François-Vincent Toussaint
Encyclopedia
François-Vincent Toussaint (1715, Paris
- 1772) was a French
writer most famous for Les Mœurs (The Manners). The book was published in 1748 and was soon prosecuted and burned by the French court of justice.
Toussaint worked with Denis Diderot
and Marc-Antoine Eidous
on a French translation of Dr. Robert James
' A Medicinal Dictionary (the London publication of 1743-1745, fol. 3 vols, became Dictionnaire universel de medicine, published in Paris 1746-1748, fol. 6 vols). He later contributed to the first volumes of the Encyclopédie
of Jean le Rond d'Alembert
and Diderot.
Toussaint produced novels, and also worked as a proof reader
, magazine publisher and language translator. He translated Tobias Smollett
's The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, and composed the table of contents for a 1749 edition of L'Esprit des Lois (The Spirit of the Laws
) by Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu
.
Toussaint studied to become a lawyer, but he always worked in the book trades. He was fortunate when his novel Les Mœurs was issued, because he was acquainted with the minister of the Navy, Maurepas
. The book was a scandal (and a huge success, reprinted 13 times in the first year) for several reasons, including the fact that one of the novel's characters was assumed to be based on the oversanctimonious queen Marie Leszczynska.
Toussaint finally got into trouble because of his book in 1757, during the period when Robert Damiens attempted to assassinate Louis XV of France
. On the other hand, Claude Adrien Helvétius
legally published his book De l'Esprit in 1758. It was then that the enemies of the Enlightenment
saw their chance to destroy the hated Encyclopédists. This was the moment when Les Mœurs came to be
regarded as a book that could lead to regicide. Also Toussaint illegally sold 400 exemplaires of an illegal reprint of De l'Esprit. He left France then, traveling first to Brussels
, and in 1764 moved to Berlin
. He had become an external member of the Prussian Academy of Science in 1751, but once he was settled in Berlin he was appointed a regular member of the Academy.
Toussaint published an Éclaircissement (Explanation) of his book Les Mœurs in 1763, in which he showed that every one was mistaken and the book was not at all offensive. During this time he also worked as a teacher in a military school recently founded by Frederick II of Prussia
.
When he died in 1772, he was quite poor, leaving behind a wife and several children.
As for Les Mœurs, even if it were his biggest success, he felt sorry for having written it almost all his life. Parts of the book were re-used in several articles of the Encyclopédie
.
It is basically an excerpt of a more extended discussion, the unpublished thesis of
Adams corrects several flaws and errors in previous research on Toussaint by
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...
- 1772) 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...
writer most famous for Les Mœurs (The Manners). The book was published in 1748 and was soon prosecuted and burned by the French court of justice.
Toussaint worked with Denis Diderot
Denis Diderot
Denis Diderot was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer. He was a prominent person during the Enlightenment and is best known for serving as co-founder and chief editor of and contributor to the Encyclopédie....
and Marc-Antoine Eidous
Marc-Antoine Eidous
Marc-Antoine Eidous was a French writer, translator and Encyclopedist born in Marseilles.His translations included works on the subjects of philosophy, travel and agriculture by English and Scottish authors:...
on a French translation of Dr. Robert James
Robert James (physician)
Robert James was an English physician who is best known as the author of A Medicinal Dictionary, as the inventor of a popular "fever powder", and as a friend of Samuel Johnson.-Life:...
' A Medicinal Dictionary (the London publication of 1743-1745, fol. 3 vols, became Dictionnaire universel de medicine, published in Paris 1746-1748, fol. 6 vols). He later contributed to the first volumes of the Encyclopédie
Encyclopédie
Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers was a general encyclopedia published in France between 1751 and 1772, with later supplements, revised editions, and translations. It was edited by Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert...
of Jean le Rond d'Alembert
Jean le Rond d'Alembert
Jean-Baptiste le Rond d'Alembert was a French mathematician, mechanician, physicist, philosopher, and music theorist. He was also co-editor with Denis Diderot of the Encyclopédie...
and Diderot.
Toussaint produced novels, and also worked as a proof reader
Proofreading
Proofreading is the reading of a galley proof or computer monitor to detect and correct production-errors of text or art. Proofreaders are expected to be consistently accurate by default because they occupy the last stage of typographic production before publication.-Traditional method:A proof is...
