Louis-Jean-Baptiste-Étienne Vigée (2 December 1758 – 8 August 1820) was a French playwright and

man of letters An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the world of culture, either ...

Early life

Born into an artistic family, he was the son of the pastellist Louis Vigée (1715–1767) and the brother of the painter Élisabeth Vigée.

Career

Vigée was popular in the salons for his pleasant personality and quick wit. He was employed as a secretary to

Marie Joséphine of Savoy Marie Joséphine of Savoy (; 2 September 1753 – 13 November 1810) was a princess of Kingdom of France, France and Countess of Provence by marriage to the future King Louis XVIII of France. She was regarded by Bourbon royalist Legitimists as ...

, the ''comtesse de Provence'', wife of future King

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. Before his reign, he spent 23 y ...

, and sister-in-law of King

Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

and

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last List of French royal consorts, queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the ...

. He wrote poetry in praise of the French Revolution, although his enthusiasm quickly faded and he was at one point arrested as a

Girondist The Girondins (, ), also called Girondists, were a political group during the French Revolution. From 1791 to 1793, the Girondins were active in the Legislative Assembly and the National Convention. Together with the Montagnards, they initiall ...

. He lived long enough to write poetry both in praise of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

and Louis XVIII following the

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * Ab ...

. He succeeded Sautreau de Marsy as editor of the poetry magazine ''

Almanach des Muses ''L'Almanach des Muses'' was a French-language poetry magazine published in Paris, France. History and profile ''Almanach des Muses'' was founded in 1765 by Claude-Sixte Sautreau de Marsy, Sautreau de Marsy. The magazine was much in vogue during ...

'' from 1794 until 1820, and replaced

Jean-François de La Harpe Jean-François de La Harpe (20 November 1739 – 11 February 1803) was a French playwright, writer and literary critic. Life La Harpe was born in Paris of poor parents. His father, who signed himself Delharpe, was a descendant of a noble family ...

at the ''

Lycée In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for students between ...

'', but had nowhere near the same success as a teacher. As a playwright, he was a skilled imitator of Claude Joseph Dorat and Jean-Baptiste-Louis Gresset; he put together several clever plays with many points of interest both in style and plotting.

Honours

He was appointed a Knight of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

(''Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur'').

Works

Plays

* ''Les Aveux difficiles'' (1783), one act in verse * ''La Fausse coquette'' (1784), three acts in verse * ''Les Amants timides'' (1785) * ''La Belle-Mère, ou les Dangers d’un second mariage'' (1788), five acts in verse * ''L’Entrevue'' (1788), one act in verse * ''Le Projet extravagant'' (1792) * ''La Matinée d’une jolie femme'' (1792) * ''La Vivacité à l’épreuve'' (1793) * ''Ninon de Lenclos'' (1797) * ''La Princesse de Babylone'' (1815) A sample can be found in ''Bibliothèque dramatique'' (1824).

Other

* ''Manuel de littérature'' (Paris, 1809, duodecimo) * ''La Tendresse filiale'', poem (Paris, 1812, sextodecimo) * ''Poésies'', first published with ''Poèmes'' by Legouvé (1799, octavo), then alone (5th ed. Paris, 1813, octodecimo) * ''Procès et mort de Louis XVI, fragments d’un poème'' (Paris, 1814, octavo) * ''Le Pour et le Contre, dialogue en vers'' (Paris, 1818, octavo)

Bibliography

* Élisabeth Vigée,
Souvenirs
', Paris, H. Fournier, 1835, 3 vol. octavo *

Gustave Vapereau Louis Gustave Vapereau (4 April 1819 – 18 April 1906) was a French writer and lexicographer famous primarily for his dictionaries, the ''Dictionnaire universel des contemporains'' and the ''Dictionnaire universel des littérateurs''. Biography ...

, ''Dictionnaire universel des littératures'', Paris, Hachette, 1876, p. 2032

External links

*
La Matinée d’une jolie femme
', one-act comedy in prose, Paris, Girod et Tessier, 1793 *
Poésies
', Paris, Delaunay, 1813
His plays and their performances
on the sit
CÉSAR
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vigee, Etienne Place of birth missing Place of death missing 1758 births 1820 deaths 18th-century French dramatists and playwrights 18th-century French male writers 18th-century French poets 19th-century French dramatists and playwrights 19th-century French male writers 19th-century French poets Comedy writers French magazine editors French male dramatists and playwrights French male poets Knights of the Legion of Honour Poets from Paris Etienne