Honoré d'Urfé
Encyclopedia
Honoré d'Urfé, marquis de Valromey, comte de Châteauneuf
(February 11, 1568 – June 1, 1625) was a French
novelist and miscellaneous writer.
, and was educated at the Collège de Tournon. A partisan of the League
, he was taken prisoner in 1595, and, though soon set free, he was again captured and imprisoned. During his imprisonment he read Ronsard
, Petrarch
and above all the Diana of Jorge de Montemayor
and Tasso
's Aminta. After the defeat of the League in 1594, d'Urfé emigrated to Savoy
whose duke
was a relative of his mother. Here, he wrote the Epîtres morales (1598).
Honoré's brother Anne, comte d'Urfé, had married in 1571 the beautiful Diane de Châteaumorand, but the marriage was annulled in 1598 by Clement VIII
. Anne d'Urfé was ordained to the priesthood in 1603, and died in 1621 dean of Montbrison.
Diane had a great fortune, and to avoid the alienation of the money from the D'Urfé family, Honoré married her in 1600. This marriage also proved unhappy; D'Urfé spent most of his time separated from his wife at the court of Savoy, where he held the charge of chamberlain. The separation of goods arranged later on may have been simply due to money embarrassments.
He died from injuries received by a fall from his horse at Villafranca
during a campaign against the Genoese
.
in his native province of Forez
. It is a leisurely romance in which the loves of Celadon and Astrée are told at immense length with many digressions. The recently discovered circumstances of the marriages of the brothers have disposed of the idea that the romance is autobiographical in its main idea, but some of the episodes are said to be but slightly veiled accounts of the adventures of Henry IV
. The shepherds and shepherdesses of the story are of the usual type in pastorals, and they discourse of love with a casuistry and elaborate delicacy that are by no means rustic.
The first part of Astrée appeared in 1607, the second in 1610, the third in 1619, and in 1627 the fourth part was edited. In 1628 a fifth was added by D'Urfé's secretary Balthazar Baro
. Astrée set the fashion temporarily in romance narratives, and no tragedy was complete without wire-drawn discussions on love in the manner of Celadon and Astrée. The best edition of Astrée is that of 1647.
D'Urfé also wrote La Sireine (1584) and the play Sylvanire (1625).
In 1908 a bust of D'Urfé was erected at Virieu-le-Grand
(Ain
), where the greater part of Astrée was written.
An adaptation of l'Astrée, by French director Eric Rohmer
, was released in 2007 under the title Les Amours d'Astrée et de Céladon (in English-speaking territories its title was The Romance of Astrea and Celadon). It was nominated for a Golden Lion at the 2007 Venice Film Festival, and star Andy Gillet won an Étoile d'Or in 2008 for Best Male Newcomer for his performance as Céladon.
Châteauneuf
Places in France known as Châteauneuf:* Châteauneuf, Côte-d'Or* Châteauneuf, Loire* Châteauneuf, Saône-et-Loire* Châteauneuf, Savoie* Châteauneuf, Vendée-See also:Places in France known as Châteauneuf:* Châteauneuf, Côte-d'Or...
(February 11, 1568 – June 1, 1625) was a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
novelist and miscellaneous writer.
Life
He was born at MarseilleMarseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, and was educated at the Collège de Tournon. A partisan of the League
Catholic League (French)
The Catholic League of France, sometimes referred to by contemporary Roman Catholics as the Holy League, a major player in the French Wars of Religion, was formed by Duke Henry of Guise in 1576...
, he was taken prisoner in 1595, and, though soon set free, he was again captured and imprisoned. During his imprisonment he read Ronsard
Pierre de Ronsard
Pierre de Ronsard was a French poet and "prince of poets" .-Early life:...
, Petrarch
Petrarch
Francesco Petrarca , known in English as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar, poet and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch is often called the "Father of Humanism"...
and above all the Diana of Jorge de Montemayor
Jorge de Montemayor
Jorge de Montemayor was a Portuguese novelist and poet, who wrote almost exclusively in Spanish.-Biography:He was born at Montemor-o-Velho , whence he derived his name, the Spanish form of which is Montemayor....
and Tasso
Torquato Tasso
Torquato Tasso was an Italian poet of the 16th century, best known for his poem La Gerusalemme liberata , in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between Christians and Muslims at the end of the First Crusade, during the siege of Jerusalem...
