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DANCOURT, FLORENT CARTON (1661-1725)

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Originally appearing in Volume V07, Page 801 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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DANCOURT, FLORENT CARTON (1661-1725) , See also:French dramatist and actor, was See also:born at See also:Fontainebleau on the 1st of See also:November 1661. He belonged to a See also:family of See also:rank, and his parents entrusted his See also:education to Pere de la See also:Rue, a Jesuit, who made See also:earnest efforts to induce him to join the See also:order. But he had no religious vocation and proceeded to study See also:law. He practised at the See also:bar for some See also:time, but his See also:marriage to the daughter of the comedian See also:Francois Lenoir de la Thorilliere led him to become an actor, and in 1685, in spite of the strong opposition of his family, he appeared at the See also:Theatre See also:Francais. His gifts as a comedian gave him immediate and marked success, both with the public and with his See also:fellow actors. He was the spokesman of his See also:company on occasions of See also:state, and in this capacity he frequently appeared before See also:Louis XIV., who treated him with See also:great favour. One of his most famous impersonations was Alceste in the Misanthrope of See also:Moliere. His first See also:play, Le Notaire obligeant, produced in 1685, was well received. La Desolation See also:des joueuses (1687) was still more successful. Le See also:Chevalier a la mode (1687) is generally regarded as his best See also:work, though his claim to See also:original author-See also:ship in this and some other cases has been disputed. In Le Chevalier a la mode appears the bourgeoise infatuated with the See also:desire to be an aristocrat. The type is See also:developed in See also:Les Bourgeoises a la mode (1692) and Les Bourgeoises de gualite (1700).

Dancourt was a prolific author, and produced some sixty plays in all. Some years before his See also:

death he terminated his career both as an actor and as an author by retiring to his See also:chateau at Courcelles le Roi, in See also:Berry, where he employed himself in making a poetical See also:translation of the See also:Psalms and in See also:writing a sacred tragedy. He died on the 7th of See also:December 1725. The plays of Dancourt are faithful descriptions of the See also:manners of the time, and as such have real See also:historical value. The characters are See also:drawn with a realistic See also:touch that led to his being styled by See also:Charles Palissot the See also:Teniers of See also:comedy. He is very successful in his delineation of See also:low See also:life, and especially of the peasantry. The See also:dialogue is sparkling, witty and natural. Many of the incidents of his plots were derived from actual occurrences in the " fast " and scandalous life of the See also:period, and several of his characters were drawn from well-known personages of the See also:day. Most of the plays incline to the type of See also:farce rather than of pure comedy. See also:Voltaire defined his See also:talent in the words: " Ce que See also:Regnard etait a 1' egard de Moliere dans la haute comedic, le comedien Dancourt 1' etait clans la farce." His two daughters, Manon and See also:Marie See also:Anne (Mimi), both obtained success on the See also:stage of the Theatre Francais. The See also:complete See also:works of Dancourt were published in 176o (12 vols. 12mo).

An edition of his Theatre choisi, with a See also:

preface by F. See also:Sarcey, appeared in 1884.

End of Article: DANCOURT, FLORENT CARTON (1661-1725)

Additional information and Comments

I have a painting with the name Louis Dancourt on it. Every time I look up his name, it comes up Florent Carton Dancourt. I cannot find any information on whether or not he ever painted or had a descendant with the same name. This is a huge painting and I hope someone out there can tell me something about it. I have been researching this for the past two years with no result, other than the one I mentioned. I do not know if this person has any relevance to the picture I have. If so, I would, greatly, appreciate any help. I am running out of resources. Thank you.
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