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Description
[LITERATURE]
FRAIN du TREMBLAY (Sieur Jean):
A Discourse on the Origin of Poetry, its Use and Good Taste.
Paris. Published by François Fournier, 1713.
In-12°. Full contemporary fawn sheepskin binding. Ribbed spine, decorated with gilt metalwork and fleurons. A 2 cm tear in the lower part of the front cover. 20 pp. 302 pages.
The Discourse on the Origin of Poetry follows on from the Treatise on Languages in that it once again contrasts the Ancients with the Moderns, but it returns to the need to support Christians against pagans, in the name of ‘purity of morals ’ and the ‘good order’ of society. Indeed, it condemns the misuse of poetry by most poets: ‘one might think that this most excellent art had been bestowed upon mankind solely to stir up their passions, to serve luxury and debauchery, or at best to amuse them and entertain them with visions and trifles22’. The main reason, in his view, is that Christian poets have continued to take pagan poets as their models, which explains their choice of subjects (they deal with ‘fictitious and invented subjects’), their style (they believe that poetry requires ‘fury and enthusiasm’). Frain therefore sets himself the task of combating the imitation of the pagans, by demonstrating, essentially, ‘that reading the works of the profane corrupts one’s taste in many respects ’.
By publishing this work in 1713, he was part of the final assault by the Ancients against the Moderns, at a time when another generation of authors, such as Houdar de la Motte and Madame Dacier, had replaced Perrault and Boileau.
See original version (French)
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About the sale
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10/15/2026 at 1:00 PM
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