Pierre de Ronsard. Biography

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Pierre de Ronsard is a French poet of the 16th century who entered world history as the head of an association called the Pleiades. Do you want to know more about this writer, his life path and creative activity? Read this article!

Pierre de Ronsard. Biography

The future poet was born in 1524 in the castle of La Possoniere, which was located near Vendomois. The boy grew up in a noble family: his father, Louis de Ronsard, was the courtier of the King of France, Francis I. In addition, Louis took part in the Battle of Pavia, for which he was also awarded privileges. Thanks to this, Pierre managed to become a page with the king, and later the boy began serving at the Scottish court. For several years, Pierre lived in Paris, where he received a humanistic education. Ronsard studied ancient languages and philosophy. Jean Dora himself, a famous French humanist and poet, who later became a member of the Pleiades, became his mentor. Beginning in 1540, Pierre began to experience he alth problems. The young man began to lose his hearing. There is an opinion that the reason for this was previously transferred syphilis. Beginning in 1554, Pierre becamecourt poet to King Henry II. However, in 1574, after the death of Charles IX, Ronsard fell out of favor and eventually withdrew from the court completely.

The beginning of the creative path

Pierre de Ronsard (photo can be seen above) made a test of the pen in 1542. It was then that the young man decided to try himself in the lyrics. Pierre's first work was published only in 1547. Nevertheless, it did not bring Ronsard wide popularity. The first major work of Pierre can rightly be considered a work called "Odes", which the poet wrote during the 1550-1552s. In 1552-1553, Pierre, imitating the style of Francesco Petrarch, wrote the work "Love Poems". And in the sonnets that came out in 1555-1556, Ronsard sang of a young peasant woman named Marie Dupin. The poems of this period were characterized by their naturalness and simplicity.

Participation in the Pleiades organization

In parallel with this, Pierre de Ronsard took an active part in the cultural life of the country. Thus, the young man became the head of a poetic school called the Pleiades. The organization was created in 1549 and got its name in honor of the group, which consisted of seven poets from Alexandria (3rd century BC). Pierre de Ronsard headed the Pleiades. In addition to Ronsard himself, the group included seven more poets who wrote mainly in the genres: ode, sonnet, comedy, tragedy, elegy, etc.

What did Pleiades do? The ideology of the group was the complete rejection of traditionalpoetic forms. In addition, the members of the "Pleiades" wanted to change the attitude towards the lyrics in general. Pierre de Ronsard, unlike many of his contemporaries (for example, Clement Marot), treated poetry as serious and hard work. The poet, according to the canons of the Pleiades, is obliged to strive for beauty. The lyricist should resort to mythology, neologisms and borrowings, thus enriching the native language.

The activity of the group manifested itself in the form of numerous works that were written by the members of the "Pleiades". In addition, in 1549, Ronsard, together with de Baif and de Bellay, developed a detailed plan for a rather extensive reform that affected the poetic life of the country. The manifesto saw the light of day in the form of a treatise en titled "Protection and glorification of the French language".

During the 1550-1560s, the lyrics of the members of the Pleiades changed quite a lot. Thus, a certain tendency towards philosophy appeared in the group. In addition, the work of the Pleiades poets acquired pronounced civic nuances. Metamorphoses were associated primarily with the socio-poetic situation in the country.

Further activities

Besides this, a philosophical cycle of poems called "Hymns" deserves attention. In them, Pierre de Ronsard touches on the basic problems of human existence. This cycle also includes poems of a religious and political nature, "Discourses on the Disasters of Time", which Ronsard wrote in the 1560-1562s. In 1965Pierre saw the light of day in his theoretical work, which was called "Summary of Poetic Art". And in 1571, the poet wrote a heroic-epic poem "Fronsiade", thus developing a completely new literary genre. The poet died in 1585 at the age of 61.

It's safe to say that the work of Pierre de Ronsard played a huge role in the development of not only French, but also European poetry in general. It is for this reason that his lyrics are timeless classics.