French Poets and Novelists
Encyclopedia
French Poets and Novelists is a book of literary criticism
by Henry James
published in 1878. The book collected essays that James had written over the preceding several years. From an early age James was fluent in French
and read widely in the country's literature. These essays show a deep familiarity with the techniques and themes of many French writers
. The book also includes an interesting essay on Russian
novelist Ivan Turgenev
, who James read in a German
translation.
of his time (or any time) could match.
James' familiarity with French literature hardly meant that he approved of everything the country produced. He ripped into Baudelaire's
Fleurs du Mal for what he thought was a puerile conception of evil: "...evil for him begins outside and not inside, and consists primarily of a great deal of lurid landscape...an affair of blood and carrion and physical sickness—there must be stinking corpses and starving prostitutes and empty laudanum bottles in order that the poet shall be effectively inspired...Our impatience is of the same order as that which we should feel if a poet, pretending to pluck 'the flowers of good,' should come and present us, as specimens, a rhapsody on plumcake and eau de Cologne."
This was indicative of how James would portray evil in his own fiction, as a "thing at its source, deep in the human consciousness." In his essay on Turgenev, James proclaimed in stirring tones his own conception of reality and how the novelist had to face it: "Life is, in fact, a battle. On this point optimists and pessimists agree. Evil is insolent and strong; beauty enchanting but rare; goodness very apt to be weak; wickedness to carry the day; imbeciles to be in great places, people of sense in small, and mankind generally unhappy. But the world as it stands is no illusion, no phantasm, no evil dream of a night; we wake up to it again for ever and ever; we can neither forget it nor deny it nor dispense with it." James would often portray his sensitive protagonists ground down and defeated by treacherous but inescapable life.
The book also offered two long, instructive essays on the novelist James would always regard as his most important guide and mentor, Balzac: "He believed that he was about as creative as the Deity, and that if mankind and human history were swept away the Comédie Humaine would be a perfectly adequate substitute for them." James wouldn't make such grandiose claims for his own fiction, but he always tried to make his novel
s and tales into equally precise and comprehensive documents on human nature.
s. He would often return to some of the writers discussed in this book, particularly Balzac and George Sand, and occasionally modify his opinions.
James never thought the last word could be said about any writer deserving of extended review. His later essays on the novelists considered in this book would sometimes show greater maturity and knowledge. But he always treated his fellow writers with an independent, inquiring spirit free from preconceptions and allegiances to narrow critical doctrines.
Literary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
by Henry James
Henry James
Henry James, OM was an American-born writer, regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr., a clergyman, and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James....
published in 1878. The book collected essays that James had written over the preceding several years. From an early age James was fluent in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and read widely in the country's literature. These essays show a deep familiarity with the techniques and themes of many French writers
French literature
French literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than French. Literature written in French language, by citizens...
. The book also includes an interesting essay on Russian
Russian literature
Russian literature refers to the literature of Russia or its émigrés, and to the Russian-language literature of several independent nations once a part of what was historically Russia or the Soviet Union...
novelist Ivan Turgenev
Ivan Turgenev
Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright. His first major publication, a short story collection entitled A Sportsman's Sketches, is a milestone of Russian Realism, and his novel Fathers and Sons is regarded as one of the major works of 19th-century...
, who James read in a German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
translation.
Summary and themes
This was James' first book of literary criticism, and it's no surprise he made it a collection of essays about French writers (and Turgenev). As a child he had visited France for long periods with his family, and he had lived in Paris for about a year before moving permananetly to England in 1876. Thoroughly familiar with the language and personally acquainted with many French writers, James could offer insight into the country's literature that few AmericansUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
of his time (or any time) could match.
James' familiarity with French literature hardly meant that he approved of everything the country produced. He ripped into Baudelaire's
Charles Baudelaire
Charles Baudelaire was a French poet who produced notable work as an essayist, art critic, and pioneering translator of Edgar Allan Poe. His most famous work, Les Fleurs du mal expresses the changing nature of beauty in modern, industrializing Paris during the nineteenth century...
