About
Jean de La Bruyère, born on August 16, 1645, in Paris and died on May 10 or 11, 1696, in Versailles, was a French writer and moralist. After studying law in Orléans, he became a lawyer, then in 1673 purchased the office of treasurer general of France in Caen. In 1684, he entered the service of the Duke of Bourbon as tutor, later becoming secretary and librarian in the Condé household at Chantilly. He published his major work, Characters or the Manners of this Century, in 1688, which went through nine editions during his lifetime. Elected to the Académie française in 1693, he is regarded as one of the great classical moralists.
* 1645-08-16 — † 1696-05-11
Major works
- Les Caractères ou les Mœurs de ce siècle (1688)collection of maxims and satirical portraits
- Discours à l'Académie française (1693)reception speech
Key milestones
- 1665Admitted to the Paris bar after studying law in Orléans.
- 1684Becomes tutor to the Duke of Bourbon, then secretary and librarian in the Condé household.
- 1693Elected to the Académie française after three earlier defeats.
Themes
Satire of the court and societyMorals and human natureCharacter portraitsCritique of mannersInfluence of classical moralists
Sources: britannica.com · data.bnf.fr