Le style libertin de François-Antoine Chevrier

Abstract

François-Antoine Chevrier (1721-1762) has been neglected by critics and public for more than two centuries because of his polemic and biting satires. In fact, Chevrier deserves more consideration not only because of his important production of literary works, which belong squarely in the libertine tradition of the eighteenth century, but also because he offers a proof of the decadent political situation and general habits of corruption. His importance has been however obscured by the fame of other writers of the Eighteenth century (such as Crébillon, Duclos, Laclos, etc.) with whom he shares personal engagement and subjects. So the goal of this study is to focus on the literary elements characterising Chevrier’s style, compared to the rest of the libertine literary production.

Keywords

• Chevrier (François-Antoine)
• style
• libertine
• theatre
• Old Regime
• 18th century