Lamartine.

140 Pages·1973·18.759 MB·English

by  Charles M. Lombard

TWAYNE'S WORLD AUTHORS SERIES
A SURVEY OF THE WORLD'S LITERATURE
LAMARTINE
CHARLES M. LOMBARD
FRANCE
BOSTON
PUBLIC
LIBRARY

TWAYNE’S WORLD AUTHORS SERIES
A Survey of the World's Literature
Sylvia E. Bowman, Indiana University
GENERAL EDITOR
FRANCE
Maxwell A. Smith, Guerry Professor of French, Emeritus
The University of Chattanooga
Former Visiting Professor in Modern Languages
The Florida State University
EDITOR
Lamartine
(TWAS
254)
TWAYNE’S WORLD AUTHORS SERIES (TWAS)
The purpose of TWAS is to survey the major writers
—novelists, dramatists, historians, poets, philosophers,
and critics—of the nations of the world. Among the
national literatures covered are those of Australia,
Canada, China, Eastern Europe, France, Germany,
Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Latin America, the Nether-
lands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Scandinavia, Spain,
and the African nations, as well as Hebrew, Yiddish,
and Latin Classical literatures. This survey is comple-
mented by Twayne’s United States Authors Series and
English Authors Series.
The intent of each volume in these series is to present a
critical-analytical study of the works of the writer; to
include biographical and historical material that may be
necessary for understanding, appreciation, and critical
appraisal of the writer; and to present all material in
clear, concise English—but not to vitiate the scholarly
content of the work by doing so.
Lamartine
By CHARLES M. LOMBARD
University of Illinois
Twayne Publishers New York
: :
Copyright © 1973 by Twayne Publishers Inc.
,
All Rights Reserved
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 72-3449
MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Preface
Lamartine’s reputation has suffered somewhat in recent years,
the centennial of his death in 1969 being the occasion for scathing
remarks about the outmoded sentimentalism of the Meditations
and Harmonies. There is nonetheless a question in the mind of
some critics whether he merits the oblivion to which his detractors
would gladly assign him.
Although already the subject of considerable study, some ques-
tions concerning the evaluation of Lamartine’s religious views
remain unanswered. In addition, little note is usually taken
of his numerous works written after 1840. While much of
Lamartine’s later production lacks the quality of earlier years,
it still deserves the attention of any serious student of Lamartine.
In the study at hand a sketch of Lamartine’s life includes a
synopsis of the main events in his political career. An attempt
is made to present a unified impression of his principal poetic
works, the Meditations and Harmonies together with a sum-
,
mary and analysis of other writings. The Cours familier de lit-
terature, in particular, is outlined volume by volume to serve as
a guide to Lamartine’s majorprose work after 1850. Since the poet
was obsessed with the dilemma of man’s relationship to the
Creator, the steps in his thinking as reflected in his writings are
analyzed. There is also an appraisal of Lamartine’s concept of
the novel and the theater on the basis of his own efforts in these
genres. It is hoped that the present study will contribute to a
better understanding of a noteworthy figure in French history
and letters.
Digitized by the Internet Archive
2015
in
https://archive.org/details/lamartineOOIomb
Contents
Preface
Contents
Chronology
1. Life of Lamartine 11
2. From the Meditations to the Harmonies 20
3. Apex of Lamartine’s Career 41
4. Period of Decline 67
5. Lamartine’s Reputation in France and Abroad 108
Conclusion 111
Notes and References 115
Selected Bibliography 127
Index 129