Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux (4 February 1688 – 12 February 1763), commonly referred to as Marivaux, was a French

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire ...

. He is considered one of the most important French playwrights of the 18th century, writing numerous

comedies Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term origin ...

for the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

and the

Comédie-Italienne Comédie-Italienne or Théâtre-Italien are French names which have been used to refer to Italian-language theatre and opera when performed in France. The earliest recorded visits by Italian players were commedia dell'arte companies employed b ...

of Paris. His most important works are ''

Le Triomphe de l'amour ''The Triumph of Love'' ( French: ''Le Triomphe de l'amour'') is a three-act French comic play by Pierre de Marivaux. It was first performed by the Théâtre Italien in Paris on 12 March 1732. Characters *Léonide — a Spartan princess, d ...

'', ''

Le Jeu de l'amour et du hasard ''The Game of Love and Chance'' (french: Le Jeu de l'amour et du hasard) is a three-act romantic comedy by French playwright Marivaux. ''The Game of Love and Chance'' was first performed 23 January 1730 by the Comédie Italienne. In this pla ...

'' and ''

Les Fausses Confidences ''Les Fausses Confidences'' is a three-act comedy in prose by the French playwright Pierre de Carlet de Chamberlain de Marivaux. It was first performed on the 16 March 1737 by the actors of the Comédie Italienne at the Hotel de Bourgogne, Pari ...

''. He also published a number of essays and two important but unfinished novels, ''

La Vie de Marianne ''La Vie de Marianne'' (''The life of Marianne: or, the adventures of the Countess of ***'') is an unfinished novel by Pierre de Marivaux and illustrated by Jakob van der Schley. The novel was written in sections, eleven of which appeared betwe ...

'' and ''

Le Paysan parvenu ''Le Paysan parvenu'' is an unfinished work, unfinished novel by Pierre de Marivaux. Five parts by Marivaux appeared from May 1734 to April 1735, and an ending was added by another writer. The work is supposedly the original for subsequent tales o ...

''.

Life

His father was a Norman financier whose name from birth was Carlet, but who assumed the surname of Chamblain, and then that of Marivaux. He brought up his family in

Limoges Limoges (, , ; oc, Lemòtges, locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region ...

and

Riom Riom (; Auvergnat ''Riam'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Puy-de-Dôme Departments of France, department in Auvergne (region), Auvergne in central France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. History Un ...

, in the province of

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label= Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Au ...

, where he directed the mint. Marivaux is said to have written his first play, the ''Père prudent et équitable'', when he was only eighteen, but it was not published until 1712, when he was twenty-four. However, the young Marivaux concentrated more on writing novels than plays. In the three years from 1713 to 1715 he produced three novels – ''Effets surprenants de la sympathie''; ''La Voiture embourbée'', and a book which had three titles – ''Pharsamon'', ''Les Folies romanesques'', and ''Le Don Quichotte moderne''. These books are very different from his later, more famous pieces: they are inspired by Spanish romances and the heroic novels of the preceding century, with a certain mixture of the marvelous. Then Marivaux's literary ardour entered a new phase. He parodied

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

to serve the cause of Antoine Houdar de La Motte, (1672–1731) an ingenious paradoxer; Marivaux had already done something similar for

François Fénelon François de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon (), more commonly known as François Fénelon (6 August 1651 – 7 January 1715), was a French Catholic archbishop, theologian, poet and writer. Today, he is remembered mostly as the author of '' The ...

, whose ''Telemachus'' he parodied and updated as ''Le Telemaque travesti'' (written in 1714 but not published until 1736). His friendship with Antoine Houdar de La Motte introduced him to the ''Mercure'', the chief newspaper of France, and he started writing articles for it in 1717. His work was noted for its keen observation and literary skill. His work showed the first signs of what is now called "marivaudage," the flirtatious bantering tone characteristic of Marivaux's dialogues. In 1742 he became acquainted with the then-unknown

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...

