Les Hommes Illustres - 1696 - Rich Breiman Collection
keyword: richbreiman8/29/24 (updated 11/29/25)Les Hommes Illustres Qui ont Paru en France is a two-volume work of brief biographies by Charles Perrault, published between 1696 and 1700. The collection contains 102 biographies of notable French men who died from around 1600 up to the late 1690s, portraying figures who exemplified the grandeur of France under Louis XIV. Each biography is accompanied by a high-quality engraved portrait, creating an illustrated "pantheon" of French illustrious men.Perrault's work is significant for several innovations in biographical writing of the time. It notably includes not only traditional figures like nobles and clergy but also artists and men of letters, broadening the scope of those deemed worthy of biographical notice. The biographies emphasize the glory of France and align with the political context of the era, reflecting the royal influence and the cultural nationalism of Louis XIV’s reign. The work is also distinctive for being published in the French vernacular rather than Latin, shifting focus to contemporary French figures within a defined political and geographic frame.The collection was partly a group effort, supported by lavish engravings by notable artists, and though Perrault is credited as the author, the project involved collaboration. Some biographies originally intended by Perrault, such as those of Antoine Arnauld and Blaise Pascal, were censored and replaced by others. The work systematically organizes the biographies, starting with ecclesiastics, followed by nobles, magistrates, and ending with artists and writers, highlighting social hierarchy while promoting the cultural achievements of France.Overall, Les Hommes Illustres Qui ont Paru en France reflects the late 17th-century shift in biography from purely individual glorification to celebrating national greatness through a collective pantheon of illustrious personalities. It remains a key example of literary and historical production during the Grand Siècle, illustrating how biography was used as a political and cultural tool under Louis XIV.Charles PerraultCharles Perrault was a French poet, prose writer, and storyteller born on January 12, 1628, in Paris, France, and died there in May 1703. He is best known as the pioneer of the literary fairy tale genre through his famous collection "Histoires ou contes du temps passé" (Tales of Mother Goose), published in 1697. Perrault transformed older folk tales into refined literary works that combined fantasy elements with depictions of contemporary French society, and his most popular tales include Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, and Bluebeard.Perrault played a significant role in the literary debate known as the Quarrel of the Ancients and Moderns, siding with the Moderns who argued the superiority of contemporary literature over classical antiquity. Besides his literary contributions, he held important government positions related to royal buildings and was an early member of the Académie Française. After retiring from public service, Perrault dedicated himself to literature and the arts, producing influential works that shaped French literary culture during the reign of Louis XIV.His legacy is marked by his innovation in elevating folk stories into a respected literary form and his lasting influence on fairy tales as a genre cherished worldwide.Source: Perplexity.ai-- G. Ly