, magazine publisher and language translator. He translated Tobias Smollett
Tobias Smollett
Tobias George Smollett was a Scottish poet and author. He was best known for his picaresque novels, such as The Adventures of Roderick Random and The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle , which influenced later novelists such as Charles Dickens.-Life:Smollett was born at Dalquhurn, now part of Renton,...
's The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, and composed the table of contents for a 1749 edition of L'Esprit des Lois (The Spirit of the Laws
The Spirit of the Laws
The Spirit of the Laws is a treatise on political theory first published anonymously by Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu in 1748 with the help of Claudine Guérin de Tencin...
) by Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu
Charles de Secondat, baron de Montesquieu
Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu , generally referred to as simply Montesquieu, was a French social commentator and political thinker who lived during the Enlightenment...
.
Toussaint studied to become a lawyer, but he always worked in the book trades. He was fortunate when his novel Les Mœurs was issued, because he was acquainted with the minister of the Navy, Maurepas
Jean-Frédéric Phélypeaux, comte de Maurepas
Jean-Frédéric Phélypeaux, comte de Maurepas was a French statesman.He was born at Versailles, the son of Jérôme Phélypeaux, secretary of state for the marine and the royal household...
. The book was a scandal (and a huge success, reprinted 13 times in the first year) for several reasons, including the fact that one of the novel's characters was assumed to be based on the oversanctimonious queen Marie Leszczynska.
Toussaint finally got into trouble because of his book in 1757, during the period when Robert Damiens attempted to assassinate Louis XV of France
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
. On the other hand, Claude Adrien Helvétius
Claude Adrien Helvétius
Claude Adrien Helvétius was a French philosopher and littérateur.-Life:...
legally published his book De l'Esprit in 1758. It was then that the enemies of the 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...
saw their chance to destroy the hated Encyclopédists. This was the moment when Les Mœurs came to be
regarded as a book that could lead to regicide. Also Toussaint illegally sold 400 exemplaires of an illegal reprint of De l'Esprit. He left France then, traveling first to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, and in 1764 moved to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. He had become an external member of the Prussian Academy of Science in 1751, but once he was settled in Berlin he was appointed a regular member of the Academy.
Toussaint published an Éclaircissement (Explanation) of his book Les Mœurs in 1763, in which he showed that every one was mistaken and the book was not at all offensive. During this time he also worked as a teacher in a military school recently founded by Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II was a King in Prussia and a King of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty. In his role as a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was also Elector of Brandenburg. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
.
When he died in 1772, he was quite poor, leaving behind a wife and several children.
As for Les Mœurs, even if it were his biggest success, he felt sorry for having written it almost all his life. Parts of the book were re-used in several articles of the Encyclopédie
Encyclopédie
Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers was a general encyclopedia published in France between 1751 and 1772, with later supplements, revised editions, and translations. It was edited by Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert...
.
Literature
A short summary is to be found in- The Encyclopedists as individuals: a biographical dictionary of the authors of the Encyclopédie by Frank A. Kafker and Serena L. Kafker. Published 1988 in the Studies of Voltaire and the Eighteenth century. ISBN 0-7294-0368-8
It is basically an excerpt of a more extended discussion, the unpublished thesis of
- Margaret Elinor Adams: François Vincent Toussaint: Life and Works. Dissertation, Boston University Graduate School 1966
Adams corrects several flaws and errors in previous research on Toussaint by
- Toussaint, François-Vincent: Anecdotes curieuses de la cour de France sous la régne de Louis XV. Texte original publié pour la première fois avec une notice et des annotations par Paul Fould. Paris: Plon 1905
External links
- For a bibliography of Les Mœurs see http://www.encore.at/mam/toussaint/lesmoeurs
- For an unpublished letter see http://www.encore.at/mam/toussaint
- For his speeches at the Prussian Academy see http://www.bbaw.de/bibliothek/digital/index.html
- A summary in German and a picture of a titlepage of Les Mœurs to be found at http://ub-dok.uni-trier.de/argens/pic/pers/Toussaint.php