Julien Louis Geoffroy
Encyclopedia
Julien Louis Geoffroy was a French
literary critic
.
He was born at Rennes
, and educated there and at the Collège Louis le Grand in Paris
. He took orders and for some time was a mere usher, eventually becoming professor of rhetoric
at the Collège des Quatre-Nations
. His tragedy
, Caton, was accepted at the Théâtre Français, but was never performed. On the death of Élie Fréron
in 1776 the other collaborators in the Année littéraire asked Geoffroy to succeed him, and he conducted the journal until its closure in 1792.
Geoffroy was a bitter critic of Voltaire
and his followers, and made for himself many enemies. An enthusiastic royalist, he published, with Fréron's brother-in-law, the abbé Thomas Royou (1741–1792), a journal, L'Ami du roi (1790–1792), which possibly did more harm than good to the king's cause by its ill-advised partisanship. During the Reign of Terror
, Geoffroy hid in the neighbourhood of Paris, only returning in 1799.
An attempt to revive the Année littéraire failed, and Geoffroy undertook the position of theatre critic of the Journal des Débats
. His scathing criticisms had a success of notoriety, but their popularity was ephemeral, and the publication of them (5 vols., 1819–1820) as Cours de littérature dramatique proved a failure. He was also the author of a perfunctory Commentaire on the works of Jean Racine
prefixed to Lenormant's edition (1808).
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...
literary critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
.
He was born at Rennes
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
, and educated there and at the Collège Louis le Grand 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 took orders and for some time was a mere usher, eventually becoming 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 des Quatre-Nations
Collège des Quatre-Nations
The Collège des Quatre-Nations , also known as the Collège Mazarin after its founder, was one of the colleges of the historic University of Paris. It was founded through a bequest by the Cardinal Mazarin...
. His tragedy
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
, Caton, was accepted at the Théâtre Français, but was never performed. On the death of Élie Fréron
Élie Catherine Fréron
Élie Catherine Fréron was a French critic and controversialist whose career focused on countering the influence of the philosophes of the French Enlightenment, partly thorough his vehicle, the Année littéraire...
in 1776 the other collaborators in the Année littéraire asked Geoffroy to succeed him, and he conducted the journal until its closure in 1792.
Geoffroy was a bitter critic of Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
and his followers, and made for himself many enemies. An enthusiastic royalist, he published, with Fréron's brother-in-law, the abbé Thomas Royou (1741–1792), a journal, L'Ami du roi (1790–1792), which possibly did more harm than good to the king's cause by its ill-advised partisanship. During the Reign of Terror
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror , also known simply as The Terror , was a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of "enemies of...
, Geoffroy hid in the neighbourhood of Paris, only returning in 1799.
An attempt to revive the Année littéraire failed, and Geoffroy undertook the position of theatre critic of the Journal des Débats
Journal des Débats
The Journal des débats was a French newspaper, published between 1789 and 1944 that changed title several times...
. His scathing criticisms had a success of notoriety, but their popularity was ephemeral, and the publication of them (5 vols., 1819–1820) as Cours de littérature dramatique proved a failure. He was also the author of a perfunctory Commentaire on the works of Jean Racine
Jean Racine
Jean Racine , baptismal name Jean-Baptiste Racine , was a French dramatist, one of the "Big Three" of 17th-century France , and one of the most important literary figures in the Western tradition...
prefixed to Lenormant's edition (1808).