, helping him revise a play, ''Narcissus,'' though it wasn't produced till long afterwards. Marivaux is reputed to have been a witty conversationalist, with a somewhat contradictory personality. He was extremely good-natured but fond of saying very severe things, unhesitating in his acceptance of favours (he drew a regular annuity from Claude Adrien Helvétius) but exceedingly touchy if he thought himself in any way slighted. At the same time, he was a great cultivator of sensibility and unsparingly criticized the rising ''philosophes''. Perhaps for this reason,

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his '' nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—e ...

became his enemy and often disparaged him. Marivaux's friends included Helvétius,

Claudine Guérin de Tencin Claudine Alexandrine Guérin de Tencin, Baroness of Saint-Martin-de-Ré (27 April 1682 – 4 December 1749) was a French salonist and author. She was the mother of Jean le Rond d'Alembert, who later became a prominent mathematician, ''philosophe' ...

, Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle and even

Madame de Pompadour Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (, ; 29 December 1721 – 15 April 1764), commonly known as Madame de Pompadour, was a member of the French court. She was the official chief mistress of King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and rem ...

(who allegedly provided him with a pension). Marivaux had one daughter, who became a nun; the duke of Orleans, the regent's successor, furnished her with her dowry.

Literary career

The early 1720s were very important for Marivaux; he wrote a comedy (now mostly lost) called ''L'Amour et la vérité'', another comedy, ''

Arlequin poli par l'amour ''Arlequin poli par l'amour'' is a one-act romantic comedy by French playwright Pierre de Marivaux. Its title could be translated into English as ''Harlequin, refined by love''. ''Arlequin poli par l'amour'' was first performed October 17, 17 ...

'', and an unsuccessful tragedy, ''Annibal'' (printed 1737). In about 1721, he married a Mlle Martin, but she died shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, he lost all of his inheritance money when he invested it in the Mississippi scheme. His pen now became almost his sole resource. Marivaux had a connection with two fashionable theatres: ''Annibal'' had played at the Comédie Française and ''Arlequin poli'' at the Comédie Italienne. He also endeavoured to start a weekly newspaper, the ''Spectateur Français'', to which he was the sole contributor. But his irregular work ethic killed the paper after less than two years. Thus, for nearly twenty years, the theatre, especially the Comédie Italienne, was Marivaux's chief support. His plays were well received by the actors of the Comédie Française, but were rarely successful there. Marivaux wrote between 30 and 40 plays, the best of which are ''

La Surprise de l'amour ''La Surprise de l'amour'' is a three-act romantic comedy by French playwright Marivaux. Its title is usually translated into English as ''The Surprise of Love''. ''La Surprise de l'amour'' was first performed 3 May 1722 by the Comédie Itali ...

'' (1722), the ''Triomphe de Plutus'' (1728), ''Jeu de l'amour et du hasard'' (1730) ( The Game of Love and Chance), ''Les Fausses confidences'' (1737), all produced at the Italian theatre, and ''Le Legs'' (1736), produced at the French. At intervals, he returned to journalism: a

periodical publication A periodical literature (also called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) is a published work that appears in a new edition on a regular schedule. The most familiar example is a newspaper, but a magazine or a journal are also example ...

called ''L'Indigent philosophe'' appeared in 1727, and another called ''Le Cabinet du philosophe'' in 1734. But the same causes which had proved fatal to the ''Spectateur'' prevented these later efforts from succeeding. In 1731 Marivaux published the first two parts of his great novel, ''Marianne''. The eleven parts appeared at intervals over the next eleven years, but the novel was never finished. In 1735 another novel, ''Le Paysan parvenu'', was begun, but this also was left unfinished. Marivaux was elected a member of the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

in 1742. For the next twenty years, he contributed occasionally to the ''Mercure'', wrote plays and reflections (which were seldom of much worth), and so forth. He died on 12 February 1763, aged seventy-five.

''Marivaudage''

The so-called ''marivaudage'' is the main point of importance about Marivaux's literary work, though the best of the comedies have great merits, and ''Marianne'' is an extremely important step in the development of the French novel. That, and ''Le Paysan parvenu'', have some connection to the work of Samuel Richardson and

Henry Fielding Henry Fielding (22 April 1707 – 8 October 1754) was an English novelist, irony writer, and dramatist known for earthy humour and satire. His comic novel ''Tom Jones'' is still widely appreciated. He and Samuel Richardson are seen as founders ...

