François Villon

Melek Karataş (University of Bristol)

Ed. by Marianne Ailes, University of Bristol
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.01: French Writing and Culture: Old French to the Middle Ages , 500-1400.
Vol. editors: Marianne Ailes (University of Bristol), Matthew Siôn Lampitt (University of Bristol), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), David Williams (University of Sheffield)

Dates

Born 1431
Died 1463
Activity 1451-1463

Places

Born in France
Active in France

Activities

Primary

Poet

Resources

Villon's Works

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François Villon is often described as the best-known French poet of the later Middle Ages. Born in Paris (c. 1431) as François Montcorbier (or François des Loges), the poet led a colourful life, becoming embroiled in no small number of petty crimes, undergoing stints in prison or banishment from Paris as a result. The name Villon is a nom de plume the poet adopted from Guillaume de Villon (professor of canon law and chaplain of Saint-Benoît-le-Bétourné) whom he describes in

Le Testament

as being “plus que pere” [more than a father] (l. 849) to him. Villon’s principal works include

Le Lais

[

The Legacy

] and

Le Testament

[

The Testament

], as well as a number of shorter poems. Although Villon was not an innovator of forms or genres per se, his works exhibit an impressive lyric…

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3109 words

Citation: Karataş, Melek. "François Villon". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 November 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5027, accessed 21 November 2024.]