Cyrano de Bergerac
By Lexi Thye
Overview
Cyrano de Bergerac was born on March 6, 1619 in Paris, France. His parents were Espérance Bellanger and Abel I de Cyrano. He had 5 siblings, 4 brothers and 1 sister. He was taught by a priest, but according to Cyrano's friend Le Bret, "Cyrano believed him incapable of teaching us anything". Cyrano never payed attention in class, so his dad took him out of school and sent him away. It isn't sure exactly what school Cyrano went to, but most people think it was the Collège de Beauvais. There he met Jean Grangier, the principal, who later inspired Granger in Cyrano's play "Le Pédant Joué". When Cyrano turned 19, he joined the guards. Later, he left the military to learn literature from Pierre Gassendi.
Cyrano wrote his 2 best known works, "Histoire Comique des États et Empires de la Lune" and "Histoire Comique des États et Empires du Soliel", with the guidance of Pierre. These stories tell of fictional trips to the sun and moon, like Cyrano tells about in the play. Cyrano also studied science, and helped spread new theories to the public, but it is believed his main goal was to "encourage freethinking materialism". Cyrano wrote many plays, such as "La Mort d'Agrippine" and "Le Pédant Joué". He even inspired the play "Cyrano de Bergerac", before he died in Paris on July 28, 1655. It is unsure whether his death was caused by injuries due to an attack on the Dukes carrige, or from "unspecified disease". He did not, however, die from a wooden beam falling on his head, as suggested in the play.
Cyrano Statue
A statue commemorating Cyrano, located in the city of Bergerac, overlooking the Dordogne river.
Cyrano de Bergerac
A picture showing Cyrano.
Cyrano meme
A meme of Cyrano
Present Day Connection
Cyrano's name and works are still seen today. There is a town in Dordogne, France named Bergerac, and a statue of Cyrano is located there. His works are believed to have inspired famous authors, such as Edgar Allan Poe, who's books are still seen today. In the 1970's, people started to read his books again, and there was an abundance of his essays and articles. People still read Cyrano's books, and scientists can reference his works.
Impact
Cyrano's works impacted many people, especially writers such as Jonathan Swift and Edgar Allan Poe. His 2 books in which he travels to the moon and sun are "classics of early modern science fiction ", and they also inspired many writers. His book "L'Autre Monde; ou les Etats et Empires de la Lune", in which Cyrano travels to the moon using rockets, might be the first book with a description of a rocket-powered vessel landing on the moon. This might have inspired scientists to try using rockets.
Five Fun Facts
1.Cyrano's parents were about 20 years apart in age.
2.Cyrano actually had a cousin named Roxanne.
3.He was named after his grandfather.
4.He was only 36 when he died.
5.His mom was 33 when he was born, and his dad was 52.
Event
A main event in Cyrano's life was the siege of Arras. In 1640, the Siege of Arras wounded Cyrano, and he had to leave the army and learn literature. If this had not happened, Cyrano might have not pursued literature, and he wouldn't have written his many books and plays. He would have been a soldier instead.
Bibliography
"Cyrano De Bergerac." - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2016.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrano_de_Bergerac
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Savinien Cyrano De Bergerac." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 19 May 2016.
http://www.britannica.com/boigraphy/savinien-Cyano-de-Bergerac