. In general, Marivaux's subject matter is the so-called "metaphysic of love-making." As Claude Prosper Jolyot Crébillon said, Marivaux's characters not only tell each other and the reader everything they have thought, but everything that they would like to persuade themselves that they have thought. This style derives mainly from Fontenelle and the ''Précieuses'', though there are traces of it even in Jean de La Bruyère. It abuses metaphor somewhat, and delights to turn a metaphor in an unexpected and bizarre fashion. Sometimes a familiar phrase is used where dignified language would be expected; sometimes the reverse. Crébillon also described Marivaux's style as an introduction of words to each other which have never made acquaintance and which think that they will not get on together (this phrase is itself rather Marivaux-esque). This kind of writing, of course, recurs at several periods of literature, especially at the end of the 19th century. This fantastic embroidery of language has a certain charm, and suits the somewhat unreal gallantry and sensibility which it describes and exhibits. Marivaux possessed, moreover, both thought and observation, besides considerable command of pathos.

Works

Plays

1712 In the Swedish calendar it began as a leap year starting on Monday and remained so until Thursday, February 29. By adding a second leap day (Friday, February 30) Sweden reverted to the Julian calendar and the rest of the year (from Saturda ...

: ''Le Père prudent et équitable'' * 1720: ''L'Amour et la Vérité'' * 1720: ''

(Harlequin's Lesson of Love)'' * 1720: '' Annibal'', his only tragedy * 1722: ''

(The Agreeable Surprise)'' *

1723 Events January–March * January 25 – British pirate Edward Low intercepts the Portuguese ship ''Nostra Signiora de Victoria''. After the Portuguese captain throws his treasure of 11,000 gold coins into the sea rather than s ...

: ''

La Double Inconstance ''La Double Inconstance'' is a three-act romantic comedy by French playwright Marivaux. Its title is usually translated into English as ''The Double Inconstancy''. ''La Double Inconstance'' was first performed 6 April 1723 by the Comédie Ita ...

(Infidelities)'' * 1724: '' Le Prince travesti'' * 1724: '' La Fausse Suivante ou Le Fourbe puni (The False Servant)'' * 1724: ''Le Dénouement imprévu'' * 1725: ''

L'Île des esclaves ''L’Île des esclaves'' ( en, Slave Island) is a one-act comedy by Pierre de Marivaux; it was the first of three plays in the series. It was presented for the first time on March 5, 1725 at the Hôtel de Bourgogne by the Comédie Italienn ...

(Slave Island)'' * 1725: ''L'Héritier de village'' * 1726: ''

Mahomet second ''Mahomet second'' is an unfinished tragedy in one act and five scenes in prose, written by French playwright Pierre de Marivaux circa 1733 and first published in the journal ''Mercure de France'' in 1747. Origin Marivaux used to attend the A ...

'' (unfinished prose tragedy) * 1727: '' L'Île de la raison ou Les petits hommes'' * 1727: ''La Seconde Surprise de l'amour'' * 1728: ''Le Triomphe de Plutus (Money Makes the World Go Round)'' *

1729 Events January–March * January 8 – Frederick, the eldest son of King George II of Great Britain is made Prince of Wales at the age of 21, a few months after he comes to Britain for the first time after growing up in Hano ...

: ''

La Nouvelle Colonie ''La Nouvelle Colonie or La Ligue des Femmes'' is a comedy in three acts and in prose written by French playwright Pierre de Marivaux. It was first performed on June 18, 1729, by the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne. ''La Nouvelle ...

'' lost and then rewritten in

1750 Various sources, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, use the year 1750 as a baseline year for the end of the pre-industrial era. Events January–March * January 13 – The Treaty of Madrid between Spain a ...

with the title of ''La Colonie'' * 1730: ''

Le Jeu de l'Amour et du Hasard ''The Game of Love and Chance'' (french: Le Jeu de l'amour et du hasard) is a three-act romantic comedy by French playwright Marivaux. ''The Game of Love and Chance'' was first performed 23 January 1730 by the Comédie Italienne. In this pla ...

(The Game of Love and Chance)'' *

1731 Events January–March * January 8 – An avalanche from the Skafjell mountain causes a massive wave in the Storfjorden fjord in Norway that sinks all boats that happen to be in the water at the time and kills people on both sho ...

