or "clarification An exemplum (Latin for "example" pl exempla, exempli gratia = "for example" abbr

Étienne Jodelle's Cléopâtre captive (1553) — which tells the impassioned fears and doubts of Cleopatra contemplating suicide — has the distinction of being the first original French play to follow Horace's classical precepts on structure (the play is in five acts and respects more or less the unities of time, place and action) and is extremely close to the ancient model: the prologue is introduced by a shade, there is a classical chorus which comments on the action and talks directly to the characters, and the tragic ending is described by a messenger. Étienne Jodelle seigneur de Limodin (1532-July 1573 French Dramatist and Poet, was born in Paris of a noble family Quintus Horatius Flaccus, ( Venosa, December 8, 65 BC - Rome, November 27, 8 BC known in the English-speaking world as Horace

Mellin de Saint-Gelais's translation of Gian Giorgio Trissino's La Sophonisbe — the first modern regular tragedy based on ancient models which tells the story of the noble Sophonisba's suicide (rather than be taken as captive by Rome) — was an enormous success at the court when performed in 1556. Mellin de Saint-Gelais (or Melin de Saint-Gelays or Sainct-Gelais; c Gian Giorgio Trissino ( July 8, 1478 - December 8, 1550) was an Italian Renaissance humanist, poet dramatist For the Renaissance painter Sofonisba Anguissola (ca 1532-1625 see Sofonisba Anguissola.

Select list of authors and works of humanist tragedy:

(See the playwrights Antoine de Montchrestien, Alexandre Hardy and Jean de Schelandre for tragedy around 1600-1610. Theodore Beza ( Théodore de Bèze or de Besze) ( June 24, 1519 &ndash October 13, 1605) was a French Étienne Jodelle seigneur de Limodin (1532-July 1573 French Dramatist and Poet, was born in Paris of a noble family Mellin de Saint-Gelais (or Melin de Saint-Gelays or Sainct-Gelais; c Gian Giorgio Trissino ( July 8, 1478 - December 8, 1550) was an Italian Renaissance humanist, poet dramatist Jacques Grévin ( c. 1539 &ndash November 1570 was a French Dramatist. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Muretus is the Latinized name of Marc Antoine Muret ( April 12, 1526 &ndash Rome June 4, 1585) a French Jean de La Taille (c 1540 - c 1607) was a French Poet and Dramatist born in Bondaroy. Guillaume Le Breton (sometimes also called Gabriel was a French dramatist of the sixteenth century Robert Garnier ( La Ferté-Bernard, Maine 1544 - Le Mans 1590 was a French tragic Poet. Pierre Matthieu ( Pesmes in the Haute-Saône, 1563 - Toulouse, 1621 was a French writer poet historian and dramatist Nicolas de Montreux ( Maine, c 1561 - 1608 was a French nobleman novelist poet translator and dramatist Antoine de Montchrestien (or Montchretien) ( Falaise in Normandy c Alexandre Hardy (c 1570/1572 &ndash 1632 was a French Dramatist, one of the most prolific of all time Jean de Schelandre (c 1585-1635 Seigneur de Saumaznes French Poet, was born about 1585 near Verdun of a Calvinist family )

Alongside tragedy, European humanists also adapted the ancient comedic tradition and as early as the 15th century, Renaissance Italy had developed a form of humanist Latin comedy. Although the ancients had been less theoretical about the comedic form, the humanists used the precepts of Aelius Donatus (4th century A. Aelius Donatus (fl late 4th century AD was a Roman Grammarian and teacher of Rhetoric. D. ), Horace, Aristotle and the works of Terence to elaborate a set of rules: comedy should seek to correct vice by showing the truth; there should be a happy ending; comedy uses a lower style of language than tragedy; comedy does not paint the great events of states and leaders, but the private lives of people, and its principal subject is love. Quintus Horatius Flaccus, ( Venosa, December 8, 65 BC - Rome, November 27, 8 BC known in the English-speaking world as Horace Aristotle (Greek Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC was a Greek philosopher a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. Publius Terentius Afer (195/185&ndash159 BC better known as Terence, was a Playwright of the Roman Republic.

