Jean-François Regnard facts for kids
Jean-François Regnard (born February 7, 1655 – died September 4, 1709) was a famous French writer. He was known for writing funny plays, especially after the great playwright Molière. Regnard was also famous for the travel diary he wrote about his adventures in 1681. He was born in Paris, France.
Contents
Early Life and Exciting Adventures
Jean-François Regnard inherited a lot of money from his father, who was a successful merchant. His father also made sure he received an excellent education. Regnard said he even made more money by gambling.
He loved to travel. In 1678, when he was 22, something very exciting happened. While returning from a trip to Italy, he was captured by pirates from Algeria! He was then sold as a slave in Algiers. Later, he was taken to Constantinople (which is now Istanbul, Turkey). Luckily, the French consul (a government official) paid money to free him. This payment is called a ransom.
Regnard's Amazing Travels
Even after being captured, Regnard was not scared. He kept traveling! He wrote a travel diary called Voyage de Flandre et de Hollande, which means "Journey to Flanders and Holland." This diary started on April 26, 1681.
In this journey, he traveled through many countries. He visited the Low Countries (like Belgium and the Netherlands), Denmark, and Sweden. In Denmark, he met King Christian V, and in Sweden, he met King Charles XI.
He then traveled even further north to Lapland. On his way back to France, he went through Poland, Hungary, and Germany. His travel notes are very helpful for people who study history and how people lived back then.
Visiting Lapland
A special part of his travel diary is about his trip to Lapland, called Voyage de Laponie. This section was inspired by another writer, Johannes Schefferus. Regnard described the way of life of the Sami people who live in Lapland.
His descriptions talked about how simple their lives were and their unique customs. This part of his diary was not published until 1731. It helped people in Europe learn about the Sami people for the first time.
Becoming a Famous Playwright
After his travels, Regnard returned to Paris. He bought a special job in the Treasury (the government's money department). This job was a "sinecure," which means it paid him money but didn't require much work!
This allowed him to focus on writing. From 1688 to 1696, he wrote short, funny plays called farces and skits for the Théâtre des Italiens (the Italian Theater).
In 1693, he inherited even more money from his mother. With this new fortune, he spent his time between his large house in Paris and his country home, the château of Grillon, near Dourdan. He started writing comedies in verse for the Comédie-Française, which is France's national theater.
He wrote 23 plays in total. Some of his best and most famous plays include:
- Le Joueur (meaning "The Gamester," written in 1696)
- Le Distrait (meaning "The Absent-Minded Man," written in 1697)
- Les Ménechmes (written in 1705)
- His most famous play, Le Légataire universel (meaning "The Universal Legatee," written in 1706). This play was very similar in style to the plays of Molière.
A famous writer named Boileau greatly admired Regnard's work.
Jean-François Regnard passed away at his country home, the château of Grillon, in 1709.
