Corneille, Pierre

Corneille, Pierre
(1606-1684)
   dramatist
   Born in Rouen, the son of a government official, Pierre Corneille, one of the leading French dramatic writers of the 17th century, served as a government official but soon turned to drama and poetry as a career. His first dramatic work was a comedy, Mélite (1629), soon followed by a tragic comedy, Clitandre (1630), then by four other comedies, La Veuve, La Galerie du palais, La Suivante, and La Place royale (1631-34). Recognized by Cardinal Richelieu, Corneille became one of five writers who enjoyed his patronage, eventually receiving a government pension. Corneille soon published his first tragedy, Médée (1635), then L'Illusion comique (1636), a fantasylike work in which he gave a marvelous description of the world of the theater. This was soon followed by Le Cid (1636), which provoked a controversy over the form of classic drama, finally settled only by the intervention of the Académie Française at the orders of Richelieu. Quite prolific as a playwright in the following years, Corneille published Horace (1640), Cinna (1641), and Polyeucte (1642), all set in ancient Rome. These important plays, along with Le Cid, created the standards for French tragedy, to be further developed by his younger contemporary jean racine. Also a master of comedy, Corneille's Le Menteur (1643) is considered the best of that genre before those of molière. Like the earlier Mélite, it is a comedy of manners, a form Corneille himself originated. In 1647, Corneille became a member of the Académie française and, with his large family, including his brother, Thomas Corneille, who was also a successful playwright, moved to Paris. Established as a major dramatist, Corneille saw his next productions—Don Sanche d'Aragon (1649), Andromède (1650), and Nico-mède (1651)—well received. After his next work, Pertharite (1651), failed, he stopped writing for the stage for seven years. Later, with the government's encouragement, he returned to playwriting and produced a number of works, mainly tragedies (Tite et Bérénice, 1670, Psyché, with Molière, 1670; Suréna, 1674). Corneille also wrote several discourses on the art of drama.

France. A reference guide from Renaissance to the Present . 1884.

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  • Corneille, Pierre — Corneille, Pierre, Pierre,, der berühmteste französische Tragödiendichter und Begründer des Trauerspiels, wie es noch gegenwärtig in Frankreich besteht, war 1606 geboren und versuchte sich zuerst als Lustspieldichter. Seine Produkte fanden… …   Damen Conversations Lexikon

  • Corneille, Pierre — • French dramatist (1606 1684) Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Corneille, Pierre — born June 6, 1606, Rouen, France died Oct. 1, 1684, Paris French poet and playwright. He studied law and was a king s counselor in Rouen (1628–50). He wrote his first comedy, Mélite (performed 1629), before he was 20; other comedies followed. He… …   Universalium

  • Corneille, Pierre — ► (1606 84) Poeta dramático francés. Entre sus producciones pueden mencionarse El Cid (1637), basada en la tragedia de Guillén de Castro; Horacio (1640), Cinna (1641), Poliuto (1642), Pompeyo (1643) y El mentiroso (1644). Otras obras son Edipo,… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • CORNEILLE, PIERRE —    the father of French tragedy, born at Rouen, the son of a government legal official; was bred for the bar, but he neither took to the profession nor prospered in the practice of it, so gave it up for literature; threw himself at once into the… …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • Corneille,Pierre — Cor·neille (kôr nāʹ), Pierre. 1606 1684. French playwright whose works, including Le Cid (c. 1637) and Horace (1640), dramatize grand moral themes within elegant verse. * * * …   Universalium

  • Corneille, Pierre —  (1606–1684) French playwright …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • Pierre Corneille (1606-1684) — Pierre Corneille Pour les articles homonymes, voir Corneille. Pierre Corneille Pierre Corneille, né à Rouen le 6  …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Pierre Corneille — (* 6. Juni 1606 in Rouen; † 1. Oktober 1684 in Paris) war ein französischer Autor, der vor allem als Dramatiker aktiv war. Im europäischen Maßstab gesehen gehört er mit seinem gesamten Schaffen dem Zeitalter des Barock an. Den Franzosen gilt er… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Pierre Corneille — Born 6 June 1606 Rouen Died 1 October 1684 Paris Occupation …   Wikipedia

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