Lesage, Alain-René

Lesage, Alain-René

 or Le Sage

(born May 6, 1668, Sarzeau, France—died Nov. 17, 1747, Boulogne) French novelist and playwright. He studied law in Paris but later abandoned his clerkship to devote himself to literature. His classic The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane (1715–35), one of the earliest realistic novels, was influential in making the picaresque novel a European literary fashion. A prolific satirical dramatist, he adapted Spanish models for his early plays, including the highly successful comedy Crispin, Rival of His Master (1707). He also composed more than 100 comédies-vaudevilles in the tradition of Molière.