François-Joseph Bérardier de Bataut
Encyclopedia
François-Joseph Bérardier de Bataut (Paris
1720 - Paris
1794) was a French
teacher
, writer
and translator
living in the Age of Enlightenment
.
in 1720. Having studied theology
, he became professor of rhetoric
at the Collège du Plessis a part of the University of Paris
. He is the author, notably, of a Précis de l’histoire universelle (Treaty of Universal History) which was very much appreciated by his contemporaries, and of the Essai sur le récit (Essay on Narrative
), a fictional dialogue on how to tell good stories, as well as the translator of Melchior de Polignac
’s L’Anti-Lucrèce.
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...
1720 - 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...
1794) was a French
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...
teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and translator
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
living in the Age of Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
.
Biography
François-Joseph Bérardier de Bataut is born in ParisParis
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...
in 1720. Having studied theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, he became professor of rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
at the Collège du Plessis a part of the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
. He is the author, notably, of a Précis de l’histoire universelle (Treaty of Universal History) which was very much appreciated by his contemporaries, and of the Essai sur le récit (Essay on Narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
), a fictional dialogue on how to tell good stories, as well as the translator of Melchior de Polignac
Melchior de Polignac
Melchior de Polignac was a French diplomat, Roman Catholic cardinal and neo-Latin poet.A younger son of Armand XVI, marquis de Polignac, he was born at Lavoûte-sur-Loire, Haute-Loire, Auvergne. At an early age he achieved distinction as a diplomat...
’s L’Anti-Lucrèce.
Works
- Précis de l’histoire universelle, Paris : Hérissant fils, 1766, in-8°, XII-383 p. (A second edition is published by C.-P. Berton in 1776, and a third one, “revue, corrigée et augmentée” by Charles-Constant Letellier in 1823.)
- Essai sur le récit, ou Entretiens sur la manière de raconter, par M. l'abbé Bérardier de Bataut, Paris : C.-P. Berton, 1776, in-12°, X-725 p. (There is a commented electronic edition by Christof Schöch, www.berardier.org, 2010.)
- L’Anti-Lucrèce en vers françois, translated by François-Joseph Bérardier de Bataut, Paris : C.-P. Berton, 1786. (The original version was written in Latin by Melchior de Polignac (1661–1744) and was first published posthumuously in 1747 ; it was a great success and was frequently translated into French during the 18th century.)
Biographical articles
Note that some biographical articles dating back to the beginning of the 19th century confuse François-Joseph Bérardier de Bataut and the abbot Denis Bérardier. The following list only indicates reliable sources.- Art. « Bérardier de Bataut (François-Joseph) », in: Les siècles littéraires de la France, ou nouveau dictionnaire historique, critique et bibliographique, par N. L. M. Desessarts, Paris : Desessarts, an VIII (1800), p. 221.
- Art. « Bérardier de Bataut (François-Joseph) », in: Dictionnaire universel, historique, critique et bibliographique, neuvième édition, Paris : Prudhomme fils, 1812, tome XIX, supplément, p. 61.
- Art. « Bérardier de Bataut (François-Joseph) », in: Examen critique et complément des dictionnaires historiques les pas répandus, par Antoine-Alexandre Barbier. Paris : Rey et Gravier, 1820, p. 100-101.
- Art. « Bérardier de Bataut (François-Joseph) », in : Dictionnaire des lettres françaises : Le XVIIIe siècle, nouvelle édition sous la direction de François Moureau, Paris : Le Livre de poche, 1995, p. 173.
Contemporary reviews of Bérardiers works
- (Anon.), « Lettre VI : Essai sur le récit », in: L’Année littéraire 6, 1776, p. 121-137
- (Anon.), « Essai sur le récit », in: Journal encyclopédique 8, 1776, p. 273-286.
- (Anon.), « Lettre III : L'Anti-Lucrèce en vers françois, par M. l'Abbé Bérardier de Bataut, in: L’Année littéraire 6, 1786, p. 46-63.
Critical analyses
- Adam, Jean-Michel, « L'Analyse linguistique du récit : rhétorique, poétique et pragmatique textuelle », in: Zeitschrift für französische Sprache und Literatur, 100, 1990, p. 7-24.
- Albertan(-Coppola), Sylviane, « La poésie au service de l'apologétique. L'Anti-Lucrèce en vers français de Bérardier de Bataut », in : Cahiers Roucher-André Chénier 10-11, 1990-1991, p. 137-148.
- Sgard, Jean. « Poétique des vies particulières », in: Les Vies de Voltaire : discours et représentations biographiques, XVIIIe-XXIe siècles, ed. Christophe Cave & Simon Davies. Oxford : Voltaire Foundation, SVEC 2008:4, 2008, p. 29-41. (The section 'Poétique du récit' is devoted almost exclusively to the Essai sur le récit.)
External links
- www.berardier.org: dossier on Bérardier de Bataut and an online edition of the Essai sur le récit.