MALHERBE, FRANgOIS DE (1555 .1628). A French poet and critic, born at Caen. Though Malherbe himself wrote very little poetry of any value, he did much to imbue his contem poraries with a critical sense. Malherbe came after the individualism of the Renaissance had spent its originality. Intellectual lassitude found its expression in criticism, and this found its natural voice in Malherbe, who expressed exact ly the state of mind of the cultured men of his time. and heralded all that is typical in the literature of the age of Louis XIV., though he was far from typical of its varied genius. With him the temper of mind that prefers order and rule to originality and individuality began to dominate French literature. This temper is rep resented by Maiherbe rather than caused by him. His Works (1630). besides translations and cor respondence of much historic interest. consist of 125 poems and a Commentaire sur Desportes. The only poem that survives in popular memory is the rather frosty Ode of Consolation to his friend Du Perrier on the loss of his daughter. Malherbe had a cosmopolitan training in Nor mandy, Paris, Heidelberg, and Basel. and en joyed Court patronage through life. It was this that gave authority to his linguistic and rhetorical dicta, which helped essentially to make the French of Paris the standard for France and to give French thinkers the ideal of logical precision and clarity that has since been their enduring characteristic. His exag
geration of the value of correct diction and prosody was at the time a necessary protest against the careless negligence of genius, though his ideas were carried to excess by his criti cal successors, of whom the chief was Boileau (q.v.). Malherbe. though he loved to be called a tyrant of words, was a student of popular phraseology, even to the language of the markets, and took thence. as he did from his poetic prede cessors, whom also he affected to despise, what lie found to his purpose. His Works, first collected in 1630, were reedited in 1666, 1757, 1842, and best by Lalanne (5 vols., Paris, 1860-65). These editions contain the Life by Raean. Malberbe's contemporary and pupil. Among the more recent studies of Maiherbe may be named Brunot, La doctrine de Malherbe (Park, 1891 ) ; Hal l-11w ct la poesie fmneaise (ib., 1892) ; Bon rienne, Points obscurs et no-nreaux de la •ie de ,lfalberbe (ib., 1895) ; Due de Broglie, 11 alherbe (ib.. 1897) ; Gast6, La )(UMW(' de Malkerbe 1890) : A rnould. Ai/redo/es in lites sur 11 alberbe (ih.. 1892) ; Bourienne. 1/a/herhe (ib., 1893)