Alain-René Lesage
Alain-René Lesage was a notable French writer born on September 11, 1668, who profoundly influenced the development of the French novel in the 18th century. Orphaned at a young age, he moved to Paris to study law and philosophy, although he was more drawn to literature. Lesage's literary career began with translations, including Spanish plays, but he gained recognition with his works such as the play *Crispin, Rival of His Master* and the picaresque novel *Gil Blas*. The latter introduced a new form of storytelling, focusing on a young hero of humble origins navigating contemporary society, which was innovative for its time.
His works often satirized the social norms of his era, as seen in the comedy *Turcaret*, which critiqued unscrupulous financiers and faced significant opposition before its performance. Over his career, Lesage wrote numerous comic operas and continued to adapt and translate Spanish literature, reflecting his deep engagement with that cultural tradition. He spent his later years refining *Gil Blas* and passed away on November 17, 1747. Lesage's legacy is marked by his ability to portray the intricacies of 18th-century French life, blending humor with social commentary, which made a lasting impact on the narrative style in literature.
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Subject Terms
Alain-René Lesage
French playwright, novelist, and satirist
- Born: May 8, 1668
- Birthplace: Sarzeau, Brittany, France
- Died: November 17, 1747
- Place of death: Boulogne, France
Lesage’s Gil Blas de Santillane brought the Spanish picaresque form of the novel to France. Moreover, his versatility as a playwright enabled him to write successful plays for both the middle- and working-class Théâtre de la Foire and the upper-class Comédie-Française, thereby entertaining the entire Parisian theatergoing public.
Early Life
Alain-René Lesage (ah-la-ruh-nay lay-sahzh) was the son of a royal notary; his mother belonged to the provincial bourgeoisie. The family was economically comfortable. On September 11, 1677, at the age of nine, Lesage lost his mother. Then, just five years later, on December 24, 1682, his father died, leaving him an orphan at the age of fourteen. Lesage remained in Brittany under the tutelage of his uncle. He studied at the Jesuit school at Vannes. Although his father had left him an adequate fortune, he was soon ruined by his uncle.
In 1690, Lesage went to Paris, where he studied law and philosophy. In 1692, he obtained his degree and was placed on the list of lawyers at the Palais de Justice. During this time, he may or may not have had a brief liaison with an older woman of the nobility. While in Paris, he met and courted Marie-Élisabeth Huyard. In spite of the fact that neither had an adequate fortune, they married on September 28, 1694. Few details are known of this period of his life. It is believed that he spent some time in the provinces working for a tax collector. Lesage was far more attracted to a literary life than to that of a lawyer, however. In 1695, he translated the Epistolai Erōtikai (pb. 1566; love letters) of Aristaenetus (fl. fifth century) and published them as Les Lettres galantes d’Aristénète.
Life’s Work
In 1698, Lesage returned to Paris; the abbot of Lyon was providing him with a modest allowance. Soon, though, in order to support himself, Marie-Élisabeth, and their children, he was working in the book trade. Because Spain was very fashionable to Parisians at the time and because he knew the Spanish language, Lesage translated works from Spain’s Golden Age into French. In 1707, he published Théâtre espagnol: Ou, Les Meilleures comédies des plus fameux auteurs espagnols, traduites en français (Spanish theater: or, the best comedies of the most famous Spanish authors, translated into French), which contained translations of Spanish plays including works by Francisco de Rojas Zorilla and Lope de Vega.
In 1707, Lesage enjoyed his first success as an author. On March 15, 1707, two of his plays were performed at the Comédie-Française. Don César Ursin (pr. 1707) failed to appeal to the audience, but the other play, Crispin rival de son maître (pr., pb. 1707; Crispin, Rival of His Master, 1766), was extremely well received. The play treated on the then-popular theme of thwarted marriage. This theme usually dealt with young people hoping to get married over the objections of the girl’s parents. The couple’s problems would then be solved by the clever efforts of a trusted family valet. Lesage’s play was innovative in that his hero, the valet Crispin, was working to arrange his own marriage. This same year, Lesage’s novel Le Diable boiteux (1707; The Devil upon Two Sticks, 1708, 1726) met with great success among the reading public. An imitation of a Spanish novel, the work permitted the reader to spy on the various characters as the devil lifted the roofs of houses. The work was actually a satire of contemporary French society.
