La Bruyère, Jean de (1645–1696)

French writer and moralist. He was born in Paris, studied law, took a post in the revenue office, and in 1684 entered the service of the French commander the Prince of Condé as tutor to his grandson. His ‘Caractères/The Characters’ (1688), a penetrating study of human behaviour in the form of satirical pen-portraits of his contemporaries, made him many enemies. The work is remarkable also for its highly critical account of French society in the last years of the 17th century. La Bruyère's style is notable for its rich vocabulary and infinite variety of phrase.