Georges de Scudéry (; 22 August 1601 – 14 May 1667), the elder brother of
Madeleine de Scudéry, was a French
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 wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...
,
dramatist
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than just
reading. Ben Jonson coined the term "playwri ...
and
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
.
Life
Georges de Scudéry was born in
Le Havre
Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the Seine, river Seine on the English Channel, Channe ...
, in
Normandy
Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy.
Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
, whither his father had moved from
Provence
Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...
. He served in the army for some time, and, though in the vein of gasconading which was almost peculiar to him he no doubt exaggerated his services, there seems little doubt that he was a stout soldier.
He conceived a fancy for literature before he was thirty, and during the whole of the middle of the century he was one of the most characteristic figures of
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. He gained the favour of
Richelieu by his opposition to
Corneille. He wrote a letter to the ''
Académie française
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
'' criticizing ''
Le Cid'', and his play, ''L'Amour tyrannique'' (1640), was patronized by the cardinal in opposition to Corneille.
Possibly these circumstances had something to do with his appointment as governor of the fortress of
Notre-Dame de la Garde
Notre-Dame de la Garde (; : Titles of Mary, Our Lady of the Guard), known to local citizens as ''la Bonne Mère'' (French for 'the Good Mother'), is a Catholic Church, Catholic Basilicas in the Catholic Church, basilica in Marseille and the city ...
, near
Marseille
Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
in 1643, and in 1650 he was elected to the ''Académie''. During the troubles of the
Fronde
The Fronde () was a series of civil wars in the Kingdom of France between 1648 and 1653, occurring in the midst of the Franco-Spanish War, which had begun in 1635. The government of the young King Louis XIV confronted the combined opposition ...
he was exiled to Normandy, where he made his fortune by a rich marriage. He was an industrious dramatist, but ''L'Amour tyrannique'' is practically the only piece among his numerous tragi-comedies and pastorals that has escaped oblivion. His other most famous work was the epic of ''Alaric'' (1659). He lent his name to his sister's first romances, but did little beyond correcting the proofs.
Scudéry's swashbuckler affectations were rather exaggerated by literary gossip and tradition. Although possibly not quite sane, he had some poetical power, a fervent love of literature, a high sense of honour and of friendship.
Scudéry also wrote CURIA POLITIAE, OR, THE APOLOGIES OF SEVERALL PRINCES: Justifying to the WORLD Their Most Eminent Actions", which had been translated into English and printed by Humphrey Moseley "at the sign of the Prince's-Arms, in St. Paul's Church-Yard", in 1654.
Georges de Scudéry was sketched by
Théophile Gautier
Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier ( , ; 30 August 1811 – 23 October 1872) was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, and art and literary critic.
While an ardent defender of Romanticism, Gautier's work is difficult to classify and rema ...
in his ''Grotesques''.
See also
* ''
Guirlande de Julie''
References
Attribution:
*
*
Victor Cousin
Victor Cousin (; ; 28 November 179214 January 1867) was a French philosopher. He was the founder of " eclecticism", a briefly influential school of French philosophy that combined elements of German idealism and Scottish Common Sense Realism. ...
, ''La Société française au XVII' siècle'', vol. ii.
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scudery, Georges de
1601 births
1667 deaths
People from the Province of Normandy
Writers from Le Havre
17th-century French dramatists and playwrights
17th-century French poets
French untitled nobility
Members of the Académie Française
17th-century French male writers
17th-century French novelists