Jean de La Bruyère
Jean de La Bruyère was a 17th-century French moralist whose The Characters portrays social types and reflects on manners, ambition, and human conduct.
The Characters: A collection of character portraits, maxims, and reflections on French society by Jean de La Bruyère. This book gathers the portraits and social observations that define his work.
French court of Louis XIV: The royal household and political center surrounding King Louis XIV at Versailles and elsewhere. Its hierarchies and rituals supplied many of the social behaviors his portraits scrutinize.
Louis XIV: King of France from 1643 to 1715, whose reign established an exceptionally powerful monarchy and court. His court provides the political and social world reflected in La Bruyère’s work.
Social satire: Satire directed at institutions, customs, or behavior within a society. His sketches turn recognizable manners and hierarchies into objects of criticism.
French classicism: A French artistic and literary movement emphasizing order, restraint, clarity, and adherence to classical models. His controlled prose and classical references place him within this literary tradition.
Theophrastus: An ancient Greek philosopher whose short work Characters depicts recurring moral types. La Bruyère translated Theophrastus and used his portraits as a model.
Versailles: A French palace and royal complex that became the principal seat of Louis XIV’s court. The court culture associated with Versailles illuminates his portraits of rank and ambition.
Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet: A French bishop, theologian, and influential preacher who served the Bourbon court. Bossuet helped secure La Bruyère’s position as tutor to the Condé household.
Characterization: The methods by which a literary work presents and develops people or personality types. His brief portraits build character through habits, speech, and social conduct.
French Enlightenment: An intellectual movement in eighteenth-century France that emphasized reason, criticism, and reform. Later writers inherited his practice of scrutinizing social institutions and human motives.