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In order to stabilize and protect the French language, the cardinal dubs a society of young writers who meet at one or the other.
Par Frédéric Lewino et Gwendoline Dos Santos
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It’s a day like any other. Cardinal de Richelieu, 50, dispatches the affairs of the kingdom in his palace, near the Louvre. He initials a whole series of boring despatches presented by his secretary Charpentier. But here is a moment of happiness with the statutes of the French Academy to be ratified. The cardinal sketches a slight smile, because the Academy is his baby, his own little dancer. Morbleu! How he’s had enough of this French whose spelling is as fickle as a whore from the rue Beaubourg! He decided to sort it out. Just as he wants to bring to heel all these young authors, such as Corneille, who flout the rules of classical theatre. To achieve his ends, Richelieu decided to create an academy made up of the greatest French authors. Rick…