Louvigny de Montigny
Louvigny de Montigny, born in 1876 in Saint-Jerome, Quebec, was a notable French Canadian journalist, literary historian, playwright, and linguist. He is best known for co-founding the École Littéraire de Montréal and composing the first significant history of the French language in Canada. His work emphasized the importance of maintaining the purity of the French language in Quebec and critiqued the influence of English on the Québécois dialect. Throughout his career, Montigny served as a translator for the Ottawa Senate and advocated for the inclusion of in-depth studies of both French and English literature in educational curricula.
One of his most influential writings is the 1916 essay "La Langue française au Canada: Son état actuel," where he argued for the need to study French literature to foster appreciation for the language while also recognizing the necessity of understanding English literature. His views often sparked controversy, even among fellow French Canadians, yet he earned notable accolades, including the French Legion of Honor in 1925. Montigny also had a successful career as a playwright, with his 1935 work "Les Boules de neige" gaining critical and commercial acclaim. He continued to contribute to literature and linguistics until his death in 1955, leaving behind a complex legacy that reflects the cultural dynamics of French Canada.
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Louvigny de Montigny
- Born: December 1, 1876
- Birthplace: Saint-Jerome, Quebec, Canada
- Died: May 20, 1955
- Place of death: Quebec, Canada
Biography
Born in Saint-Jerome, Quebec, Canada, in 1876, French Canadian journalist, literary historian, playwright, and linguist Carolus- Glatigny-Louvigny de Montigny cofounded the Ecole Litéraire de Montréal but is most significantly remembered for composing the first major history of the French language in Canada and advocating for the purity of the French language spoken there.
In his career as a public servant, including a lengthy career as a translator for the Ottawa Senate, Montigny lobbied for the detailed study of the French and English languages and literature in schools, theorizing that in-depth literary study would protect the French spoken in Quebec from English linguistic influence. In addition to the Literary School of Montreal, he founded two newspapers, Les Débats and La Gazette municipale, and two literary organizations, the Canadian Authors’ Association and the Company of Canadian Writers.
Montigny’s primary arguments for the purity of the French language in Canada are found in his 1916 philological essay La Langue française au Canada: Son état actuel (the French language in Canada: its current state), in which he traces the “corrupting” influences of English on the Québécois dialect. The piece argues that study of French literature will inspire respect and affection for the French language and thus protect against the infiltration of English, but that study of English literature is also necessary for full inoculation.
Montigny’s ideas generated great controversy and often vehement refutations, even from fellow French Canadians, but he also received the French Legion of Honor in 1925. His own literary writing was more broadly accepted; his poetry was popular and widely published. His 1935 play Les Boules de neige was both critically and commercially successful. He earned a doctorate degree from the Université de Montréal in 1937 for an analytical essay on Louis Hémon’s 1913 novel Maria Chapdelaine. Montigny worked from his own 1916 edition of the novel, which he considered to be a model for French Canadian literature. The essay also received recognition from the French Academy. In 1945, Montigny also received the French Language Prize for the travel essay Au pays de Québéc: Contes des images Montigny was married for just over fifty years and had two children. He died in Quebec in May of 1955.