Edmé Boursault facts for kids

Edmé Boursault

Edmé Boursault (born October 1638 – died September 15, 1701) was a French writer who wrote plays and other types of books. He was born in a place called Mussy l'Evéque, which is now Mussy-sur-Seine in France.

About His Life

When Edmé Boursault first arrived in Paris in 1651, he mostly spoke a local language from his home region. But in just one year, he wrote his first comedy play called Le Mort vivant (which means The Living Dead).

This play and a few others, though not super famous, helped him get noticed by important people. He became involved in the same social circles that the famous playwright Molière made fun of in his play The School for Wives. Boursault thought that a character in Molière's play was making fun of him. So, he wrote his own play, Le Portrait du peintre (The Painter's Portrait), in 1663 to criticize Molière.

Molière then wrote another play, L'Impromptu de Versailles, to respond to Boursault. Another famous writer, Boileau, also criticized Boursault in his writings. Boursault wrote back to Boileau in Satire des satires (Satire of Satires) in 1669. But later, Boursault and Boileau became friends, and Boileau even removed Boursault's name from his critical writings.

Boursault later received a good payment for editing a rhyming newspaper. However, this newspaper was stopped because it made fun of a religious person. Boursault almost went to prison, but a powerful prince, Condé, helped him.

In 1671, Boursault wrote a book called Ad usum Delphini, which was meant to teach the young prince of France. The court liked it so much that they almost made him a tutor for the prince. But they found out he didn't know Greek or Latin. So, someone else got the job. Instead, around 1672, Boursault became a tax collector in a town called Montluçon, a job he kept until 1688.

Some of his most famous plays include Le Mercure galant, which later changed its name to La Comédie sans titre (Play without a title) in 1683. This happened because a real magazine with the same name complained. He also wrote La Princesse de Clêves (1676), which wasn't very successful at first. But when he changed the names of the characters, it became a hit as Germanicus. Other popular plays were Esope à la ville (Aesop in the City, 1690) and Esope à la cour (Aesop at the Court, 1701). In his Esope plays, the character of Aesop would come on stage and tell a fable in each scene.

Boursault passed away in Paris on September 15, 1701.

His Works

Plays

• Le Mort Vivant (The Living Dead Man, 1662). This was a three-act comedy.
• Portrait of the Painter, or Criticisms of the School for Women Criticized (French: Le Portrait du Peintre ou La Contre-critique de L’École des femmes, September 1663). This play was part of a big argument among writers about Molière's play The School for Wives. Molière had made fun of his critics in another play. Boursault wrote his play to respond, making Molière's defenders look silly. Molière quickly wrote The Versailles Impromptu to answer Boursault, even making fun of Boursault's name.
• Les Cadenats, ou le Jaloux Endormi (The Locks, or the Jealous One Asleep, 1663). This was a short, one-act comedy about a very jealous person.
• Les Nicandres, ou Les Menteurs qui ne mentent point (The Nicandres, or The Liars who do not lie, 1664). This comedy was about two identical twin brothers named Nicandre. Their similar looks led to lots of funny mix-ups and misunderstandings, even for their friends and servants!
• The Flying Doctor (French:Le médecin volant, 1664). Boursault said he translated this play from an Italian original. Molière also had a play with the same name. Both plays had similar plots about a fake doctor, but Boursault's version had some different characters and scenes. His play was written in verse and included jokes about other French plays.
• Les Yeux de Philis changés en astres (Metamorphosis of Phyllis' eyes into stars, 1665). This was a three-act play about a love story based on a poem. It featured gods like Apollo and Diana, and had special effects like the heavens opening up and thunder.
• The Satire of Satires (French: La satire des satires, 1668/1669). Boursault wrote this one-act play to respond to Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux who had criticized him. Boileau managed to stop the play from being performed. Later, they became friends, and Boileau changed his own writings to remove Boursault's name.
• Germanicus (1673). This was a tragedy play set in Ancient Rome. It was about the Roman general Germanicus. The play was popular when it came out. It also caused a small argument between two other famous writers, Pierre Corneille and Jean Racine, because Corneille praised Boursault's play by comparing it to Racine's work.
• La Princesse de Clèves (The Princess of Clèves, December 1678). This play was based on a famous novel. It was not successful and only performed twice. There is some debate about whether this play truly existed, as records are unclear.
• Le Mercure galant or La Comédie sans titre (Play without a title) (1683). This was a comedy that made fun of society and manners. It was set in the office of a popular magazine called Mercure galant. The play showed different people from Paris society asking the editor for favors, like a rich person wanting a noble title or a tax collector wanting to clear his name. The real editor of the magazine tried to stop the play, which is why its name was changed.
• Marie Stuart (Mary Stuart, 1683). This was a tragedy about the life of Mary, Queen of Scots. It wasn't a big success, but Boursault made money from it. Many other writers in France and Spain also wrote plays and poems about Mary Stuart.
• Les Fables d'Ésope, comédie or Ésope à la Ville (Aesop's Fables or Aesop in the City, 1690). This play taught lessons through stories. The main character, Aesop, would answer questions by telling a relevant fable. At first, the audience was confused, but the lead actor explained that Aesop telling fables was the whole point. The play became a big hit! It was even translated and changed for the English stage by John Vanbrugh and was performed regularly in England.
• La Feste de la Seine (The Feast of the Seine, 1690). A short, one-act musical play.
• Phaeton (1691). This was a comedy based on Classical mythology. It featured characters like Phaethon, the son of the Sun god. The play was set in Memphis.
• Fashionable Words (French: Les Mots à la mode, 1694). This comedy made fun of the fashion trends and silly words people used at the time. It had scenes that listed many funny names for popular hairstyles.
• Meleager (French: Méléagre, 1694). This was a tragedy play that was never performed. It was based on the Greek myth of the hunt for the Calydonian Boar.
• Ésope à la Cour (Aesop at the Court, 1701). This was a sequel to Aesop in the City and was performed right after Boursault died. In this play, Aesop becomes a minister and criticizes the problems of the royal court, like dishonesty and flattery. It also had a scene where Aesop debated religion with a general who doubted God's existence.

Novels

• Lettres de respect, d'obligation et d'amour (Letters of Respect, Gratitude and Love, 1669). This was an early novel written as a series of letters.
• Artémise et Poliante (Artemisia and Polyanthus, 1670).
• Le Marquis de Chavigny (The Marquis de Chavigny, 1670).
• Ne pas croire ce qu'on voit (We should only believe what we see, 1670). This novel was based on a Spanish story.
• Le Prince de Condé (The Prince de Condé, 1675).
• Lettres à Babet (Letters to Babet, 1683). Another novel written as letters.
• "Sept Lettres amoureuses d'une dame à un cavalier" (Seven Love Letters from a Lady to a Gentleman) in Lettres nouvelles (1697). This was also a novel in letters.
• Treize Lettres amoureuses d'une dame à un cavalier (Thirteen Love Letters from a Lady to a Gentleman, 1709).