Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon

Crébillon, Prosper Jolyot de (prôspĕrˈ zhôlyōˈ də krābēyôNˈ) [key], 1674–1762, French dramatist. His tragic melodramas, marked by violent plots, include Idoménée (1705), Électre (1708), and Rhadamiste et Zénobie (1711), which is considered his best. After a long retirement he was persuaded by Mme de Pompadour, who was seeking a rival to Voltaire, to write Catilina (1748), which was performed with great success.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

• • Cite
  • Print