Émile, Fragmens is an 1827 autobiographical novel by Émile de Girardin, based on Girardin's early life.[1] A second edition was published in 1842.[2]
The novel emphasizes the unjust social isolation of illegitimate children, exaggerating some of the details of Giardin's own experience as the bastard of the Count of Girardin.[3] The titular character Émile is unable to find a place among the aristocracy or among the working class; after a series of rejections, he is placed in a mental hospital, and at his death is buried in a common grave.[3] A recurring character in the novel is Mathilde, an object of romance for the protagonist; when Girardin later married Delphine Gay, she published an elegy from Mathilde's point of view.[4][5]
The novel was highly praised by Jules Janin in his newspaper Le Figaro,[6] and was described as receiving "a merited success" ("un succès mérité").[7] The positive reception of the novel launched Girardin's social reputation, earning him entry to fashionable literary salons.[8]
References
edit- ^ Thuillier, Guy (1959). "Les idées politiques d'Émile de Girardin". La Revue administrative. 12 (68): 134. ISSN 0035-0672.
- ^ "L'Écho français : journal universel, politique, littéraire, du commerce, des arts, sciences, théâtres, modes, etc". Gallica. 1842-08-20. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- ^ a b Wood, J. S. (1954). "Sondages dans le roman français du point de vue social (1789-1830)". Revue d'Histoire littéraire de la France. 54 (1): 43–44. ISSN 0035-2411.
- ^ "La Vie Litteraire". La Grande revue (in French). 1924-11-01. p. 154 – via Gallica.
- ^ Girardin, Delphine de (1856). "Mathilde!". Poésies complètes / Madame Emile de Girardin (Delphine Gay) (in French). p. 322.
- ^ "Le Figaro : journal littéraire : théâtre, critique, sciences, arts, moeurs, nouvelles, scandale, économie domestique, biographie, bibliographie, modes, etc., etc". Gallica. 1828-01-26. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- ^ "Courrier des théâtres : littérature, beaux-arts, sciences ..." Gallica. 1828-02-07. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- ^ "Emile de Girardin". Les Echos (in French). 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
External links
edit- Emile at the Internet Archive
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