Step 4: Artist Interview

Q. Describe where you are from and give us information about your family.

A.    I am from Paris, France. I was born on February 4, 1688. I was born into an aristrocrat family. I had spent my early childhood in the provinces and returned to the capitol in 1710.

My father is a Norman financier and administrator. His real name is Carlet, but he assumed the surname of Chamblain, and then Marivaux, which is how I got my last name. He practiced law also which I followed later in my life. I have one daughter. She became a nun; the Duke of Orleans, the regent’s successor.

Q. What events in your early life made you get interested in the arts?

A. Well, I wrote my first play when I was only eighteen. It was called the Pierre prudent et equitable. It was not published till I was twenty four in 1722. The early 1720’s were very important for me in fact. I wrote one comedy called L’Amour et la verite. And another comedy called Arlequin poli par l’amour.

Things seemed perfectly fine for me. I joined the Paris salon society at a pretty young age and got the opportunity to speak what I thought about certain subjects which triggered my interest in writing. I had married a beautiful women. We then had a daughter. I also had the job writing for the chief newspaper of France. I thought things were going to be like a fairytale. Good times…

            Q. What role did mentors play in helping you develop the interest and talents you have as an artist.

            A. I had a friend named Antoine Houdar de La Motte. He introduced me to the chief newspaper of France, the Mercure, and I started to write articles for it in 1717. A very fine job this was to have in the type of situation I was in. I had a family to support and Antoine helped me tremendously.

 I had many friends who mentored me and gave me tips also. These friends included Helvetius, Claudine Guerin de Tencin, Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle, and Madame de Pompadour. The leader of the Paris salon society was also very encouraging about my liking for writing and encouraged me to pursue it.

            Q. What was the world of arts like in your particular art field when you entered it?

            A. Well, basically everybody was competing. Meaning, everyone wanted to be at the top. So you had to work really hard to be able to compete with the others and have your chance.

 Unfortunately, the people favored the neoclassical dramas and tragedies. I preferred romantic, adventurous stories that were exciting and created a good feeling. What fools, wanting to be saddened and let down… So in order to become successful I thought I had to write at least a little of what the people wanted. This way, I would get more income rather than doing what the people didn’t like. So I ended up doing a few dramas here and there.

            Q. How did the major cultural, economic, and political situations of the time impact your work?  

            A. The revolutionary era was kind of awkward to work in because of the war and all. The situations of the time benefitted me a whole lot though. I was writing for a newspaper. Since the newspaper talks about current events, I had to be very in tune to what was going on around us. At the same time, I had to make it interesting for the people.

Therefore, the cultural, economic, and political events gave me something to talk about. The more there were, the better a living it made for me. And fortunately, because of the war, I had a lot to write about! With writing plays on the other hand, they gave me some ideas of plots and bits to add in the plays for the audience to relate too more. Like how the economy was in real life being the same as in the play. Or political events that were happening in real life, taking part in the plays I wrote.

            Q. What are your major accomplishments and methods used in your art?

            A. Some of my major accomplishments would be a few plays I have written in my years… First, when I wrote those comedies for the Comedie- Francais and the Comedie- Italienne. Some of the plays that I had written for these theatres include: Le Triomphe de l’amour, Le Jeu de l’amour et du hasard, and Les Fausses Confidences.

            Some methods that I use in my writing would be writing about what I like to write about. I love to write about happy, exciting subjects. This is why you see that most of the most famous works of mine are comedies because that is the kind of writing I love. I would also use what is called Marivaudage. This is when the characters not only tell the audience/reader what they’re thinking but what they are trying to persuade themselves to think also. It catches the audience’s attention even more because they are trying to relate to the character even harder this way.

            Q. What key opportunities have you had that led to turning points of your life in art?

            A. One of my key opportunities was when I got offered the job for writing for the chief newspaper of France. That was a great opportunity to get my writing popular and known in the country. I had a fabulous time writing for the Mercure and got the chance to meet some great artist. These artists that I met were mostly interested in the same subject I was, therefore we would exchange thoughts and ideas about our mindset of writing and theatre.

            When I wrote for popular theatres in France like the Le Triomphe de l’amour, that also gave me a great opportunity to have my work seen and performed in front of millions. It made my popularity rise and my income. I was very successful at this time because the theatres were very rich and paid me a lot!

            Q. What hardships or road blocks did you have to overcome to be an artist?

            A. Aw, I remember when I had lost all of my inheritance. I had invested all of my money in the Mississippi scheme. But then the Law Bank had collapsed. Of course, I had thought that it would be worth it and that it would pay off. After that disaster, my pen was almost my only sole source!

            Also when my wife died in 1723, I was wrecked. I dint know what to do. This was a few years after I had lost my inheritance. It took me a long, long while to gain all of that money back. In fact, I never really did…

            Q. What are people you admire both in the arts and beyond and why do they inspire you?

            A. I admire myself and mostly myself… (laughing). I’m the one who comes up with the ideas and plays I write so why not admire myself!

            Then again I will give credit to my fellow writers and artists who have socialized with me and given me tips and instructions about playwriting. I will give much credit to my friend who led me to discover the job of writing for the newspaper. I would be a poor man, well even poorer man if I would have never done that job (laughing). He helped me a lot in my career and I’m grateful for it.

            Q. What personal stories best illustrate how you became successful in the arts?

            A. When my wife died it prompted me to continue in my dream to become a famous writer, writing plays and novels. I thought that that’s what she would have wanted me to do ya know. To continue to pursue my dreams and not give up like I felt like doing.

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