Jacques Grévin (; – 5 November 1570) was a French
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just
Readin ...
.
Grévin was born at
Clermont, Oise
Clermont () is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. Clermont-de-l'Oise station has rail connections to Amiens, Creil, and Paris.
History
Clermont was also known as Clermont-en-Beauvaisis or Clermont-de-l'Oise. The town is bui ...
in about 1539, and he studied
medicine
Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...
at the
University of Paris
The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...
. He became a disciple of
Ronsard, and was one of the band of dramatists who sought to introduce the classical drama in France. As
Sainte-Beuve points out, the comedies of Grévin show considerable affinity with the
farce
Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical comedy, physical humor; the use of delibe ...
s and that preceded them. His first play, ''La Maubertine'' was lost, and formed the basis of a new comedy, ''La Trésorière'', first performed at the college of Beauvais in 1558, though it had been originally composed at the desire of
Henry II
Henry II may refer to:
Kings
* Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014
*Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154
*Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...
to celebrate the marriage of Claude, duchess of Lorraine.
He got engaged to the writer
Nicole Estienne and he celebrated her in his collection ''L'Olimpe''. The engagement was broken for unknown reasons.
In 1560 followed the tragedy of ''Jules César'', imitated from the
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
of
Muret, and a comedy, ''Les Ébahis'', the most important but also the most indecent of his works. Grévin was also the author of some medical works and of miscellaneous poems, which were praised by Ronsard until the friends were separated by religious differences. Grévin became in 1561 physician and counsellor to
Margaret of Savoy, and died at her court in
Turin
Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
in 1570.
''Le Théâtre de Jacques Grévin'' was printed in 1562, and in the ''Ancien Théâtre français'', vol. iv. (1855–1856). See L Pinvert, ''Jacques Grévin'' (1899).
Works
*''Hymne à Monseigneur le Dauphin sur le mariage dudict seigneur et de Mme Marie d'Estevart, royne d'Escosse'', 1558
*''Les Regretz de Charles d'Austriche, empereur, cinquiesme de ce nom. Ensemble la description du Beauvoisis et autres œuvres'', 1558
*''Chant de joie de la paix faicte entre le roi de France Henri II et Philippe, roi d'Espagne'', 1559
*''L'Olimpe de Jacques Grévin. Ensemble les autres œuvres poëtiques dudit auteur'', 1560
*''
Le Théâtre de Jacques Grévin. Ensemble, la seconde partie de l'Olimpe et de la Gélodacrye'', 1561 ; 1562
*''Palinodies de
Pierre de Ronsard
Pierre de Ronsard (; 11 September 1524 – 27 December 1585) was a French poet known in his generation as a "Prince des poètes, prince of poets". His works include ''Les Amours de Cassandre'' (1552)'','' ''Les Hymnes'' (1555-1556)'', Les Disco ...
, sur ses Discours des misères de ce temps'', with
Antoine de la Roche Chandieu, 1563
*''Seconde Response de
F. de La Baronie à Messire Pierre de Ronsard prestre gentilhomme Vandomois, evesque futur ; plus Le temple de Ronsard où la légende de sa vie est briefvement descrite'', 1563
*''Anatomes totius, aere insculpta Delineatio, cui addita est Epitome innumeris mendis repurgata, quam de corporis humani fabrica conscripsit clariiss. And. Vesalius, eique accessit partium corporis tum simplicium tum compositarum brevis elucidatio'', 1564
*''Discours de Jaques Grévin sur les vertus et facultez de l'antimoine, contre ce qu'en a escrit maistre Loys de Launay'', 1566
*''Cinq livres de l'imposture et tromperie des diables, des enchantements et sorcelleries'', pris du latin de
Johann Weyer et faits français par Jaques Grévin, 1567 ; 1569
*''La Première et la seconde partie des dialogues françois pour les jeunes enfans. "Het Eerste ende tweede deel van de françoische t'samensprekinghen, overgheset in de nederduytsche spraecke"'', with
Christophe Plantin
Christophe Plantin (; – 1 July 1589) was a French Renaissance humanist and book Printer (publisher), printer and publisher who resided and worked in Antwerp. He established in Antwerp one of the most prominent publishing houses of his time, th ...
, 1567
*''Deux livres des venins, ausquels il est amplement discouru des bestes venimeuses, thériaques, poisons et contre-poisons. Ensemble les œuvres de
Nicander
Nicander of Colophon (; fl. 2nd century BC) was a Greece, Greek poet, physician, and grammarian.
