Marie-Jean-Léon, Marquis d'Hervey de Saint Denys

Le Marquis d'Hervey de Saint Denys

Marie-Jean-Léon Lecoq, Baron d'Hervey de Juchereau, Marquis d'Hervey de Saint-Denys (5 May 1822–2 November 1892, Paris), was a French sinologist and man of letters, and one of the earliest oneirologists (specialists in the study of dreams).

Hervey de Saint Denys made an intense study of Chinese, and in 1851 published his Recherches sur l'agriculture et l'horticulture des Chinois (French: Research on the agriculture and horticulture of the Chinese), in which he dealt with the plants and animals that potentially might be able to be acclimatized to and introduced in Western countries. He translated Chinese texts as well as some Chinese stories not of classical interest but valuable for the light they throw on Chinese culture and customs. He also translated some Spanish-language works, and wrote a history of the Spanish drama.

More recently (See the works of Stephen LaBerge, Carolus den Blanken, Paul Tholey e.o.), Hervey de Saint Denys has begun to be known for his introspective studies on dreams. He wrote down his dreams on a daily basis from the age of 13.(On page 4 of his work 'Les Reves et les Moyens de Les Diriger' the anonymous author stated that he was in his fourteenth year when he started his dreamwork). In 1867, he anonymously published Les rêves et les moyens de les diriger; observations pratiques (French: Dreams and the Ways to Direct Them: Practical Observations). In this book, he proposed techniques to control dreams, and he described dreams in which the "dreamer is perfectly aware he is dreaming". This particular state of consciousness later came to be called lucid dreaming.

At the Paris Exhibition of 1867, Hervey de Saint Denys acted as commissioner for the Chinese exhibits. In 1874 he succeeded Stanislas Julien in the chair of Chinese at the Collège de France, while in 1878 he was elected a member of the Académie des Inscriptions et de Belles-Lettres. He died in Paris on the November 2, 1892.

References

Works by d'Hervey de Saint Denys

Sinology

• Hervey de Saint-Denys. Recherches sur l'agriculture et l'horticulture des Chinois (1851)
• Hervey de Saint-Denys. Poésies de l'époque des T'ang (Poems of the Tang Era) (1862), translated from the Chinese (full text)
• Hervey de Saint-Denys. Ethnographie des peuples étrangers de la Chine, translated from Ma Duanlin (Ma-Touan-Lin) (1876–1883)
• Hervey de Saint-Denys. Li-Sao (1870), translated from the Chinese
• Hervey de Saint-Denys. Mémoires sur les doctrines religieuses; de Confucius et de l'école des lettres (Dissertations on religious doctrines; from Confucius to the school of letters) (1887)

Oneirology

• Hervey de Saint-Denys. Les Rêves et les moyens de les diriger; Observations pratiques. Paris: Librairie d'Amyot, Éditeur, 8, Rue de la Paix (1867). (originally published anonymous)
• Hervey de Saint-Denys. Les Rêves et les Moyens de les diriger; Observations Pratiques. Île Saint-Denis. Oniros (1995). ISBN 2-909318-04-4.
• Hervey de Saint-Denys. Dreams and how to guide them. Translated by N.Fry and edited by Morton Schatzman. London. Gerald Duckworth (1982). ISBN 0-7156-1584-X. (abbreviated version)

Other references

Oneirology

• C.M. den Blanken & E.J.G. Meijer. An Historical View of "Dreams and the Ways to Direct Them; Practical Observations" by Marie-Jean-Léon LeCoq, le Marquis d'Hervey-Saint-Denys. Lucidity Letter, December, 1988, Vol.7, No.2,p. 67-78. Revised Edition:Lucidity,1991,Vol.10 No.1&2, p. 311-322.
• Hervey de Saint-Denys-"Dromen: Praktische Observaties"(E-book;2005) Editor and Translator Drs. Carolus M. den Blanken. http://members.casema.nl/carolusdenblanken/vertaling%20denys.htm

Other

• O.de Luppé, A.Pino, R.Ripert & B.Schwartz. D'Hervey de Saint-Denys 1822-1892; Biographie, Correspondance familiale, l'oeuvre de l'onirologue & du sinologue; les hommages rendus à l'auteur lors du centenaire de sa mort et l'exposition artistique autour de ses rêves. (D'Hervey de Saint-Denys 1822-1892; Biography, Family correspondance, oneirological and sinological works; Homages to the author on the centenary of his death and artistic exposition regarding his dreams) (1995) Oniros, BP 30, 93451 Ile Saint-Denis cedex. The homages are by Carolus den Blanken, Celia Green, Roger Ripert and Paul Tholey.

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 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

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Name	Hervey de Saint Denys, Marie Jean Leon
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Date of birth	1823
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Date of death	1892
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