Nicolas-Edme Rétif, a prolific French writer active in the late eighteenth century, produced a vast catalog of nearly two hundred volumes. Often printing his own work by hand, he navigated extreme poverty while establishing a reputation as both a social realist and a sexual fantasist. His career spanned the transition from the Ancien Régime to the Revolutionary era.
Early Life and Printing Career
Born in 1734 in Sacy, Rétif received an initial education from the Jansenists at Bicêtre. Following a scandal, he began an apprenticeship as a printer in Auxerre. Upon completion of his service, he moved to Paris to work as a journeyman printer. In 1760, he married Agnès Lebègue, a relative of his former master. His exposure to the mechanical realities of publishing profoundly influenced his writing process, leading him to print many of his own works.
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Rétif attained notoriety for his diverse output, ranging from moralizing novels to graphic eroticism. He coined the term "pornographer" to describe his systematic study of the lives of prostitutes, though the label later took on its modern pejorative meaning. His writings often explored complex personal fixations, most notably in "Le Pied de Fanchette," which served as the foundation for the term retifism. His work earned him the mocking nickname "the Voltaire of the chambermaids" from Jean François de La Harpe.
Revolutionary Turmoil and Final Years
The French Revolution brought both precariousness and opportunity to Rétif. The collapse of the assignat currency left him dependent on his writing to survive, though he benefited from the era's relaxed censorship. In 1795, he received a 2000-franc gratuity from the Thermidor Convention. Despite his expressed support for the new regime, his previous associations left him disreputable. Napoleon eventually offered him a position within the ministry of police, but Rétif died at his residence on rue de la Bûcherie in 1806 before assuming the role.
Intellectual Legacy
Rétif’s "Monsieur Nicolas," a sixteen-volume autobiography published between 1794 and 1797, serves as a primary record of his ethical views and personal history. Beyond his memoirs, he contributed to proto-science fiction with "La découverte australe par un homme-volant" and explored early space opera in "Les Posthumes." He also engaged with radical politics, playing a role in the popularization of the term "communist" through his review of a social project by Joseph-Alexandre-Victor Hupay de Fuveau.
Fast facts
- Born: 1734, Sacy
- Died: 1806, rue de la Bûcherie, Paris
- Citizenship: France
- Primary occupations: Writer, printer, playwright, translator
- Notable work: Monsieur Nicolas (16 volumes)
- Nickname: The Voltaire of the chambermaids
- Language: French
Questions readers ask
Why is he associated with shoe fetishism?
The term retifism was coined to describe this preference because his novel Fanchette's Foot centered on a character whose pretty feet caused her constant trouble.
Did he actually meet the Marquis de Sade?
Rétif and the Marquis de Sade were contemporaries who maintained a state of mutual contempt for one another.
Achievements
- Notable work: Le paysan perverti
- Notable work: La Vie de mon père
- Notable work: La découverte australe par un homme-volant
- Notable work: Les Nuits de Paris, ou le Spectateur-nocturne
