Few readers today wade through Chateaubriand’s five-volume religious apology

(1802) in its entirety. However,

, a slim novella originally published as part of the

, is still among the most-read texts of French romanticism. It is a self-contained story with a gripping plot, and defines the features of a new German- and English-inspired romantic current in French literary writing. Indeed,

has been identified as the text that created and popularised the superior but melancholic romantic hero suffering from profound disillusionment. Chateaubriand’s Preface to the 1805 edition of

is credited with being the first exposition and analysis of this French

[the malady of the era].

The opening of the novella presents a young

2286 words

Citation: Gerwin, Elisabeth. "René". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 February 2018 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=11158, accessed 01 May 2024.]

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