Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve was a pivotal figure in French literary history, renowned as a discerning critic. He championed the idea that understanding an artist's biography was essential to fully appreciating their work. Sainte-Beuve meticulously examined the lives and writings of numerous authors, often delving into their personal experiences and historical contexts. His insightful essays, frequently published in collected series, provided profound analyses that significantly shaped the critical discourse of his era and influenced subsequent literary scholarship.
Issu de conférences publiques, cet ouvrage retrace l'histoire, des origines à la destruction, de la communauté intellectuelle du monastère cistercien de Port-Royal. Symbole de la résistance au pouvoir ecclésiastique et royal, ce mouvement contemporain de Louis XIV a tenté de revenir à un christianisme simple, inspiré de saint Augustin, et s'est rendu célèbre par la rigueur de sa pensée.