Barbier, Marie-Anne (c. 1670–1742)
Barbier, Marie-Anne (c. 1670–1742)
French dramatist. Born c. 1670 in Orléans, France; lived in Paris; died 1742 in France; married; children: 1 daughter.
One of the most successful dramatists of her day, had 4 of her tragedies staged at Comédie-Française (1702–10); despite her achievements, and those of a small number of other female dramatists, no further tragedies by women were produced (1717–49), so she moved on to other works, including editing the journal Saisons littéraires (1714), which documented many of her feminist ideals; writings include Brutus, tragédie (1691), Arrie et Pétrus (1702), Cornélie, mère des Graques (Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi, 1703), Tomyris (adapted from Madelaine de Scudéry's Le Grand Cyrus, 1707), La mort de César(The Death of Caesar, 1710), Le Théâtre de l'amour et de la fortune (The Theater of Love and Fortune, 1713); Les fêtes de l'été, ballet (Summer Festivities, a Ballet, 1716); Le jugement de Paris, pastorale héroique (The Judgment of Paris, a Historic Pastoral, 1718), La Faucon, comédie (The Falcon, a Comedy, 1719), Les plaisirs de la campagne, ballet (Country Delights, a Ballet, 1719).