Étienne Aignan facts for kids
Étienne Aignan was a French writer, translator, and playwright who lived from 1773 to 1824. He was known for writing plays, especially comedies and tragedies, and for translating important books from other languages into French. In 1814, he became a member of the Académie française, which is a very important group in France that looks after the French language. He joined this group in a special spot called Seat 27. Étienne Aignan passed away when he was 51 years old.
What Did Étienne Aignan Write?
Étienne Aignan wrote many different kinds of works during his life. He was very busy creating plays, operas, and translations.
Plays and Operas
Aignan wrote several plays, including both tragedies and comedies. A tragedy is a serious play, often with a sad ending. A comedy is a play meant to be funny. He also wrote librettos for operas. A libretto is the text or story of an opera.
- Le Martyre de Marie-Antoinette: This was a five-act tragedy written in 1793.
- La Mort de Louis XVI: Another three-act tragedy from 1793.
- L'Hôtellerie portugaise: This was a comic opera that premiered in Paris in 1798.
- Chimère et réalité: A one-act comic opera from 1803.
- Le Connétable de Clisson: A three-act opera that was first performed in Paris in 1804.
- Polyxène: A three-act tragedy that also premiered in 1804.
- Brunehaut, ou les Successeurs de Clovis I: A five-act tragedy shown in Paris in 1810.
Translations and Other Writings
Besides plays, Étienne Aignan was a skilled translator. This means he took books written in one language and changed them into French.
- Essai sur la critique: In 1801, he translated a poem by the English writer Alexander Pope into French verse.
- Le Ministre de Wakefield: In 1803, he created a new translation of a famous book by Oliver Goldsmith.
- L'Iliade: Aignan translated the ancient Greek epic poem The Iliad into French verse in 1809. This was a huge project, filling three volumes!
- De la justice et de la police: In 1817, he wrote about justice and police, looking at how criminal investigations related to people's safety.
- De l'État des protestants en France: In 1818, he wrote about the history of Protestants in France.
- Histoire du jury: In 1822, he wrote a book about the history of the jury system.
Étienne Aignan's work shows he was interested in many topics, from history and law to literature and music.
