Charles Cotin () or Abbé Cotin (1604December 1681) was a French

abbé ''Abbé'' (from Latin , in turn from Greek , , from Aramaic ''abba'', a title of honour, literally meaning "the father, my father", emphatic state of ''abh'', "father") is the French word for an abbot. It is also the title used for lower-ranki ...

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and poet in the Baroque

Précieuses The ''Précieuses'' ( , i.e. "preciousness") was a 17th-century French literary style and movement. The main features of this style are the refined language of aristocratic salons, periphrases, hyperbole, and puns on the theme of gallant l ...

style. He was made a member of 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 ...

on 7 January 1655. Cotin was born and died in Paris. He was a scholar of Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Syriac, an advisor to

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

, and renowned in his time for his sermons, poetry, and erudition. He frequented the Paris

literary salon A salon is a gathering of people held by a host. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to please or to educate" (Latin: ''aut delectare aut prodesse''). Salons in the tradition of the Fren ...

s, particularly that of the

Hôtel de Rambouillet The Hôtel de Rambouillet (), formerly the Hôtel de Pisani (), was the Paris residence of Catherine de Vivonne, marquise de Rambouillet, who ran a renowned literary Salon (gathering), salon there from 1620 until 1648. It was situated on the west ...

as a friend of Mlle de Gournay, and his translation of the

Song of Songs The Song of Songs (), also called the Canticle of Canticles or the Song of Solomon, is a Biblical poetry, biblical poem, one of the five ("scrolls") in the ('writings'), the last section of the Tanakh. Unlike other books in the Hebrew Bible, i ...

is more notable for its flavor of fashionable salons than of sacred poetry. Cotin would be completely forgotten in our days if it wasn't for his violent squabbles with

Nicolas Boileau Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to: People Given name * Nicolas (given name) Mononym * Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer * Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer Surname Nicolas * Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–1774), ...

and

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

, who gave him a stinging satiric immortality as the character Trissotin in ''

Les Femmes savantes ''Les Femmes savantes'' (, ''The Learned Ladies'') is a comedy by Molière in five acts, written in verse. A satire on academic pretension, female education, and '' préciosité'' (French for preciosity), it was one of his most popular comedies ...

''.

Works

*''La Jérusalem désolée, ou Méditation sur les leçons de Ténèbres'' (1634) *''Recueil des énigmes de ce temps'' (1646) *''Théoclée, ou la Vraye philosophie des principes du monde'' (1646) *''Nouveau Recueil de divers rondeaux'' (1650) *''Traité de l'âme immortelle'' (1655) *''Œuvres meslées, contenant : énigmes, odes, sonnets et épigrammes'' (1659) *''La pastorale sacrée, ou Paraphrase du Cantique des Cantiques selon la lettre'' (1660) *''Oraison funèbre pour messire

Abel Servien Abel Servien, marquis de Sablé et de Boisdauphin and Comte de La Roche des Aubiers (1 November 159317 February 1659) was a French diplomat who served Cardinal Mazarin and signed for the French the Treaty of Westphalia. He was an early member of th ...

, ministre d'État et surintendant des finances'' (1659) *''La Ménagerie : à Son Altesse Royale Mademoiselle'', a satire against

Gilles Ménage Gilles Ménage (; 15 August 1613 – 23 July 1692) was a French scholar. Biography He was born at Angers, the son of Guillaume Ménage, king's advocate at Angers. A good memory and enthusiasm for learning carried him quickly through his lite ...

, (1660) *''Réflexions sur la conduite du roi'' (1663) *''Œuvres galantes en prose et en vers de monsieur Cotin'' (1663) *''Odes royales sur les mariages des princesses de Nemours'' (1665) *''La Critique désintéressée sur les satyres du temps'' (1666) *''Poësies chrestiennes de l'abbé Cotin'' (1668)

External links

Academie Francaise biography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cotin, Charles 1604 births 1681 deaths Abbés 17th-century French philosophers French poets 17th-century French writers 17th-century French male writers Members of the Académie Française French male poets French male non-fiction writers