(baptized July 4, 1610, Paris, France
died Oct. 7, 1660, Paris) French writer.
With his first works, Scarron helped make the burlesque a characteristic literary form of his time. Virgile travesty , 7 vol. (164853) was a very successful parody of Virgil 's Aeneid . Scarron's plays, often based on Spanish originals, were important in the theatrical life of Paris. He is now remembered for a single novel, Le Roman comique , 3 vol. (165157; "The Comic Novel"), which recounts the comical adventures of a company of strolling players; its realism makes it an invaluable source of information about conditions in the French provinces in the 17th century. His widow, Madame de Maintenon, was later married to Louis XIV.