Paralelle des anciens et des modernes

The Parallèle des anciens et des modernes (1688–97) was a work by Charles Perrault that contributed to the "Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns" debate in 17th-century France. This literary dispute centered on whether the literature of ancient Greece and Rome served as the sole models for excellence, or if contemporary works could surpass them. Perrault, along with Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle, argued that the human mind's greater maturity meant modern works were inevitably superior. This challenged the view, championed by figures like Nicolas Boileau, that classical antiquity was the ultimate standard. The debate, though often seen as sterile, anticipated the 18th century's move towards a more relativistic approach to aesthetics, signaling the end of the Classical age.12