Claude Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon
Encyclopedia
Claude Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon (February 13, 1707 – April 12, 1777) was a French
novelist.
Born in Paris
, he was the son of a famous tragedian, Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon
. He received a Jesuit education at the elite Lycée Louis-le-Grand
. Early on he composed various light works, including plays for the Italian Theatre in Paris, and published a short tale called Le Sylphe in 1730. From 1729 to 1739 he participated in a series of dinners called "Le Caveau" (named after the cabaret where they were held) with other artists, including Alexis Piron
, Charles Collé
, and Charles Duclos.
The publication of Tanzaï et Neadarne, histoire japonaise (1734), which contained veiled attacks on the Papal bull
Unigenitus
, the cardinal de Rohan
and others, landed him briefly in the prison at Vincennes. His novel Les Égarements du cœur et de l'esprit
was published between 1736 and 1738 and was, although he continued to edit it in 1738, never finished. Publication of Le Sopha, conte moral
, an erotic political satire, in 1742 forced him into exile from Paris for several months.
Around 1744 he entered into a romantic liaison with Lady Henrietta Maria Stafford, daughter of a Jacobite chamberlain, and they were married in 1748. A son born in 1746 died in 1750. Despite financial hardship, they lived harmoniously until her death in 1755. Meanwhile, he published La Nuit et le moment (1745), Ah! quel conte! and Les Heureux Orphelins (1754). Inheriting nothing from Henriette, he was forced to sell his large library in 1757 and eventually found steady income as a royal censor (like his father) in 1759. In 1768 and 1772 he published his last two novels, Lettres de la duchesse de *** au duc de *** and Lettres athéniennes.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
novelist.
Born in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, he was the son of a famous tragedian, Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon
Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon
Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon was a French poet and tragedian.-Life and works:He was born in Dijon, where his father, Melchior Jolyot, was notary-royal. Having been educated at the Jesuit school in the town, and afterwards at the Collège Mazarin. He became an advocate, and was placed in the office...
. He received a Jesuit education at the elite Lycée Louis-le-Grand
Lycée Louis-le-Grand
The Lycée Louis-le-Grand is a public secondary school located in Paris, widely regarded as one of the most rigorous in France. Formerly known as the Collège de Clermont, it was named in king Louis XIV of France's honor after he visited the school and offered his patronage.It offers both a...
. Early on he composed various light works, including plays for the Italian Theatre in Paris, and published a short tale called Le Sylphe in 1730. From 1729 to 1739 he participated in a series of dinners called "Le Caveau" (named after the cabaret where they were held) with other artists, including Alexis Piron
Alexis Piron
Alexis Piron was a French epigrammatist and dramatist.He was born at Dijon, where his father, Aimé Piron, was an apothecary. Piron senior wrote verse in the Burgundian language. Alexis began life as clerk and secretary to a banker, and then studied law...
, Charles Collé
Charles Collé
Charles Collé was a French dramatist and songwriter.The son of a notary, he was born in Paris. He became interested in the rhymes of Jean Heguanier, the most famous writer of couplets in Paris. From a notary's office, Collé was transferred to that of the receiver-general of finance, where he...
, and Charles Duclos.
The publication of Tanzaï et Neadarne, histoire japonaise (1734), which contained veiled attacks on the Papal bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
Unigenitus
Unigenitus
Unigenitus , an apostolic constitution in the form of a papal bull promulgated by Pope Clement XI in 1713, opened the final phase of the Jansenist controversy in France...
, the cardinal de Rohan
Louis René Édouard, cardinal de Rohan
Louis René Édouard de Rohan known as the Cardinal de Rohan , prince de Rohan-Guéméné, was a French bishop of Strasbourg , politician, cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, and cadet of the Rohan family...
and others, landed him briefly in the prison at Vincennes. His novel Les Égarements du cœur et de l'esprit
Les Égarements du cœur et de l'esprit
Les Égarements du cœur et de l'esprit ou Mémoires de M. de Meilcour is a novel by Crébillon fils, which appeared in three parts from 1736 to 1738...
was published between 1736 and 1738 and was, although he continued to edit it in 1738, never finished. Publication of Le Sopha, conte moral
Le Sopha, conte moral
The Sofa: A Moral Tale is a 1742 libertine novel by Claude Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon.The story concerns a young courtier, Amanzéï, whose soul in a previous life was condemned by Brahma to inhabit a series of sofas, and not to be reincarnated in a human body until two virgin lovers had...
, an erotic political satire, in 1742 forced him into exile from Paris for several months.
Around 1744 he entered into a romantic liaison with Lady Henrietta Maria Stafford, daughter of a Jacobite chamberlain, and they were married in 1748. A son born in 1746 died in 1750. Despite financial hardship, they lived harmoniously until her death in 1755. Meanwhile, he published La Nuit et le moment (1745), Ah! quel conte! and Les Heureux Orphelins (1754). Inheriting nothing from Henriette, he was forced to sell his large library in 1757 and eventually found steady income as a royal censor (like his father) in 1759. In 1768 and 1772 he published his last two novels, Lettres de la duchesse de *** au duc de *** and Lettres athéniennes.
Works
- Le Sylphe ou Songe de Madame de R***. Écrit par elle-même à Madame de S*** (1730) (full text in French on Gallica)
- Lettres de la marquise de M*** au comte de R*** (1732)
- Tanzaï et Néadarné (incorrectly known as L'Écumoire, histoire japonaise) (1734) (full text in French on Gallica)
- Les Égarements du cœur et de l'esprit ou Mémoires de M. de MeilcourLes Égarements du cœur et de l'espritLes Égarements du cœur et de l'esprit ou Mémoires de M. de Meilcour is a novel by Crébillon fils, which appeared in three parts from 1736 to 1738...
(1736-1738) - Le Sopha, conte moralLe Sopha, conte moralThe Sofa: A Moral Tale is a 1742 libertine novel by Claude Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon.The story concerns a young courtier, Amanzéï, whose soul in a previous life was condemned by Brahma to inhabit a series of sofas, and not to be reincarnated in a human body until two virgin lovers had...
(1742) (full text in French on Gallica) - Le dialogue des morts (1745)
- Les amours de Zéokinisul, roi des Kofirans (1746) (authorship disputed)
- Ah quel conte ! Conte politique et astronomique (1754) (full text in French on Gallica)
- Les Heureux Orphelins, histoire imitée de l'anglais (1754)
- La Nuit et le moment ou les matines de Cythère : dialogue (1755) (full text in French on Gallica)
- Le Hasard du coin du feu. Dialogue moral (1763) (full text in French on Gallica)
- Lettres de la Duchesse de *** au duc de *** (1768) (full text in French on Gallica)
- Lettres athéniennes. Extraites du porte-feuille d'Alcibiade (1771) (full text in French on Gallica)
Recent editions
- Standard edition is Œuvres complètes, éd. Jean Sgard, 4 vols., Paris: Classiques Garnier, 1999-2002.
- Lettres de la marquise de M*** au comte de R***, Paris, Desjonquères, 1990.
- Les Égarements du cœur et de l'esprit, Paris: GF-Flammarion, 1985.
- Le Sopha, Paris, Desjonquères, 1984.
- La Nuit et le moment et Le Hasard du coin du feu, Paris, Desjonquères, 1983.
- La Nuit et le moment, Livre de Poche Classique, 2003.
- Les Heureux Orphelins, Paris, Desjonquères, 1995.