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Néricault Destouches
1680–1754
A French dramatist and diplomat of the early Enlightenment, he is remembered for comedies that mix sharp social observation with a humane view of ambition, vanity, and self-deception. His plays helped bridge the world of Molière and the more polished stage comedy of the 18th century.
1 Audiobook
Next Door Neighbours: A Comedy; In Three Acts
by Néricault Destouches, Mrs. Inchbald, Louis-Sébastien Mercier
About the author
Born in 1680, Philippe Néricault Destouches was a French playwright best known for his comedies. He also had a public career outside the theater, serving in diplomatic roles and spending time in England, experience that widened his view of society and politics.
His reputation rests mainly on stage works such as Le Glorieux, Le Philosophe marié, and Le Dissipateur. These plays are known for lively dialogue, recognizable social types, and a moral tone that looks closely at pride, fashion, money, and manners without losing sympathy for human weakness.
Destouches was elected to the Académie française and remained an important figure in French literary life until his death in 1754. Though not as universally famous today as some of his predecessors, he played a real part in shaping 18th-century French comedy and in carrying classical stage traditions into a newer, more modern social world.