Although some French authors kept close to the ancient models (Pierre de Ronsard translated a part of Aristophanes's "Plutus" at college), on the whole the French comedic tradition shows a great deal of borrowing from all sources: medieval farce (which continued to be immensely popular throughout the century), the short story, Italian humanist comedies and "La Celestina" (by Fernando de Rojas). Pierre de Ronsard ( 11 September, 1524 – December 1585 was a French Poet and "prince of poets" (as his own generation in France Aristophanes (Ἀριστοφάνης ˌærɪˈstɒfəniːz in English ca Fernando de Rojas (c 1465 La Puebla de Montalbán, New Castile (now Toledo) &ndash April 1541 Talavera de la Reina, Spain) was The most prolific of the French Renaissance comedic authors, Pierre de Larivey, adapted Italian comedies of intrigue by the authors Ludovico Dolce, Niccolò Buonaparte, Lorenzino de' Medici, Antonio Francesco Grazzini, Vincenzo Gabbiani, Girolano Razzi, Luigi Pasqualigo, and Nicolὸ Secchi. Pierre de Larivey (c 1550-1612 was a French Dramatist of Italian origin Lorenzino de' Medici ( March 23, 1514 - February 26, 1548, sometimes called Lorenzaccio de' Medici) was an Italian Antonio Francesco Grazzini ( March 22, 1503 - February 18, 1584) was an Italian author

Select list of authors and works of Renaissance comedy:

In the last decades of the century, four other theatrical modes from Italy — which did not follow the rigid rules of classical theater – flooded the French stage:

By the end of the century, the most influential French playwright — by the range of his styles and by his mastery of the new forms — would be Robert Garnier. Robert Garnier ( La Ferté-Bernard, Maine 1544 - Le Mans 1590 was a French tragic Poet.

All of these eclectic traditions would continue to evolve in the "baroque" theater of the early 17th century, before French "classicism" would finally impose itself.

Other literary forms

The French Renaissance was rich in a whole body of moral, literary, philological and philosophical writing. Michel de Montaigne was the first essayist of modern times (The Essays) and a remarkable writer on the human condition. Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (French miʃɛl ekɛm də mɔ̃tɛɲ ( February 28 1533 &ndash September 13 1592) was one of the most influential writers Essays is the title of a book written by Michel de Montaigne that was first published in 1580. Étienne Pasquier's Recherches de la France was another monumental compendium of historical, political and cultural observations. Étienne Pasquier ( June 7, 1529 - September 1, 1615) French Lawyer and man of letters was born at Paris, on

Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme wrote biographical sketches of the men and women of the court. Pierre de Bourdeille seigneur (and abbé) de Brantôme (c 1540 &ndash 15 July 1614) was a French Historian and

Jean Bodin wrote a number of important works on political science. Jean Bodin ( 1529 / 1530 &ndash1596was born in Angers France and became a French Jurist and political philosopher, member of the Parlement

Henri Estienne and his son Robert Estienne were among the most important printers in France in the 16th century, and Robert Estienne's edition of the Bible was the first to use chapter and verse divisions. Henri Estienne, also known as Henricus Stephanus or Henry Stephens, was a 16th-century Parisian printer. Robert I Estienne ( Paris 1503 &ndash Geneva, 7 September 1559) also known as Robert Stephens ( Latin: Stephanus

The Catholic/Huguenot and civil/political conflicts of the last half of the century -- the French Wars of Religion -- generated a great deal of political, religious and satirical writing, including the Monarchomachs' libels. The French Wars of Religion (1562 to 1598 between French Catholics and Protestants ( Huguenots involved both civil infighting The Monarchomachs (Monarchomaques were originally French Huguenots theorists who opposed Absolute monarchy at the end of the 16th century known Libel is a verse genre primarily of the Renaissance, descended from the tradition of invective in classical Greek and Roman poetry

The Satire Ménippée (1593/1594) written by Nicolas Rapin, Jean Passerat and Florent Chrestien, and edited/revised by Pierre Pithou was a political and satirical work in prose and verse which criticized the excesses of the Catholic League during the Wars of Religion. The Satire Ménippée or La Satyre Ménippée de la vertu du Catholicon d'Espagne (written in 1593, published in Tours in 1594) was a political Nicolas Rapin (1535 Fontenay-le-Comte - 16 February, 1608, Poitiers) was a Magistrate, royal officer translator poet and Satirist Jean Passerat (1534-1602 French political satirist and poet was born at Troyes, on 18 October 1534. Florent Chrestien ( January 26, 1541 - October 3, 1596) was a French satirist and Latin poet Pierre Pithou ( November 1, 1539 &ndash November 1, 1596) was a French Lawyer and scholar The Catholic League of France, sometimes referred to by contemporary (and modern Roman Catholics as the Holy League, was formed by Duke Henry of Guise in

References

Notes

  1. ^ Simonin, 351.
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