« Être quelque chose comme un auteur » : le statut paradoxal de l'énigmatiste dans le Mercure galant.

A conference paper about the status of authors of riddles in the French periodical "Mercure galant" is presented. It provides a description of the periodical's section containing riddles, discusses the intentions of the periodical's founder and editor Jean Donneau de Visé, studies French dramatist Edme Boursault's critique of the periodical in his play "La Comédie sans titre," originally called "Le Mercure galant," and analyzes authorship in the letters sent by riddle participants.