Catherine Bernard (24 August 1663, in

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

– 6 September 1712, in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

) was a French poet, novelist, and playwright born into a

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

family. She was the first woman to compose a

tragedy A tragedy is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a tragic hero, main character or cast of characters. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy is to invoke an accompanying catharsi ...

performed at the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

, between 1687 and 1700. During that same period, she won the poetry prize of the Académie des Jeux Florals de Toulouse three times (1696, 1697, 1698).

Biography

Born into a

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

family, she moved to

before the age of seventeen. It has been claimed, notably by Voltaire in the context of the plagiarism of his work and without any proof, that she was close to the writer Fontenelle and the playwright Jacques Pradon.« Catherine Bernard, La Voix oubliée »
France-Culture She published her first novel in 1680. She converted to Catholicism before 1685, the date of the

Edict of Fontainebleau The Edict of Fontainebleau (18 October 1685, published 22 October 1685) was an edict issued by French King Louis XIV and is also known as the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The Edict of Nantes (1598) had granted Huguenots the right to prac ...

. This was also the date of her break with her Protestant family. From then on, Catherine Bernard lived from her pen, devoting herself entirely to writing. She wrote two tragedies, Laodamie and Brutus, which were performed at the Comédie-Française in 1689 and 1691, representing the best theatrical successes of the end of the century. She was crowned by the

Académie Française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

in 1691, 1693 and 1697, and won three prizes at the Jeux Floraux de

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

. From 1691, King Louis XIV paid her an annual pension of 200 écus. She frequented the salon of

Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier de Villandon (12 November 1664 – 24 February 1734) was an aristocratic French writer and salonnière of the late 17th century, and a niece of Charles Perrault. In the 1690s, she published three fairy tales, and is cr ...

, niece of

Charles Perrault Charles Perrault ( , , ; 12 January 162816 May 1703) was a French author and member of the Académie Française. He laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from earlier folk tales, published in his ...

. With Riquet à la houppe and Le Prince rosier, she was one of the first to create fairy tales, contributing to the renewal of this literary genre. In 1699, she became a member of the Accademia Galileiana in

Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

, under the name of Calliope, l'Invincible. She then stopped writing for the theater, no doubt at the request of Madame de Pontchartrain, her patron of the arts. She abandoned all public activity. However, she continued to write verse, which she did not publish. She died in poverty in 1712. According to her will, she bequeathed her property to her servant.

References

External links

* Conroy, Derval.
Catherine Bernard
(in French). SIEFAR: International Society for the Study of Women of the Old Regime. Last modified on March 4, 2013 at 4:42 p.m. 1663 births 1712 deaths French women poets French women novelists 17th-century French dramatists and playwrights French women dramatists and playwrights {{France-writer-stub People related to the Comédie-Française Writers from Rouen 17th-century French women writers 17th-century French poets 17th-century French novelists