Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre

Research Status: Basic Last Updated: 2025-01-23 Diary Coverage: Up to 1880-10-12

Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre (1737-1814) was a French writer and botanist, best known for his novel Paul et Virginie (1788). A friend and follower of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, he shared Rousseau's belief in the nobility of natural man and the corrupting influence of civilization.

His masterwork Paul et Virginie became one of the most beloved French novels of the late 18th and 19th centuries, influencing the Romantic movement with its emphasis on emotion, nature, and the tragic power of pure sentiment.

Marie admires his work intensely, commenting that "Bernardin de Saint-Pierre did not himself understand what he had created" - particularly the sublime simplicity of the scene where Paul watches Virginie's ship disappear as a black dot on the horizon.

Major works:

• Paul et Virginie (1788) - his most famous novel
• Études de la nature (1784) - observations on natural history
• La Chaumière indienne (1791) - philosophical tale