Complex sentence: Charles Perrault (12 January 1628--16 May 1703) was a French author who laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from pre-existing folk tales.
Split into simpler sentences: Charles Perrault (12 January 1628--16 May 1703) was a French author. He laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from pre-existing folk tales.