Jeanne Quinault facts for kids
Jeanne-Françoise Quinault (born October 13, 1699 – died January 18, 1783) was a talented French actress. She was also a playwright and hosted popular social gatherings. She was born in Strasbourg and passed away in Paris.
People often called her Mlle. Quinault la cadette. This helped tell her apart from her older sister, Marie-Anne-Catherine Quinault, who was also an actress. Jeanne-Françoise thought her name was different until 1726. That's when she found her baptism record and learned her true legal name.
Becoming a Star Actress
Jeanne-Françoise Quinault first performed at the Comédie-Française theater on June 14, 1718. She joined the acting company in December 1718. This made her the sixth person from the Quinault family to become a member.
Her first big role was in Racine's play Phèdre. A few days later, she played Chimène in Pierre Corneille's Le Cid. These were serious roles. But she became famous for playing funny, lively characters called soubrettes.
In 1727, Jeanne Quinault played Céliante in Le Philosophe marié. This role was perfect for her. Céliante was a bit strange and moody, but also very lively and fun. This play was a huge hit. It made Jeanne Quinault one of the theater's biggest stars.
A Creative Writer and Helper
Starting in December 1731, Jeanne-Françoise met regularly with seven friends. They created short, funny plays. They called these plays lazzis. This word comes from old Italian comedy and means a funny pantomime. This group of friends was known as the Lazzistes.
Jeanne-Françoise Quinault was friends with many writers. She often gave them ideas and advice. She helped the famous writer Voltaire with his play L'Enfant prodigue. Voltaire even wrote that she "was constantly imagining subjects for comedies."
She also helped create a new type of play. It was called comédie larmoyante, which means "tear-jerking comedy." These plays made the audience feel strong emotions. She later helped Françoise de Graffigny write her very successful play Cénie in 1750.
Hosting the Bout-du-Banc
Jeanne-Françoise Quinault loved to bring people together. In the 1740s, she started hosting an informal gathering. It was called the "Bout-du-Banc". This was a type of salon, a place where people met to talk and share ideas.
Many famous writers and thinkers came to the Bout-du-Banc. These included the poet Moncrif and the novelist Claude Crébillon. They would sing, act out skits, and read their new works. They also wrote funny stories together.
The first Bout-du-Banc ended in the late 1740s. Jeanne-Françoise needed to care for her brother's children after he passed away. But by 1752, the Bout-du-Banc started meeting again. New members joined, like the playwright Charles Collé.
A famous event happened in 1754. The writer Jean-Jacques Rousseau came to dinner. Later, some people wrote fictional stories about this visit. These stories made it seem like the Bout-du-Banc was a place for anti-religious thinkers. For a long time, people believed this.
However, Jeanne Quinault was actually very careful about her own beliefs. She kept her views on religion and politics private. She was known for being proper and respectable. She raised her young relatives to be well-respected in society. In 1758, she moved from Paris to a quieter town. She lived there until 1778, when she returned to Paris due to poor health.
