LA CALPRENEDE, la kal'pre-nild', GA1TTIER DE COSTES DE ( 1010-03). A prominent novelist of the seventeenth century, born at the ChAteau he Tidgon, near Callers, in Que•cy. In his youth La Calp•ene(le appears as a frank, free, o•e•-bold gallant, all officer of the Guards, then royal chamberlain. From this function he with drew on making a rich but not congenial mar riage with a noted blue-stoeking, herself an author and president of a literary salon. La Calprenede Wrote ten plays and three novels, in 29 volumes of over 500 pages each. The plays arc in the style of Corneille, and would be conspicuous were they not outshone by sueh masterpieces. The best of them are: J.n mort de Mithridate (1037): Bradaniante (1637) ; •Jeanne d'Angleterre (1637) ; Le comic d'Essex (1639) ; and Edouard, rui d'Angleterre (164()). Oman dre, the first of his novels, was published luring the years 1640- t3. in ten volumes. Its popu larity was such that the first volumes were twice reprinted before the completion of the last, and the whole reprinted twice during La Calprenede's life (1650-54). It was again printed in 1731, and condensed into three volumes in 1752. This
novel is interesting because it shows that La Calprenhle was well acquainted with the TO !Dances of chivalry as well as with Greek novels. Cusp:ant/re was followed by Cleopatre (1647) in twelve volumes (begun in 1647). and this by Faramond: hisdoire de France (begun in 1661), which La Calproadde left unfinished at its seventh VOL Mae. Five more V0 In mina were added by Pierre de Vaumorire. All these purport to be histori cal novels. Faramond has also the interest attaching to the first attempt at a novel of national history. La CalprenOde is the first French novelist who had a conscious and defined plan in writing. Cassand•e was rendered into German, Italian. and Dutch. In England Cli'opai•e was the favorite; yet three English dramas are based on Faramond. If priority be taken into account, La CalprenMe is the most significant, if not the best, of the idealist novelists of the tury. Consult Korting, Gcschichte des franzosi schen Romans int, XVIIten Jahrhundert, vol. i. (Oppeln, 1891).