Charles Sorel
Charles Sorel, born around 1597 in Paris, France, was a notable figure in 17th-century literature and a key contributor to the transition from pastoral to satirical novel forms. Initially educated at the Collège de Lisieux, Sorel began his career in a lawyer's office and quickly became involved with a circle of influential poets and writers. His literary breakthrough came in 1623 with the publication of his satirical work, *L'Histoire comique de Françion*, which critiqued the popular pastoral novels of his time. Sorel's other significant work, *Le Berger extravagant*, further parodied these sentimental tales, showcasing his keen observational skills regarding social manners and morals.
Throughout his career, Sorel's interests diversified, leading him to write treatises on history, science, and religion, especially after he became historiographer to the king in 1635. Despite a decline in his financial circumstances later in life, he remained engaged with literature and the intellectual community until his death in 1674. Sorel's contributions significantly enriched the literary landscape of his era, introducing a blend of satire and realism that challenged prevailing literary norms while still acknowledging their influence. His legacy is particularly marked by his ability to highlight the absurdities of contemporary literary trends.
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Charles Sorel
Author
- Born: c. 1597
- Birthplace: Paris, France
- Died: March 7, 1674
- Place of death: Paris, France
Biography
Charles Sorel, le Sieur de Souvigny, was born in Paris, France, around 1597. He probably received his education at the Collège de Lisieux. He first found employment as a clerk in a lawyer’s office and socialized with a group of authors connected with the court nobility.
In 1622, he collaborated with a group of poets and writers in the creation of a ballet that was performed before the king. The next year, he published Les Nouvelles françoises, and a few months later his most famous work, the satirical L’Histoire comique de Françion. In 1626, he published Le Berger extravagant.
In 1635, he purchased the post of historiographer to the king, which his uncle, Charles Bernard, had previously held. Sorel, who had always had a predilection for history, subsequently began to fraternize with philosophers and intellectuals interested in science and religion. He abandoned novels and poems and turned to writing treatises and philosophical and religious works. He did not write another fictional piece until La Maison des jeux in 1642.
Sorel became a close friend of the doctor Gui Patin and became a devout Christian. Politically, he aligned himself with the educated bourgeoisie and was distrustful of the powerful and of Mazarin, the Italian Cardinal who advised the king. He became a member of the social group that included both scientists and members of the nobility. Although he was not writing literary pieces, he still kept abreast of what was being done in literature and in language development.
In 1663, Sorel lost his salary as historiographer. He still held the position and continued to write the documents requested by the government but as part of his economic reforms, the minister of finance had simply eliminated the position’s salary. Sorel was forced to sell his house and retire to the home of one of his nephews. He died at his nephew’s home in Paris on March 7, 1674.
Although Sorel wrote on a variety of topics, including history, science, and religion, his fame as a writer rests on his early fictional satire, the L’Histoire comique de Françion, and his Le Berger extravagant, which spoofed the sentimental, pastoral novels of the period. Sorel was a keen observer of social manners and morals and hence an excellent satirist. The society of his time was fascinated with stories of heroes involved in fantastic plots. These tales were recounted in a rarified metaphorical language referred to as précieux. The model for this type of novel was Honoré dÚrfé’s Astrée. With his L’Histoire comique de Françion, Sorel attempted to accentuate how ridiculous the pastoral novels were and to substitute an adventure novel grounded in reality.
The novel found a significant readership, but many of the readers, although favorably inclined to Sorel’s work, still insisted upon the value of Astrée. Consequently, Sorel attacked them with satirical vehemence in his Le Berger extravagant. Charles Sorel did not eradicate the pastoral novel; however, he did add a type of novel containing satire and realism to the literature of the seventeenth century.