Largely forgotten in the Anglo-Saxon world since the early twentieth century, Lesage deserves to be remembered at least for his versatility and for two works, Turcaret (1708), a stage play, and The History of Gil Blas of Santillana (1715-1735). The latter had considerable impact on the evolution of the novel.
Alain-René Lesage was born in Sarzeau, near Vannes, on the west coast of Brittany, on 8 May 1668. His mother died in 1677, and his father, holder of a hereditary legal office with a responsibility for tax collection, followed her in 1682, quite severely indebted. The young Lesage was entrusted to the care of a guardian who sent him off to the Jesuit college in Vannes and then appropriated his …
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Citation: Fisher, Christopher. "Alain-René Lesage". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 January 2010 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2699, accessed 21 November 2024.]
