LA BRUYERE, lit brn'var'. ,TnAN rin (1645 9(i). A French essayist. He was born in Paris, August 16, 1645. Ilis father was a city officer, in easy circumstances. The on was educated fur the bar, and bought a fiscal office at Caen in 16;3 from a relative of Bossuet. who introduced him in 1683 to the great Conde. in whose family as tutor to his grandson. or at Court, the rest of his life was passed. The impression he made in society seems to have been slight but pleasant. as of a quiet and inoffensive observer and 'fort honnCte (Racine). His obser vations are enshrined in his (1688), whieh, as had been predicted by Malezieu, brought him many readefs and many enemies; for the fancy portraits hardly needed the nu merous 'keys' that were soon in circulation. Chief of these enemies were Thomas Corneille, Foote :wile. and Benserade: and each new edition brought them from the newly wounded. From any downright injury Bossuet and the Prince de Bourbon defended him: but he was thrice defeated for the Academy. which he did not enter till 1693. His comprise, be sides the CaractCres, a translation of a similar work of the Greek Theophrastus, his academic Discours• a few Letters, and posthumously printed Dialogues sur lc quietimac, the genuineness of which has been questioned. The Caracti•cs, alone
of primary importance, take the ethical generali zations of Th•ophrastus and specialize them into 'portraits'—a peculiar product of the literature of the century. Ills unique quality is in treating this portrait in the manner of :Montaigne and with the epigrammatic incisiveness of Pascal and La Rod:effluent:1d, though the characters are not always both individual and typical. and the max ims seem shallow be-ide those of La Rochefou cauld. La ltruyM-e will always he prized as one of the most correct writers of classical French rarel• affected. always well-bred. never obscure, an ideal scow)! classic. Editions (best by Ser vais. 3 vols.. Paris. 1866-78) and translations (best by Helen Stott. London. 1890) arc nu merous. There were nine during La life, each with additions. The Quietist Dialogues appeared in 1698. the Utters not till 1867. The he-t edition is that of (Paris. 1876). The litcrature of the 'keys.* obscure but amusing,. is well threshed in Comellie de La Ilruy,'re. Consult, also: P•ahstede, La BrupiTc trail seine Char-al:tire (Oppeln, 1880) La Brum're darns la maisoa dr Conde (Paris, 18861: Pellisson, La Bruyerc (Paris, 1893).