Pierre Lasserre facts for kids

Pierre Lasserre (1867–1930) was a French writer who studied and wrote about literature. He was also a journalist and wrote essays, which are short pieces of writing on a specific topic. He became the leader of a school called the École des Hautes-Études.

He studied philosophy and was known for his strong beliefs when he was young. He was a nationalist, meaning he had a very strong love for his country. He also wrote for a political group called Action française and was the first to write a book about Charles Maurras, another important figure in that group. Pierre Lasserre also explored the ideas of the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and tried to connect them with the idea of supporting a king (royalism).

His Life and Ideas

Pierre Lasserre believed in a style called "neo-classicism." This style looked back to the ideas and art of ancient Greece and Rome. He was against "romanticism," which was a different style that focused more on feelings and imagination. He thought romanticism was connected to the ideas of the French Revolution, which he disagreed with.

In 1907, he presented his ideas about French Romanticism at the University of Paris. He argued that French romantic writers had harmed the idea of monarchy (having a king or queen). This idea was also supported by the Action française group and Charles Maurras.

Before World War I, Lasserre was very active in his beliefs. He worked with writers like Charles Péguy and was interested in the ideas of Georges Sorel. He didn't like the changes happening in universities at the time. He believed that studying classical subjects, like ancient languages and history, was very important. His friends, Henri Massis and Alfred de Tard, also worried that classical studies were becoming less important at the Sorbonne.

In 1914, Pierre Lasserre stopped working with Maurras and the Action française group. Some people in the group had used his ideas about romanticism in a way he didn't like. For example, Louis Reynaud claimed that German romanticism was a bad influence on French culture. However, Lasserre liked German culture and didn't agree with the strong nationalist views of the Action française. After this, he continued his work as a respected academic.

His Books

Pierre Lasserre wrote many books and essays during his life. Here are some of them:

• La Crise chrétienne. Questions d'aujourd'hui (1891)
• Charles Maurras et la Renaissance classique (1902)
• Les Idées de Nietzsche sur la musique (1905)
• Le Romantisme français. Essai sur la révolution dans les sentiments et dans les idées au XIXe siècle (1907)
• Le crime de Biodos (1912)
• La Doctrine officielle de l'Université. Critique du haut enseignement de l'État. Défense et théorie des humanités classiques (with René de Marans) (1912)
• Le Germanisme et l'esprit humain (1915)
• Frédéric Mistral. Poète, moraliste, citoyen (1918)
• Les chapelles littéraires : Claudel, Jammes, Péguy (1920)
• Cinquante ans de pensée française. Le Germanisme et l'esprit humain. Virgile et la guerre. L'École de l'art pour l'art. La Poésie française et le Midi. Les Humanités classiques et la vie nationale (1922)
• Mes routes (1924)
• La Jeunesse d'Ernest Renan. Histoire de la crise religieuse au XIXe siècle (1925)
• La Statue volée. Méditations (1927)
• Des romantiques à nous (1927)
• Georges Sorel. Théoricien de l'impérialisme: ses idées, son action (1928)
• Faust en France et autres études (1929)
• « Préface », Édouard Krakowski, Une philosophie de l'amour et de la beauté. L'Esthétique de Plotin et son influence (1929)
• Trente années de vie littéraire. Pages choisies par A. Bilis, préface d'André Bellessort (1929)
• Un conflit religieux au XIIe siècle. Abélard contre saint Bernard (1930)
• Mise au point (1931)
• Philosophie du goût musical. Nouvelle édition, suivie de trois études sur Grétry. Rameau, Wagner (1931)
• Lourdes (1933)