Tableau historique et critique de la poésie française et du théâtre français au XVIe siècle

work by Sainte-Beuve

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 14, 2026

Quick Summary

Tableau historique et critique de la poésie française et du théâtre français au XVIe siècle is a work by Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve, published in 1828. It examines French poetry and theater during the 16th century. Sainte-Beuve, a prominent French literary historian and critic, used historical context to analyze contemporary writing. In this early work, he explored the Renaissance roots of poets like Victor Hugo. The book is part of a broader trend in 17th-century France towards refining the French language and analyzing literary works within their historical and social contexts. This period saw the establishment of the Académie Française to standardize the language and the rise of literary criticism that considered biographical and historical elements of authors' lives.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

6 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve
Early life and Romantic period
In his first book, Tableau historique et critique de la poésie française et du théâtre français au XVI^e siècle (1828; “Historical and Critical Description of French Poetry and Theatre in the Sixteenth Century”), he discovered, perhaps naturally, a Renaissance ancestry for Hugo and others of his new friends.
Read More
In his first book, Tableau historique et critique de la poésie française et du théâtre français au XVI^e siècle (1828; “Historical and Critical Description of French Poetry and Theatre in the Sixteenth Century”), he discovered, perhaps naturally, a Renaissance ancestry for Hugo and others of his new friends.
Read More