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Book/Printed Material The Defense and Illustration of the French Language. La Deffence, et illustration de la langue francoyse

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About this Item

Title

  • The Defense and Illustration of the French Language.

Other Title

  • La Deffence, et illustration de la langue francoyse

Summary

  • Joachim Du Bellay was born in Anjou, western France, in about 1522. In 1549, he published l'Olive (The olive), his first collection of sonnets and the first cycle of love sonnets in the French vernacular. That same year, he put forward his ideas on the French language and poetic practices in this work, La Deffence, et illustration de la langue francoyse (The defense and illustration of the French language). Du Bellay shared his essay with friends, who later formed the group of 16th-century poets known as the Pleiades. His text, which was part of a broader debate on the art of poetry, became the manifesto of the new literary school. In it, Du Bellay defended the use of the French language against those, notably the Renaissance humanists, who preferred the classical languages of Greek and Latin. Du Bellay accompanied his attack on the humanists with a critique of the old French poets. He argued that it was necessary to renew French language and syntax and to create new literary genres. Together, Du Bellay, Pierre de Ronsard (1524--85), Jean-Antoine de Baïf (1532--89), Étienne Jodelle (1532--73), and others would adopt the new approach to poetry. Du Bellay was in poor health for much of his life and died in Paris in 1560.

Names

  • Du Bellay, Joachim, circa 1522-1560 Author.

Created / Published

  • Paris : Arnoul L'Angelier, 1549.

Headings

  • -  France
  • -  France--Île-de-France--Paris
  • -  1549

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  "On title page, I.D.B.A. corresponds to Joachim Du Bellay of Anjou. Certain later editions were published with the author's name."--Note extracted from World Digital Library.
  • -  Original resource extent: 47 pages.
  • -  Original resource at: National Library of France.
  • -  Content in Old French (842-ca. 1400).
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021666758

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

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Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Du Bellay, Joachim, Circa Author. The Defense and Illustration of the French Language. Paris: Arnoul L'Angelier, 1549. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666758/.

APA citation style:

Du Bellay, J. (1549) The Defense and Illustration of the French Language. Paris: Arnoul L'Angelier. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666758/.

MLA citation style:

Du Bellay, Joachim, Circa Author. The Defense and Illustration of the French Language. Paris: Arnoul L'Angelier, 1549. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021666758/>.