La Bruyère, Jean de, << la broo YAIR, zhahn duh >> (1645-1696), was a French satirist. He is best known for The Characters of Theophrastus, Translated from the Greek, with the Characters and Mores of This Age. The book appeared in 1688 as an appendix to his translation of a work by Theophrastus, an ancient Greek philosopher. In each of the nine editions published during his lifetime, La Bruyère increased his own contribution so that the Characters stands as an original work. La Bruyère ridiculed the injustice and hypocrisy he saw in French life. The Characters illustrates the classical French ideal of polished taste derived from common sense, and simple truth attained by observing human nature. La Bruyère grouped his observations under 16 chapter titles, including “The City,” “The Court,” “Fashion,” and “Personal Merit.”
La Bruyère was born in August 1645 in Paris. In 1693, he was admitted to the French Academy. He died in May 1696.