's Aminta. After the defeat of the League in 1594, d'Urfé emigrated to Savoy
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
whose duke
Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy
Charles Emmanuel I , known as the Great, was the Duke of Savoy from 1580 to 1630...
was a relative of his mother. Here, he wrote the Epîtres morales (1598).
Honoré's brother Anne, comte d'Urfé, had married in 1571 the beautiful Diane de Châteaumorand, but the marriage was annulled in 1598 by Clement VIII
Pope Clement VIII
Pope Clement VIII , born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was Pope from 30 January 1592 to 3 March 1605.-Cardinal:...
. Anne d'Urfé was ordained to the priesthood in 1603, and died in 1621 dean of Montbrison.
Diane had a great fortune, and to avoid the alienation of the money from the D'Urfé family, Honoré married her in 1600. This marriage also proved unhappy; D'Urfé spent most of his time separated from his wife at the court of Savoy, where he held the charge of chamberlain. The separation of goods arranged later on may have been simply due to money embarrassments.
He died from injuries received by a fall from his horse at Villafranca
Villafranca
Villafranca is a town and municipality located in the province and the autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.-External links:*...
during a campaign against the Genoese
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
.
Works
It was in Savoy that he conceived the plan of his novel Astrée, the scene of which is laid on the banks of the LignonLignon du Forez
The Lignon du Forez is a long river in the Loire department, east-central France. Its source is near Chalmazel. It flows generally east. It is a left tributary of the Loire into which it flows near Feurs.-Communes along its course:...
in his native province of Forez
Forez
Forez is a former province of France, corresponding approximately to the central part of the modern Loire département and a part of the Haute-Loire and Puy-de-Dôme départements....
. It is a leisurely romance in which the loves of Celadon and Astrée are told at immense length with many digressions. The recently discovered circumstances of the marriages of the brothers have disposed of the idea that the romance is autobiographical in its main idea, but some of the episodes are said to be but slightly veiled accounts of the adventures of Henry IV
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
. The shepherds and shepherdesses of the story are of the usual type in pastorals, and they discourse of love with a casuistry and elaborate delicacy that are by no means rustic.
The first part of Astrée appeared in 1607, the second in 1610, the third in 1619, and in 1627 the fourth part was edited. In 1628 a fifth was added by D'Urfé's secretary Balthazar Baro
Balthazar Baro
Balthazar Baro was a French poet, playwright and romance-writer.-Life:The son of a professor at the university of Valence, Baro studied at Tournon-sur-Rhône then at Valence, where he gained his law doctorate in 1615....
. Astrée set the fashion temporarily in romance narratives, and no tragedy was complete without wire-drawn discussions on love in the manner of Celadon and Astrée. The best edition of Astrée is that of 1647.
D'Urfé also wrote La Sireine (1584) and the play Sylvanire (1625).
Memory and legacy
In 1757 the work was sufficiently in the public consciousness, or at any rate "Celadon" had become a byword for amorousness, to be referred to in passing by an Italian guest of Casanova.In 1908 a bust of D'Urfé was erected at Virieu-le-Grand
Virieu-le-Grand
Virieu-le-Grand is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...
(Ain
Ain
Ain is a department named after the Ain River on the eastern edge of France. Being part of the region Rhône-Alpes and bordered by the rivers Saône and Rhône, the department of Ain enjoys a privileged geographic situation...
), where the greater part of Astrée was written.
An adaptation of l'Astrée, by French director Eric Rohmer
Éric Rohmer
Éric Rohmer was a French film director, film critic, journalist, novelist, screenwriter and teacher. A figure in the post-war New Wave cinema, he was a former editor of Cahiers du cinéma....
, was released in 2007 under the title Les Amours d'Astrée et de Céladon (in English-speaking territories its title was The Romance of Astrea and Celadon). It was nominated for a Golden Lion at the 2007 Venice Film Festival, and star Andy Gillet won an Étoile d'Or in 2008 for Best Male Newcomer for his performance as Céladon.
External links
- Two Faces of L'Astrée - online critical edition of the first and the last edition of the novel L’Astrée (introduction in English, text in French)