Vilains-Bonshommes

A French poetry movement of the second half of the 19th century, close to the Parnassian movement. The name of the group comes from a theatre play by François Coppée, Le passant. A columnist in the Le Nain Jaune newspaper had criticised the young people in the audience who had acclaimed a little too enthusiastically the success of the play by terming them ‘vilains bonshommes’(naughty lads). The movement took the expression for its name.