The scattered biographical details in the ancient sources are so contradictory that it was sometimes assumed that there were two Hellenistic authors ...
'', traduites en vers français, 1567-1568
*''Les Portraicts anatomiques de toutes les parties du corps humain, gravez en taille douce. Ensemble l'Abrégé d'
Andreas Vesalius
Andries van Wezel (31 December 1514 – 15 October 1564), latinized as Andreas Vesalius (), was an anatomist and physician who wrote '' De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem'' (''On the fabric of the human body'' ''in seven books''), which is ...
et l'explication d'iceux, accompagnée d'une déclaration anatomique, par Jacques Grevin'', 1569
*''Les Emblesmes du S.
Adrian Le Jeune'', faits français et sommairement expliqués par Jacques Grévin, 1570
*''De Venenis libri duo, gallice primum ab eo scripti et nunc tandem opera Hieremiae Martii, in latinum sermonem conversi. Quibus adjunctus est praeterea ejusdem auctoris de antimonio tractatus, eodem interprete'', 1571
*''
Cesar Cesar or César may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''César'' (film), a 1936 French romantic drama
* ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt
Places
* Cesar, Portugal
* Cesar Department, Colombia
* Cesar River, in Colombia
* Cesar ...
'', tragedy, 1578
*''Les Preceptes de
Plutarque, monstrant la maniere comme il faut se gouverner en mariage, translatez selon la verité du grec par Jacques Grevin, de Clermont avec une Chanson de la femme vertueuse & bonne ménagère'', s. d.
*''Le Second Discours de Jaques Grévin sur les vertus et facultez de l'antimoine, pour la confirmation de l'advis des médecins de Paris et pour servir d'apologie contre ce qu'a escrit M. Loïs de Launay'', s. d.
* In 1578, part of his odes is set in musique by
Antoine de Bertrand.
Modern editions
*''Sonnets d'Angleterre et de Flandre'', publiés par Léon Dorez, Paris : H. Leclerc et P. Cornuau, 1898
*''Théâtre complet et poésies choisies de Jacques Grévin'', with notice et notes by Lucien Pinvert, Paris : Librairie Garnier frères, 1922
*''De l'Imposture des diables'', by Jean Wier, translation by Jacques Grévin de ''De praestigiis daemenum et incantationibus ac venificiis'', Paris : Théraplix, 1970
*''César'', édition critique with introduction and notes by Ellen S. Ginsberg, Genève : Droz ; Paris : Minard, 1971
*''César'', édition critique with introduction and notes by Jeffrey Foster, Paris : A.G. Nizet, 1974
*''
La Trésorière.
Les Esbahis'', comédies, édition critique with introduction and notes by Élisabeth Lapeyre, Paris : H. Champion, 1980
*''La Gélodacrye et Les vingt-quatre sonnets romains'', texte établi et annoté par Michèle Clément, Saint-Étienne : Publications de l'Université de Saint-Étienne, 2001
Bibliography
* Lucien Pinvert, ''Jacques Grévin (1538-1570) - Sa vie, ses écrits, ses amis'', étude biographique et littéraire, thèse de la Faculté des Lettres de Nancy, Paris : Fontemoing, 1898
* Lucien Pinvert, ''Notice sur Grévin'', dans ''Théâtre complet et Poésies choisies de Jacques Grévin'', Paris : Garnier Frères, 1922
* L. Dorez, ''La mort de J. Grévin'', Bulletin du bibliophile, 1899, p. 325-328
* R. Aldington, ''J. Grévin'', French Studies, 1926, p. 92-101
* M. Maloigne, ''J. Grévin, sa vie, son œuvre'', Laval : Parnéoud, 1926
* B. Weinberg, ''The sources of Grevin's ideal on comedy and tragedy'', Modern Philology, 1947, p. 46 et suiv.
* Docteur J. Colombe, ''Portraits d'ancêtres'' - II - ''Jacques Grévin'',
Hippocrate revue d'humanisme médical, mars-avril 1949, n° 2-3, pp. 3–46
* Henri Weber, ''La création poétique en France au XVI
e siècle'', Paris, 1956, tome II, p. 559 et suiv.
Notes
References
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grevin, Jacques
1530s births
1570 deaths
People from Oise
16th-century French dramatists and playwrights
16th-century French male writers