: ''La Réunion des Amours'' * 1732: ''

(The Triumph of Love)'' * 1732: ''Les Serments indiscrets (Careless Vows)'' * 1732: ''L'École des mères'' * 1733: ''L'Heureux Stratagème (Successful Strategies)'' *

1734 Events January– March * January 8 – Salzburgers, Lutherans who were expelled by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Salzburg, Austria, in October 1731, set sail for the British Colony of Georgia in America. * February 16 – ...

: '' La Méprise'' * 1734: '' Le Petit-Maître corrigé'' * 1734: ''Le Chemin de la fortune'' * 1735: ''La Mère confidente'' *

1736 Events January–March * January 12 – George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney, becomes the first Field Marshal of Great Britain. * January 23 – The Civil Code of 1734 is passed in Sweden. * January 26 – Stanislaus I of Pol ...

: ''Le Legs (The Legacy)'' * 1737: ''

(The False Confidences)'' * 1738: ''La Joie imprévue'' * 1739: '' Les Sincères (The Test)'' *

1740 Events January–March * January 8 – All 237 crewmen on the Dutch East India Company ship ''Rooswijk'' are drowned, when the vessel strikes the shoals of Goodwin Sands, off of the coast of England, as it is beginning its second ...

: '' L'Épreuve'' *

1741 Events January–March * January 13 – Lanesborough, Massachusetts is created as a township. *February 13 – Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, popularizes the term "the balance of power" in a speech ...

: ''La Commère'' * 1744: ''

La Dispute :''This is for the Marivaux play, for the band, see La Dispute (band).'' ''La Dispute'' is a prose comedy written by Pierre de Marivaux, shown for the first time on 19 October 1744 by the Théâtre-Italien in the Hôtel de Bourgogne. The story ...

(A Matter of Dispute)'' *

1746 Events January–March * January 8 – The Young Pretender Charles Edward Stuart occupies Stirling, Scotland. * January 17 – Battle of Falkirk Muir: British Government forces are defeated by Jacobite forces. * February ...

: '' Le Préjugé vaincu'' *

: ''

La Colonie ''La Colonie'' is a comedy by French playwright Pierre de Marivaux, published in 1750 in the journal ''Mercure de France''. When it was first performed at the Comédie-Italienne on June 18, 1729, ''La Nouvelle Colonie'' did not gather success and ...

'' * 1750: ''La Femme fidèle'' * 1757: '' Félicie'' * 1757: '' Les Acteurs de bonne foi (The Constant Players)'' * 1761: ''La Provinciale''

Journals and essays

1717 Events January–March * January 1 – Count Carl Gyllenborg, the Swedish ambassador to the Kingdom of Great Britain, is arrested in London over a plot to assist the Pretender to the British throne, James Francis Edward Stuart. * J ...

– 1718: ''Lettres sur les habitants de Paris'' * ''Lettres contenant une aventure'' * ''Pensées sur differents sujets'' * 1721– 1724: ''Le Spectateur français'' * 1726: ''L'Indigent philosophe'' *

: ''Le Cabinet du philosophe''

Novels

* 1713– 1714: ''Les Effets surprenants de la sympathie'' * 1714: ''La Voiture embourbée'' — an "improvised" novel (''roman impromptu'') * 1714: ''Le Bilboquet'' * 1714: ''Le Télémaque travesti'' * 1716–

: ''L'Homère travesti ou L'Iliade en vers burlesques'' * 1737: ''Pharsamon ou Les Folies romanesques (Pharsamond, or the New Knight-Errand)''

Unfinished novels

* begun in 1727: ''

(The Life of Marianne)'' * begun in 1735: ''

(The Upstart Peasant)''

Adaptations

'' Triumph of Love'', a 1997 musical stage adaptation of Marivaux's play '' The Triumph of Love'' had a brief

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

run.

Film and Television

*', directed by Ugo Falena (Italy, 1914, short film, based on the play '' The Game of Love and Chance'') *''

Monsieur Hector ''Monsieur Hector'' is a 1940 French musical comedy film based upon the play by Pierre de Marivaux, directed by Maurice Cammage and starring Fernandel, Denise Grey and Georges Grey.Quinlan p.178 It was shot at the Neuilly Studios in Paris. The ...

