Louis-Sébastien Mercier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Louis-Sébastien Mercier
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 6 June 1740 Paris, France |
| Died | 25 April 1814 (aged 73) Paris, France |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | French |
Louis-Sébastien Mercier (born June 6, 1740 – died April 25, 1814) was a French writer and playwright. He is known for his 1771 novel, L'An 2440, which is an early example of science fiction.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Louis-Sébastien Mercier was born in Paris, France. His family was not rich; his father was a skilled artisan who polished swords. Despite this, Mercier received a good education.
Mercier's Writing Career
Mercier started his writing journey by creating heroic poems. He soon believed that famous French writers like Boileau and Racine had made the French language too difficult. He thought that true poets should write in simple prose, which is like everyday speech.
He wrote many plays, short books, and novels. Mercier was known for reusing parts of his old writings and making them longer. His works were always interesting because he carefully observed the world around him. His writing felt like a newspaper report. Historian Robert Darnton said that Mercier is the best writer to read if you want to know what Paris was like just before the French Revolution.
Some of his most important works include:
- L'An 2440, rêve s'il en fut jamais (1771)
- Le Tableau de Paris (1781–1788)
- Le nouveau Paris (1799)
- Néologie ou Vocabulaire (1801)
Mercier did not like French tragedies, which were plays with sad endings. He thought they were fake and used too many fancy words. Instead, he supported the "drame," a type of play that was more realistic, like those favored by Diderot. He also disagreed with many thinkers of his time. He even joked that modern science had not made real progress. He once said the Earth was flat and the sun went around it!
Mercier wrote about sixty plays. Some of his well-known dramas are Jean Hennuyer (1772), Jennval (1769), and La Brouette du vinaigrier (1775).
L'An 2440: A Look into the Future
Mercier's most famous book is L'An 2440, rêve s'il en fut jamais. This title means "The Year 2440: A Dream If Ever There Was One." It was translated into English as Memoirs of the Year Two Thousand Five Hundred.
This novel is a utopian story, meaning it describes a perfect future world. The story is set in the year 2440. An unnamed man falls asleep after talking with a friend about how unfair Paris is. He then wakes up in a future Paris that is much better.
The book was very popular and had many editions. Robert Darnton explained that even though it was called a "fantasy," people read L'An 2440 as a serious guide to the future. It showed a new way of thinking: the future was already here, and the present was the past. This made people think about how bad their own society was in the 1700s.
Mercier's Political Views
In politics, Mercier was a moderate. This means he held balanced views, not extreme ones. During the French Revolution, he was a member of the National Convention, a powerful assembly. He voted against giving the death penalty to King Louis XVI.
During a very violent time called the Reign of Terror, Mercier was put in prison. He was set free after the leader of the Terror, Maximilien Robespierre, lost his power. Mercier called Robespierre a "Sanguinocrat," which means a ruler who uses a lot of bloodshed.
Notable Works
- 1771: L'An 2440, rêve s'il en fut jamais
- 1773: Du théâtre ou Nouvel essai sur l’art dramatique
- 1775: La Brouette du vinaigrier
- 1781: Le Tableau de Paris
- 1799: Le Nouveau Paris
- 1801: Néologie ou Vocabulaire de mots nouveaux
- 1802: Histoire de France, depuis Clovis jusqu’au règne de Louis XVI
- 1808: Satyres contre Racine et Boileau
See also
In Spanish: Louis-Sébastien Mercier para niños
- History of science fiction
- Timeline of science fiction
- Society of the Friends of Truth
