The Literature Of The French Renaissance Vol 2 Classic Reprint PDF Download

Excerpt from The Architecture of the Renaissance in France, Vol. 2: A History of the Evolution of the Arts of Building, Decoration and Garden Design Under Classical Influence From 1495 to 1830 Third period OF the reign. - Colbert, who died in 1683, had lived to see his policy compromised by the growing prestige and reckless extravagance of Louvois, the brutal minister whom all men hated. The enforcement of unqualified obedience and uniformity entailed the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes and the inhuman persecution of the Huguenots lost France untold numbers of industrious citizens, whose Skill and enterprise went to the enrich ment of her rivals. Louis' aggressive foreign policy drove Europe into a hostile coalition, and involved France in disastrous wars and humiliating treaties. The drain on her resources was enormous, but though the chased Silver furniture of Versailles was sent to the melting pot, no serious attempt was made, amid industrial stagnation and famine, to restrict expenditure on Court fetes and journeys, and Louis could never rest from building or altering what he had built. His failure to understand the needs of his people, and to lighten or equalise their burdens, brought his government into detestation, while the scandals of his life had given a pernicious example, which the bigotry of his later years could not efface. The beautiful and arrogant Madame de Montespan, in whose honour the most brilliant festivities had been organised, fell into disfavour, and the King's disillusioned old age was saddened by repeated bereavements. After the Queen's death he married Madame de Maintenon, the governess of his illegitimate children, under whose in uence the Court became more decent, but lost its gaiety, and the multiplication of religious Observances and the stiffness of official entertainments became a burden to the younger generation of courtiers. One by one the great authors passed away, and the age of the masterpieces of classical perfection was at an end. After 1685 few works of permanent value appeared. And in the exceptions, such as those of Fenelon and La Bruyere, the expression of accepted ideas in polished form has ceased to be the dominant motive. They are no longer under the glamour of the grand siecle they begin to see its seamy Side 5 they criticise and condemn. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."