What was the Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns in France?

The querelle des anciens et des modernes (Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns) was a significant 17th-century literary debate in France regarding the value of classical versus contemporary works.12

The Two Sides

• The Ancients: Led by figures such as Nicolas Boileau, Jean de La Fontaine, and Jean de La Bruyère, they argued that the literature of ancient Greece and Rome provided the only valid models for artistic excellence.12
• The Moderns: Supported by Charles Perrault and Bernard Le Bovier, sieur de Fontenelle, they contended that contemporary works were superior due to the increased maturity of the human mind and advancements in science, influenced by the philosophy of René Descartes.12

Significance

While the debate was often sterile and inconclusive, it addressed fundamental questions about whether literature progresses like science and whether aesthetic standards are universal or relative. By challenging the supremacy of classical models, the Moderns helped pave the way for 18th-century thinkers to adopt a more relativist approach to aesthetics, ultimately signaling the decline of the Classical age.12