Charles Pinot Duclos
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (February 2012) |
Charles Pinot Duclos | |
---|---|
Born | Dinan, Brittany, France | 12 February 1704
Died | 26 March 1772 Paris | (aged 68)
Occupation | Writer |
Nationality | French |
Period | 18th century |
Genre | History, memoirs |
Charles Pinot (or Pineau) Duclos (12 February 1704 – 26 March 1772) was a French author and contributor to the Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers.[1]
Biography
Duclos was born at Dinan in Brittany and studied at Paris. After some time spent in dissipation he began to cultivate the society of wits and joined a club of young men who published their literary efforts under such titles as Recueil de ces messieurs, Étrennes de la saint Jean, Œufs de Pâques etc. His romance Acajou et Zirphile was the result of a wager among the club's members: Duclos composed it for a series of engraved plates intended for another work. He wrote two other romances which were favorably received: The Baroness de Luz (1741) and Confessions of Count de *** (1747).
Académie française
Duclos became a member of the Academy of Inscriptions in 1739 and of the
Mayor
The citizens of Dinan, whose interests he always supported with zeal, appointed him mayor of their town in 1744, though he was resident at Paris, and in this capacity he took part in the assembly of the estates of Brittany. Upon the requisition of this body the king granted him letters of nobility. In 1763 he was advised to retire from France for some time, having rendered himself obnoxious to the government by the opinions he had expressed on the dispute between the
Legacy
As a character, Duclos was considered a mixture of impulsiveness and prudence. Jean-Jacques Rousseau described him laconically as a man droit et adroit. In his manners he displayed a bluntness that frequently rendered him disagreeable; and his caustic wit made him enemies. To those who knew him, however, he was a pleasant companion. A considerable number of his bons mots have been preserved by his biographers.
Works
His first serious publication was the History of
A complete edition of the works of Duclos, including an unfinished autobiography, was published by Auger (1821). See also Sainte-Beuve, Causeries du lundi, t. ix.; René Kerviler, La Bretagne et l'Académie française du XVIIIe siècle (1889); L. Mandon, De la valeur historique des mémoires secrets de Duclos (1872).
References
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Duclos, Charles Pinot". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 632–633. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the