Pierre de Ronsard is a 16th-century French poet who fell into world history as the head of an association called the Pleiades. Do you want to learn more about this writer, his life path and creative activity? Read this article!
Pierre de Ronsard. Biography
The future poet was born in 1524 in the castle of La Possoniere, which was located near Vendome. The boy grew up in a noble family: his father, Louis de Ronsard, was the court of King Francis I of France . In addition, Louis took part in the Battle of Pavia, for which he was also awarded privileges. Thanks to this, Pierre managed to become a page with the king, and later the boy began serving at the Scottish court. For several years, Pierre lived in Paris, where he received a humanistic education. Ronsard studied ancient languages and philosophy. His mentor was Jean Dora himself, a well-known French humanist and poet who would later become a member of the Pleiades. Starting in 1540, Pierre had health problems. The young man began to lose his hearing. There is an opinion that the cause of this was previously transferred syphilis. Starting in 1554, Pierre became the court poet of King Henry II. However, in 1574, after the death of Charles IX, Ronsard fell out of favor and eventually completely moved away from the court.
The beginning of the creative path
Pierre de Ronsard (photo can be seen above) made a sample of the pen in 1542. It was then that the young man decided to try himself in the lyrics. Pierre's first work was published only in 1547. Nevertheless, it did not bring Ronsar wide fame. The first major work of Pierre can rightfully be considered a work called "Odes", which the poet wrote during the 1550-1552-ies. In the years 1552-1553, Pierre, imitating the style of Francesco Petrarch, wrote the work "Love Poems." And in the sonnets that came out in the 1555-1556s, Ronsard sang a young peasant woman named Maria Dupin. The poems of this period were characterized by their naturalness and simplicity.
Participation in the organization "Pleiades"
In parallel, Pierre de Ronsard took an active part in the cultural life of the country. Thus, the young man became the head of a poetry school called the Pleiades. The organization was created in 1549 and got its name in honor of the group, which consisted of seven poets from Alexandria (III century BC). Pierre de Ronsard led the Pleiades. In addition to Ronsard himself, the group included seven more poets who wrote mainly in the genres: ode, sonnet, comedy, tragedy, elegy, etc.
What did the Pleiades do? The ideology of the group was a complete rejection of traditional poetic forms. In addition, members of the Pleiades wanted to change their attitude towards the lyrics as a whole. Pierre de Ronsard, unlike many contemporaries (for example, Clément Marot), regarded poetry as a serious and hard work. The poet, according to the canons of the Pleiades, must strive for beauty. The lyricist must resort to mythology, neologisms and borrowings, thus enriching his native language.
The activities of the group manifested itself in the form of numerous works that were written by the Pleiades. In addition, in 1549, Ronsard, together with de Baif and de Belle, developed a detailed plan for a rather extensive reform that affected the poetic life of the country. The manifesto was released in the form of a treatise entitled "The Protection and Glorification of the French Language."
Throughout the 1550-1560s, the lyrics of the Pleiades members changed quite a bit. Thus, a certain tendency towards philosophicality appeared in the group. In addition, the work of the Pleiades poets took on distinct civilian shades. Metamorphoses were primarily associated with the socio-poetic situation in the country.
Further activities
In addition, the philosophical cycle of poems entitled "Hymns" is worthy of attention. In them, Pierre de Ronsard addresses the basic problems of human existence. This cycle also includes religious and political poems , "Reasoning about the Disasters of the Times," which Ronsard wrote in the 1560s and 1562s. In 1965, the light saw the theoretical work of Pierre, which was called the "Summary of Poetic Art." And in 1571, the poet wrote a poem of the heroic-epic character "Fronsiada", thus developing a completely new literary genre. The poet died in 1585 at the age of 61.
It is safe to say that the work of Pierre de Ronsard played a huge role in the development of not only French, but also European poetry as a whole. It is for this reason that his lyrics are an unchanging classic.