Alain-René Lesage

Christopher Fisher (Independent Scholar - Europe)
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Largely forgotten in the Anglo-Saxon world since the early twentieth century, Lesage deserves to be remembered at least for his versatility and for two works,

Turcaret

(1708), a stage play, and

The History of Gil Blas of Santillana

(1715-1735). The latter had considerable impact on the evolution of the novel.

Alain-René Lesage was born in Sarzeau, near Vannes, on the west coast of Brittany, on 8 May 1668. His mother died in 1677, and his father, holder of a hereditary legal office with a responsibility for tax collection, followed her in 1682, quite severely indebted. The young Lesage was entrusted to the care of a guardian who sent him off to the Jesuit college in Vannes and then appropriated his inheritance, or so Lesage claimed. The young man nevertheless had the resources to move to

1984 words

Citation: Fisher, Christopher. "Alain-René Lesage". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 January 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2699, accessed 19 March 2024.]

2699 Alain-René Lesage 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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