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{{Short description|French journalist (1800–1872)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
[[File:Ximénès Doudan Portrait.png|thumb|image of Ximénès Doudan]]

'''Ximénès Doudan''', born in [[Douai]] in 1800, died in Paris on August 20, 1872,<ref>Henri Moncel, ''Introduction'' to the work of Ximénès Doudan ''Revolutions of taste'', Paris, 1924, p. X and LXXVI.</ref> was a French journalist, [[literary critic|critic]] and [[moralist]].

== Biography ==
During his youth in Paris, and after a stay in [[Cambrai]], he became tutor at the [[Lycée Henri-IV|college Henri-IV]], lived [[rue Valette|rue des Sept-Voies]], and had as comrades [[Saint-Marc Girardin]] and [[Ustazade Silvestre de Sacy|Silvestre de Sacy]]. He wrote in ''[[La Revue française]]'' and in the ''[[Journal des Débats]]''. In the mid-1820s, Girardin recommended him to [[Abel François Villemain]], who in turn introduced him to [[Victor de Broglie (1785-1870)|Victor de Broglie]].<ref name="Fischer">M . Fischer (1897), {{p.|196-199}}.</ref>

Having become a close friend of Albertine de Staël-Holstein, daughter of [[Germaine de Staël]] who had married Victor de Broglie, he was appointed tutor to Louis-Alphonse (1812–1842), son of [[Albert de Rocca]] and Germaine de Staël, a child who was orphaned in 1818.

Doudan became the head of the cabinet of the various ministries of the Duc de Broglie between 1830 and 1836, then remained his private secretary, before being appointed master of requests at the [[Conseil d'Etat (France)|Conseil d'Etat]].

Very big reader, admirer of [[Sainte-Beuve]], he published [[literary criticism]] in newspapers and corresponded with a circle of friends, including [[Eugénie de Guérin]] and [[Theobald Piscatory]]. His preserved correspondence runs from 1823 to 1872.<ref name="Fischer"/>

No book by Doudan was published during his lifetime. After his death, it was mainly [[Alfred-Auguste Cuvillier-Fleury]] who edited his ''Mélanges et Lettres'' (1876–1877), ''Lettres'' (1879), ''Pensées and fragments, followed by the Revolutions of taste'' (1881). In October 1876, Cuvillier-Fleury gave a lecture at the [[Institut de France]] and brought out of oblivion "the amiable Doudan", whom he presented as "an unknown author, a free-thinker in the world", and whom the literary press soon described as an "unpublished moralist".<ref>[https://gallica.bnf.fr/ ark:/12148/bpt6k459883v ''Journal of political and literary debates''], October 27, 1876, {{p.|2-4}}.</ref> Doudan was read by [[Friedrich Nietzsche]], [[Jean-Marie Guyau]], and [[Marcel Proust]], among others.

[[Louis Pasteur|Pasteur]] gave a certain notoriety, quoting it in his ''Speech of acceptance to the French Academy'',<ref>Made in 1882. Complete Works of Pasteur, t. 7, p. 339, available at [https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k7363q/f345.chemindefer Gallica].</ref> to a passage from Doudan which begins with the sentence: "I have thought for a long time that someone with only clear ideas would certainly be a fool".<ref>Quoted as from Ximénès Doudan by [[Jean-Marie Guyau]], ''L'art au point de vue sociologique'', 1888, repr. Ayer Publishing, 1975, {{ISBN|0-405-06510-8}}, 9780405065101, p. 206, passage available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=Fi1VhCwRCikC&dq=%22celui+qui+n%27ayant+que+des+id%C3%A9es+claires%22&pg=PA206 =AzA_qfpZDp&sig=Kl50039OWu0DnPV8a6GKyLBOpUo&hl=fr&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result Google Books].</ref>

According to [[Antoine Compagnon]], Doudan fell after 1910 into relative oblivion.<ref>A. Companion, ''Proust essayiste: Aimer Sainte-Beuve'', 8th part, Cours du Collège de France, broadcast on France culture on July 28, 2019 — [https://www.franceculture.fr/emissions/les- les-cours-du-college-de-france/les-cours-du-college-de-france-emission-du-dimanche-july-28-2019 listen online]{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}.</ref>

== Works ==
* ''Mélanges et lettres'', avec une introduction de [[Joseph d'Haussonville]] et des notices signées [[Ustazade Silvestre de Sacy|Silvestre de Sacy]] et [[Alfred-Auguste Cuvillier-Fleury]] (1876–1877).
* ''Lettres'' (1879) — tomes I à IV, [https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb30351366x sur Gallica (BNF)]
* ''Pensées et fragments suivis des révolutions du goût'' (1881)
* ''Des révolutions du goût'', suivi de deux articles non-recueillis précédemment. Introduction par Henri Moncel. Paris, 1924.

== Bibliography ==
* Mary Fischer, ''A group of French critics: [[Edmond Schérer]], [[Ernest Bersot]], Saint-Marc Girardin, Ximénès Doudan, [[Gustave Planche]]'', Chicago, A.C. McClurg and company, 1897, {{pp.|198–227}} — [https://archive.org/details/groupoffrenchcri00fishiala on ''archive.org''].
* Claire Witmeur, ''Ximénès Doudan. Sa vie et son œuvre'', Paris, E. Droz, Bibliothèque de la faculté de philosophie et lettres de l'université de Liège -LX-, 1934.
* [[Ernest Seillière]], ''Un familier des doctrinaires, Ximénès Doudan'', Recueil Sirey, 1943.
* Gabrielle Clopet, ''Ximénès Doudan, épistolier au XIXe siècle'', 1953.

== References ==
<references/>

==External links==
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Ximénès Doudan}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doudan, Ximenes}}
[[Category:1800 births]]
[[Category:1872 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century French journalists]]
[[Category:19th-century French male journalists]]

Ximénès Doudan - Revision history

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