Fleurs du Mal for what he thought was a puerile conception of evil: "...evil for him begins outside and not inside, and consists primarily of a great deal of lurid landscape...an affair of blood and carrion and physical sickness—there must be stinking corpses and starving prostitutes and empty laudanum bottles in order that the poet shall be effectively inspired...Our impatience is of the same order as that which we should feel if a poet, pretending to pluck 'the flowers of good,' should come and present us, as specimens, a rhapsody on plumcake and eau de Cologne."
This was indicative of how James would portray evil in his own fiction, as a "thing at its source, deep in the human consciousness." In his essay on Turgenev, James proclaimed in stirring tones his own conception of reality and how the novelist had to face it: "Life is, in fact, a battle. On this point optimists and pessimists agree. Evil is insolent and strong; beauty enchanting but rare; goodness very apt to be weak; wickedness to carry the day; imbeciles to be in great places, people of sense in small, and mankind generally unhappy. But the world as it stands is no illusion, no phantasm, no evil dream of a night; we wake up to it again for ever and ever; we can neither forget it nor deny it nor dispense with it." James would often portray his sensitive protagonists ground down and defeated by treacherous but inescapable life.
The book also offered two long, instructive essays on the novelist James would always regard as his most important guide and mentor, Balzac: "He believed that he was about as creative as the Deity, and that if mankind and human history were swept away the Comédie Humaine would be a perfectly adequate substitute for them." James wouldn't make such grandiose claims for his own fiction, but he always tried to make his novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s and tales into equally precise and comprehensive documents on human nature.
Table of contents
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Pierre-Marie-Charles de Bernard du Grail de la Villette Pierre-Marie-Charles de Bernard du Grail de la Villette , better known simply as Charles de Bernard, was a French writer.-Biography:... and Gustave Flaubert Gustave Flaubert Gustave Flaubert was a French writer who is counted among the greatest Western novelists. He is known especially for his first published novel, Madame Bovary , and for his scrupulous devotion to his art and style.-Early life and education:Flaubert was born on December 12, 1821, in Rouen,... Ivan Turgenev Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright. His first major publication, a short story collection entitled A Sportsman's Sketches, is a milestone of Russian Realism, and his novel Fathers and Sons is regarded as one of the major works of 19th-century... |
Critical evaluation
The maturity and assurance of these early essays is striking. James obviously benefitted from a thorough saturation in French literature, and he was not intimidated by reputation or other criticCritic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
s. He would often return to some of the writers discussed in this book, particularly Balzac and George Sand, and occasionally modify his opinions.
James never thought the last word could be said about any writer deserving of extended review. His later essays on the novelists considered in this book would sometimes show greater maturity and knowledge. But he always treated his fellow writers with an independent, inquiring spirit free from preconceptions and allegiances to narrow critical doctrines.
External links
- Original magazine publication of the essay Alfred de Musset (1877)
- Original magazine publication of the essay Theophile Gautier as a review of Théâtre de Théophile Gautier: Mystères, Comédies, et Ballets (1873)
- Original magazine publication of the essay Honoré de Balzac (1875)
- Original magazine publication of the essay Balzac's Letters (1877)
- Original magazine publication of the essay George Sand (1877)
- Original magazine publication of the essay Charles de Bernard and Gustave Flaubert as part of the article The Minor French Novelists (1876)
- Original magazine publication of the essay Ivan Turgénieff as a review of Turgenev's Frühlingsfluthen and Ein König Lear des Dorfes (1874)
- Original magazine publication of the essay The Two Ampéres (1875)
- Original magazine publication of the essay Madame de Sabran under the title The Letters of Madame de Sabran (1875)
- Original magazine publication of the essay The Théâtre Français (1877)
- Note on the text of French Poets and Novelists at the Library of AmericaLibrary of AmericaThe Library of America is a nonprofit publisher of classic American literature.- Overview and history :Founded in 1979 with seed money from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Ford Foundation, the LoA has published over 200 volumes by a wide range of authors from Mark Twain to Philip...
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