'', directed by

Maurice Cammage Maurice Cammage is a French film director and dialoguist, born in 1882 and died on 15 April 1946 in Paris. Filmography * 1932 : '' Vive la classe'' * 1932 : '' Un beau jour de noces'' * 1932 : '' La Terreur de la pampa'' (script and dialogues b ...

(France, 1940, based on the play '' The Game of Love and Chance'') *', directed by

Leopoldo Torres Ríos Leopoldo Torres Ríos (27 December 1899 – 10 April 1960) was an Argentine film director and screenwriter. His brother Carlos Torres Ríos was a notable cinematographer. His son was the film director and screenwriter Leopoldo Torre Nilsson. ...

(Argentina, 1944, based on the play '' The Game of Love and Chance'') *', directed by

Marcel Bluwal Marcel Bluwal (25 May 1925 – 23 October 2021) was a French film director and screenwriter who directed more than 40 films in his career. Selected filmography Director * ''Carom Shots ''Carom Shots'' (french: Carambolages) is a 1963 Fren ...

(France, 1967, TV film, based on the play '' The Game of Love and Chance'') *', directed by

(France, 1968, TV film, based on the play '' Double Inconstancy'') *', directed by

Arthur Maria Rabenalt Arthur Maria Rabenalt (25 June 1905 – 26 February 1993) was an Austrian film director, writer, and author. He directed more than 90 films between 1934 and 1978. His 1958 film '' That Won't Keep a Sailor Down'' was entered into the 1st Moscow ...

(West Germany, 1978, based on the play ''

'') *', directed by (France, 1984, based on the play ''

'') *''La Fausse Suivante'', directed by

Patrice Chéreau Patrice Chéreau (; 2 November 1944 – 7 October 2013) was a French opera and theatre director, filmmaker, actor and producer. In France he is best known for his work for the theatre, internationally for his films '' La Reine Margot'' and ...

(France, 1985, TV film, based on the play '' La Fausse Suivante'') *', directed by

Benoît Jacquot Benoît Jacquot (; born 5 February 1947) is a French film director and screenwriter who has had a varied career in European cinema. Life and career Born in Paris, Jacquot began his career as assistant director of Marguerite Duras films, inclu ...

(France, 1995, TV film, based on the novel ''

'') *'' False Servant'', directed by

(France, 2000, based on the play '' La Fausse Suivante'') Marivaux's play '' The Triumph of Love'' (1732) was filmed in English in 2001 as '' The Triumph of Love'', starring

Mira Sorvino Mira Katherine Sorvino (; born September 28, 1967) is an American actress. She won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Woody Allen's '' Mighty Aphrodite'' (1995). She also starred in the films ...

Ben Kingsley Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning five decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Grammy Award, and tw ...

, and

Fiona Shaw Fiona Shaw (born Fiona Mary Wilson; 10 July 1958) is an Irish film and theatre actress. She is known for her roles as Petunia Dursley in the ''Harry Potter'' film series (2001–2010), Marnie Stonebrook in the fourth season of the HBO ser ...

. It is, so far, the only one of Marivaux's plays ever to be filmed in English. The film received modestly favourable reviews, but was not a

box office A box office or ticket office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a wicket. By extension, the term is fre ...

success. In the French film ''

L'Esquive ''Games of Love and Chance'' (french: L'Esquive) is a 2003 French drama film directed by Abdellatif Kechiche and starring Sara Forestier. It won the César Award for Best Film, Best Director, Best Writing and Most Promising Actress. The film wa ...

'' (2003), directed by

Abdellatif Kechiche Abdellatif Kechiche (; ar, عبد اللطيف كشيش, born 7 December 1960) is a Tunisian- French actor, film director and screenwriter. He made his directorial debut in 2000 with '' La Faute à Voltaire'', which he also wrote. Known for his ...

, Arab-French adolescents in a Paris suburb prepare and perform Marivaux's play ''

''.

References

External links

* * *
Biography, Bibliography, Analysis, Plot overview
(in French)

(in French) {{DEFAULTSORT:Marivaux 1688 births 1763 deaths Writers from Paris 18th-century French dramatists and playwrights Members of the Académie Française 18th-century French writers 18th-century French novelists