In 1709, Lesage tried to get his play Les Étrennes(New Year’s gifts) performed. The actors refused. Lesage then rewrote the play and named it Turcaret: Comédie en cinq actes (pr., pb. 1709; English translation, 1923). This comedy of manners attacked unscrupulous financiers. The opposition to its performance by the community of financiers in Paris was phenomenal. Some of them even tried to prevent its performance by bribing Lesage. On February 14, 1709, the play was performed by order of the Crown.
After the scandal caused by Turcaret, Lesage shied away from the Comédie-Française; he turned his attention to the Théâtre de la Foire. He wrote almost one hundred comic operas for this theater. Between 1712 and 1737, he prepared a collection of comic opera scripts for publication as Le Théâtre de la Foire: Ou, L’Opéra comique (pr. 1712-1738, pb. 1721-1737; 10 volumes; with d’Orneval, Louis Fuzelier, and others). These scripts differed from those actually used at the Théâtre de la Foire, however. In the original scripts, the actors had opportunities to improvise. They told bawdy jokes and provided other crass forms of entertainment. The scripts published by Lesage contained none of this. Whether Lesage was actually trying to elevate the comic opera by purging it of grossness or whether he was preparing scripts that would be approved by the censors and appeal to upper-class readers remains an unanswered question. Lesage did, however, spend almost twenty-five years working with this theater.
In 1715, Lesage published the first six books of his masterpiece, Histoire de Gil Blas de Santillane (1715-1735, 4 volumes; The History of Gil Blas of Santillane, 1716, 1735; better known as Gil Blas, 1749, 1962). In 1724, books seven through nine appeared. In 1735, books ten through twelve were published. Lesage was once again borrowing from Spanish literature, this time in the form that he used for his novel. Gil Blas is a picaresque novel. The hero is a young adventurer of the peasant class who sets off to see the world. The novel recounts his adventures and those of the people he meets along the way. During this period, Lesage continued to produce translations and adaptations of Spanish works. His final work, Le Bachelier de Salamanque (The Bachelor of Salamanca, 1737-1739), appeared in 1736.
Lesage spent the last years of his life with his second son at Boulogne. The death of his oldest son, the actor Montménil, in 1743 had seriously affected him. He spent his time reworking and correcting Gil Blas. A new edition appeared in 1747. On November 17, 1747, Lesage died at Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Significance
The eighteenth century was the period in which the French novel was perfected and developed into a literary genre. With the publication of Gil Blas, Alain-René Lesage introduced a new form into French fiction, the picaresque, and gave the genre a new hero, a naïve young man of common class who, by recounting his adventures, presented contemporary society to the reader. The novel also depicted the man’s rise in society and a certain moral improvement in his character. This hero appeared again as Jacob in Marivaux’s Le Paysan parvenu (1734-1735; The Fortunate Peasant, 1735).
Through the end of the seventeenth century, French novels had been historical, recounting happenings and adventures set in the past. In his novels, Lesage depicted contemporary French society. It was often lightly concealed under a Spanish veil, but it was contemporary French society. The depiction of contemporary society became an essential element of the novel as the century progressed. In both his plays, especially Turcaret, and his novels, Lesage recorded the manners, morals, and foibles of his time.
Bibliography
Benoit, Annick, and Guy Fontaine. “The Picaresque Novel.” In History of European Literature, edited by Annick Benoit-Dusausoy and Guy Fontaine. New York: Routledge, 2000. Discusses the genre Lesage introduced into France, and its Spanish origins.
Lesage, Alain-René. Le Diable boiteux: Or, The Devil upon Two Sticks. New York: Garland, 1972. English translation of Lesage’s first novel imitating the Spanish novel.
‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. The History and Adventure of Gil Blas de Santillane. New York: Garland, 1972. English translation of Lesage’s masterpiece.
Longhurst, Jennifer. “Lesage and the Spanish Tradition: Gil Blas as a Picaresque Novel.” In Studies in Eighteenth Century Literature, edited by J. H. Fox, M. H. Waddicor, and D. A. Watts. Exeter, Devon, England: University of Exeter Press, 1975. Discusses the picaresque form and how it was modified and used by Lesage.
Runte, Roseann. “Parallels Between Lesage’s Theater and His Novels.” In Enlightenment Studies in Honor of Lester G. Crocker, edited by Alfred Bingham and Virgil W. Topazio. Oxford, England: Voltaire Foundation, 1979. Looks at Lesage’s work in both genres; identifies his main themes and style.
Rush, Jane. “The Pricking of Balloons in Lesage’s Le Théatre de la Foire.” Eighteenth Century Life 19, no. 3 (November, 1995): 70-85. Examines Lesage and popular theater, and his lesser-known work.