18 h 10 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when money passes for wisdom, conversation becomes a contest, and everyone at court wears a smile?
In The Characters, Jean de La Bruyère watches people reveal themselves through talk, manners, money and rank. His short observations, maxims and portraits explore the France of Louis the Fourteenth. Meet the bore, the hypocrite, the absent-minded man and the courtier, all under a sharp, patient gaze that sees vanity without hatred.
The book brings together portraits drawn from Theophrastus and La Bruyère’s own observations. Parts such as Of Works of the Mind, Of Fortune’s Gifts and Of the Court move from writing to wealth and guarded smiles. Giton and Phédon show how money bends judgment, while talkers who demand the last word turn conversation into a display.
What you’ll discover
- People worth watching Meet boasters, flatterers and hypocrites through brief portraits that make their habits hard to miss.
- The weight of wealth Watch how riches shape respect, making the rich fool seem wiser than the poor wise man.
- Smiles that conceal Enter a court where masks earn rewards and plain speech carries a cost.
- Writing and honest sight Explore why familiar themes demand more from a writer than the promise of novelty.
- Sharpness without hatred Enjoy a patient observer whose wit exposes vanity without turning people into objects of hate.
Who will love it
For readers who love people-watching, short pieces to read one at a time, and the French seventeenth century, with sharp portraits of vanity, flattery, money and court life.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A moralist who watches instead of preaching
- Good writing begins with honest seeing
- Society runs on vanity and display
- Money and rank make fools look wise
- The court rewards masks and punishes candor
- A book of portraits that kept its readers guessing
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
Los caracteres de Jean de La Bruyère
by Jean de La Bruyère · 1688
La Bruyère unmasks the flatterer, the bore and the rich fool, revealing how wealth shapes our judgment.
Challenging10–20 hours to readEspañol
Excellent
- Read or listen
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
The Characters is a book of short observations, maxims and portraits of people, written by the French moralist Jean de La Bruyère. It first appeared in 1688 and grew with each new edition until his death in 1696.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A moralist who watches instead of preaching
La Bruyère was not a courtier by birth. He came from a middle-class Paris family, trained in law, and later became tutor to a grandson of the Prince of Condé. That post took him to the great house at Chantilly and to the court at Versailles. There he could watch the powerful from close by, yet he was never one of them, and this outsider's view gives the book its edge.
He chose a humble starting point. His first book put into French the Characters of Theophrastus, a pupil of Aristotle, whose short sketches name a type of person and then show what that person does. Then he went far beyond it. Where the Greek lists habits, the Frenchman builds scenes, jokes and small dramas with named figures.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 7 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1688
- Language
- Español
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
La Bruyère, Jean de. The "Characters" of Jean de La Bruyère. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-characters-of-jean-de-la-bruyere.
La Bruyère, J. de. (2026). The "Characters" of Jean de La Bruyère. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-characters-of-jean-de-la-bruyere (Original work published 1688)
La Bruyère, Jean de. The "Characters" of Jean de La Bruyère. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-characters-of-jean-de-la-bruyere.
@book{labruyere2026characters,
author = {La Bruyère, Jean de},
title = {The "Characters" of Jean de La Bruyère},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-characters-of-jean-de-la-bruyere},
note = {First published 1688}
}
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Los caracteres de Jean de La Bruyère
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Characters by La Bruyère about?
It is a collection of maxims, reflections and portraits of human types in seventeenth-century France. It deals with vanity, ambition, flattery, money, the court and religion, and it shows how people behave in company.
Who are Giton and Phédon in La Bruyère?
They are a pair of contrasting figures in the chapter on fortune's gifts. Giton is rich and confident and is listened to, while Phédon is poor and modest and is ignored, showing how wealth shapes our judgment.
What is the connection between La Bruyère and Theophrastus?
La Bruyère began by translating the Characters of Theophrastus, a Greek writer who sketched human types. His own portraits often draw on French society, but he says their scope reaches beyond any one country.
The author
Jean de La Bruyère
1645–1696 · French moralist and essayist
Jean de La Bruyère was a French writer born in Paris in 1645. He worked as a tutor in the household of the Prince of Condé. His book Les Caractères first appeared in 1688. He became a member of the French Academy in 1693 and died at Versailles in 1696.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
