Jean-Baptiste Gresset

Jean-Baptiste - Louis Gresset , born with Amiens (Somme) the August 29th 1709 and died in Amiens the June 16th 1777, is a French poet and playwright.

Biography

Jean-Baptiste Gresset made his studies with the college of the Jesuits of Amiens before entering this order at the sixteen years age. He studied with the Louis-the-Large college then taught humanities with Moulins, Tours and Rouen.

He published initially a Ode on the love of the fatherland (1730) before giving his poem of Green-Green (1734), chief of work of poetry badine which had a very fast and very broad success. Jean-Baptiste Rousseau qualified this poem of “ literary phenomenon ”, at the same time for the time and the talent. The same year, Gresset gave two other poems in the same spirit: the alive Lectern and Carème impromptu .

The following parts - Chartreuse (1734), the Shades , the epistles With the Father Moving , has my sister , has my MUSE , etc - more serious and more philosophical, also are successful.

The higher general one of the Visitation, whose order had been turned into ridiculous in Green-Green , obtained that the poet is sanctioned. The Jesuits exiled it with the Arrow, where it translated Bucoliques of Virgile before leaving the Company in 1735. It successfully made its beginnings in the world, especially attending the “green cabinet” of the hotel of Forcalquier, in the countess of Brancas. Protected from Madam de Pompadour, it was in hillock with the liveliness of the chansonniers by reaction against the favor which it enjoyed.

Turning to the theater, it initially gave without success a tragedy, Edouard III (1740) and a drama Sidney (1745) before its comedy Malicious the (1747).

Following the success of this work, he was elected with the French Academy in 1748, where he occupied the 5^e armchair. He there replaced, the March 28th 1748, Antoine Danchet, and was accepted by Claude Gros of Boze, the April 4th according to.

He had the badge honor to be allowed with the royal Académie of Berlin, while refusing the offers of king de Prusse to go to be established in his capital. He founded in 1750 the Académie of Amiens, from which he was named perpetual president. He Maria in 1751 and fell into the devotion.

Receiving, the August 25th 1754, Louis de Boissy with the French Academy, it blamed in its speech what it described as “ indecency of aspire to ”. Then, the December 19th 1754, answering the speech of reception of D' Alembert, it protested against the bishops who failed to fulfil their obligation of residence. These exits displeased and gave place to complaints which were carried in front of the King. This one having marked its dissatisfaction, Gresset was withdrawn in its birthplace of Amiens. On the council of the bishop of Amiens, it burned some of its projects of which several new works. It abjured its light works in 1759, going until cursing poetry like a dangerous art, to deplore the scandal which it had caused by its comedies and to retract solemnly what it had been able to write “ of a little reflected tone, in the rimées trifles which one multiplied the editions ” without it having “ ever be in the confidence of any ”. These excesses of religious bigotry combined with these improbabilities caused the sarcastic remarks of Voltaire (in particular in the poor devil ) and of Piron.

The August 4th 1774, Gresset reappeared with the Academy to answer the speech of reception of Jean-Baptist-Antoine Suard. Developing the influence of manners on the language, in a speech which appeared a monument bad taste, it protested against the Anglomanie with force terms of toilet which made laugh the public. However, Louis XVI gave him noble letters and Mister appointed it historiographer of the Ordre of Saint-Lazare.

He made some readings in front of the Academy of Amiens: Gazetin , poem in 4 songs which was not printed; the splendid Godfather , poem in 10 songs which was published only after the death of its author; two songs that it projected to add to Green-Green - headings “Boarders” and “the Laboratory of the Sisters” - and to which it renonça on the councils of his bishop.

Jean-Baptiste Gresset rests in the northern transept of the cathedral of Amiens.

Quotations

Désir of woman is a fire which devours

Désir of nun is hundred times worse still.

( Green-Green )

the spirit which one wants to have spoils that which one A.

( Malicious the )

It has rather beautiful eyes for eyes of province.

( Malicious the )

the judgment of only one is not the law of all.

the pain is one century and death one moment.

the praise of absent is done without flattery.

Works

Green-Green, history of a parrot of Nevers (1734)
Carème impromptu (1734)
the alive Lectern (1734)
Chartreuse (1734)
Shades (1734)
Edouard III , tragedy, January 22nd, 1740
Sidney , drama in worms, May 3rd, 1745
Malicious the , comedy in 5 acts, worms, April 15th, 1747
the splendid Godfather , poem in ten songs (1810)

Random links: