Marie-Jean-Léon Lecoq, Baron d'Hervey de Juchereau, Marquis d'Hervey de Saint-Denys (6 May 1822 – 2 November 1892) was a French sinologist, known for his contributions to the study of Chinese language, literature, history, and ethnography. He is also known for his seminal research on dreams, via his 1867 book Les rêves et les moyens de les diriger; observations pratiques (Dreams and the Ways to Direct Them: Practical Observations), published anonymously.

Hervey de Saint-Denys's book on dreams influenced Freud and Proust. His translations of Chinese poetry influenced Mahler.

Early life and education

Hervey de Saint Denys was born 6 May 1822. He was the son of Pierre Marin Alexandre Le Coq or Lecoq, Baron d'Hervey (1780–1858), and Marie Louise Josephine Mélanie Juchereau de Saint-Denys (1789–1844).

He was adopted in 1858 by his maternal uncle Amédée Louis Vincent Juchereau, marquis de Saint-Denys (1782–1858), who was without descendants, so that he would inherit the title of Marquis of Saint-Denys.

In 1844, d'Hervey received a law degree (licence en droit).

In 1848, he graduated from the Ecole des langues orientales vivantes, which was later renamed the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (INALCO).

Contributions to China studies Hervey de Saint Denys made an intense study of the Chinese language, and published works on ethnography and on the history and literature of China. In 1851 he published Recherches sur l'agriculture et l'horticulture des Chinois (Research on the agriculture and horticulture of the Chinese), which detailed Chinese plants and animals that might be potentially acclimatized to and introduced in Western countries.Hervey de Saint-Denys (1850). Recherches sur l'agriculture et l'horticulture des Chinois et sur les végétaux, les animaux et les procédés agricoles que l'on pourrait introduire... dans l'Europe occidentale et le nord de l'Afrique. (Studies on the agriculture and horticulture of the Chinese). Allouard et Kaeppelin. Paris.

In 1862 he published a watershed book of translations of Chinese poetry, Poetry of the Tang Dynasty. The book also contains a lengthy preface, L'art poétique et la prosodie chez les Chinois, about Chinese poetry and prose, which sets out the various sinological theories on the differences between written and spoken Chinese, the monosyllabic nature of Chinese, and the ideographic nature of Chinese. A selection of his translated poems from this volume, along with selections from Judith Gautier's volume of loosely translated Chinese poems Livre de Jade (1867), were the fundamental basis for Gustav Mahler's song cycle for voice and orchestra, Das Lied von der Erde.

He also translated Chinese texts such as some Chinese stories, which were not strictly of classical interest but valuable for the light they throw on Chinese culture and customs.

From 1864 to 1872, Hervey de Saint-Denys was president of the Société d'ethnographie.

Hervey de Saint Denys was also a noted collector of Chinese porcelain, and other Chinese art objects such as jade and lacquer works. At the 1867 Paris Exhibition, he was commissioner for the Chinese exhibits, and on 30 June 1867 he was made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour.

From 1868 to 1870 he was professor of Chinese language at the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (INALCO), then still known as Ecole des langues orientales vivantes.

Following the death of Stanislas Julien (1797–1873), in 1874 Hervey de Saint Denys succeeded him as the chairman of Chinese at the Collège de France, and served until his death in 1892.

In 1878 he was elected a member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, and remained a member until his death in 1892. In 1888, he was president of the Académie.

Hervey de Saint Denys translated some Spanish-language works as well,Hervey de Saint-Denys (1847). Los Herreros, Le poil de la prairie. Imprimerie De Boulé. Paris. and wrote a history of the Spanish drama.Hervey de Saint-Denys (1850). Histoire du théâtre en Espagne; De la rareté et du prix des médailles romaines.

Hervey de Saint Denys also created a literary translation theory, which was paraphrased by Joshua A. Fogel, the author of a book review on De l'un au multiple: Traductions du chinois vers les langues européenes, as "empowering the translator to use his own creative talents to embellish wherever necessary—not a completely free hand, but some leeway to avoid the pitfall of becoming too leaden."

Contributions to dream studies

By the late 1980s Hervey de Saint Denys was rediscovered internationally for his introspective studies on dreams.Green, Celia-Lucid Dreams.Hamish Hamilton Ltd./London; 1968. He was one of the earliest oneirologists (specialists in the study of dreams), and is now regarded as the father of modern lucid dreaming.

In 1867 an anonymous book was published titled Les rêves et les moyens de les diriger; observations pratiques (Dreams and the Ways to Direct Them: Practical Observations); in a footnote on page 1 from the 1878 edition of Alfred Maury's work Le sommeil et les rêves Hervey de Saint Denys was identified as its author.Maury, A.F.A. (1878). Le sommeil et les rêves; études psychologiques sur ces phénomènes et les divers états qui s'y rattachent suivies de recherches sur le développement de l'instinct et de l'intelligence dans leurs rapports avec le phénomènes du sommeil. Paris: Didier et Cie.(originally appeared in 1861). Writers including Havelock Ellis (1911),Ellis, H. (1911).The world of dreams. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Johann Stärcke (1912),Stärcke, J. (1912). Nieuwe droomexperimenten in verband met oudere en nieuwere theorieën(transl.: New dreamexperiments connected with older and newer theories). In: Psychiatrische en Neurologische Bladen, March–April, Nederlandsche Vereniging voor Psychiatrie en Neurologie, Amsterdam: Uitg. F.van Rossen. and A. Breton (1955)Breton, A. (1955). Les vases communicants. Paris: Gallimard. referred to the fact that the original anonymous publication was hard to obtain as copies were scarce, because shortly after publication its publisher Amyot went bankrupt. Sigmund Freud, in The Interpretation of Dreams (1899), stated: "Maury, Sleep and Dreams, Paris, 1878, p. 19, argues strenuously against d'Hervey, whose book I could not lay hands on in spite of all my efforts." Nevertheless, Freud mentioned Hervey de Saint Denys's book three times in that work.

Hervey de Saint Denys started recording his dreams on a daily basis from the age of 13.On page four of his Les Rêves et les Moyens de Les Diriger the author stated that he was in his 14th year when he started his dreamwork. In Les Rêves et les Moyens de Les Diriger, he proposed a theoretical framework, techniques to control dreams, and described dreams in which the "dreamer is perfectly aware he is dreaming". Recently the question has been raised as to who coined the term "lucid dreaming"; generally it is attributed to Frederik van Eeden, but some scientists question if this was inspired by the use of the term by Saint-Denys. Denys describes his own lucid dreams in statements such as "I was aware of my situation."

In a 1988 article from Den Blanken & Meijer, the authors decried the fact that there was so little biographical data available on such an erudite person as Saint-Denys, and by 1991 they presented some.C.M. den Blanken & E.J.G. Meijer (1988/1991). 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. The article contains an English translation of the forgotten Appendix from the anonymous 1867 book.B. Schwartz (1992). Ce qu'on a du savoir, cru savoir, pu savoir sur la vie du marquis d'Hervey de Saint-Denys (What was supposed to be known and what was believed to be known). Oniros no. 37/38, pag. 4-8. Soc. Oniros/Paris.Blanken, Carolus M. (1990/2000)-The Art of Lucid Dreaming: A Manual. Utrecht

In 1964 Éditions Tchou reprinted Les Rêves Et Les Moyens de Les Diriger,Hervey de Saint-Denys (1964). Les Rêves et les moyens de les diriger. Paris: Tchou/Bibliothèque du Merveilleux. Preface by Robert Desoille. Edited by Jacques Donnars. This edition does not contain 'The Appendix' from the anonymous 1867 book. but the 1867 Appendix, entitled 'Un rêve apres avoir pris du hatchich' (A dream after taking hashish) was omitted without mention, due to its content. In 1982 an abbreviated English edition appeared which was based on the Tchou edition, and did not contain or refer to the Appendix. In 1991 Den Blanken and Meijer's revised article on Hervey de Saint Denys revealed the omission, and presented for the first time an English translation of the Appendix.C.M. den Blanken & E.J.G. Meijer (1988/1991). 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. This article contains an English translation of the forgotten Appendix from the 1867 book. Others were inspired by Den Blanken and Meijer's research. In 1992 the French dream research group Oniros held a commemoration of Saint-Denys in Paris; leading dream specialists Carolus den Blanken, Celia Green, Paul Tholey (1937–1998) and Oniros president-elect Roger Ripert paid their respects and offered homages.O. de Luppé, A. Pino, R. Ripert & B. Schwartz (1995). (D'Hervey de Saint-Denys 1822-1892; Biography, Family correspondence, oneirological and sinological works; Homages to the author on the centenary of his death and artistic exposition regarding his dreams) Oniros, BP 30, 93451 Ile Saint-Denis cedex. . The homages are by Carolus den Blanken, Celia Green, Roger Ripert and Paul Tholey.

In 1995 Oniros published a complete French version of Denys' book on dreams.Hervey de Saint-Denys. (1995) Les Reves et Les Moyens de Les Diriger:Observations Pratiques. Soc. Oniros, Paris. In the 21st century, Italian, Dutch, and Japanese translations have appeared.Hervey de Saint-Denys (2000). I sogni e il modo di dirigerli. Translation by C.M. Carbone, Il Minotauro, Phoenix. .Hervey de Saint-Denys (2005/2013) Dromen: Praktische Observaties. . Transl. & Edited by Carolus den Blanken. Publ. Den Blanken/Utrecht.Recently several French editions of Les Rêves have been published; it is not always evident whether these are complete versions or based on the 1964 Tchou edition. In 2016 a complete English version (including the original frontpage, back cover, and frontispiece) appeared as a free ebook with the title Dreams and the Ways to Direct Them: Practical Observations, edited by Carolus den Blanken and Eli Meijer. In this translation, the designer of the front cover of the 1867 original is revealed as French painter and draughtsman Henri Alfred Darjou (1832–1875). This edition was not without flaws, and in 2020 an enhanced version appeared.

Personal life

In 1868, at the age of 46, Hervey de Saint-Denys married Louise Ward, sometimes rendered Louise de Ward (1849–1930), an 18-year-old Austrian baroness who was the daughter of Baron Thomas Ward. The couple lived in Paris in their mansion at 9 Avenue Bosquet.

Louise became an accomplished and successful painter, studying with Pierre Auguste Cot. She signed her paintings "Louise Dubreau", sometimes rendered "Louise Dubréau", after Hervey's estate Château du Bréau near Dourdan in Seine-et-Oise in the department of Yvelines.

Hervey de Saint-Denys's book on dreams influenced Marcel Proust's thoughts about dreams and about memories. He may have influenced Proust's interest in chinoiserie as well, and he is mentioned in Proust's multi-volume novel series In Search of Lost Time as the donor of an antique Chinese vase.