Honoré de Balzac, Les Chouans [The Chouans]

Heather Williams

Ed. by Nigel Harkness, University of Newcastle upon Tyne
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.05: French Writing and Culture: The Nineteenth-Century , 1800-1900.
Vol. editors: David Elwyn Evans (University of St Andrews), Edward Forman (University of Bristol), Elisabeth Gerwin (University of Lethbridge), Nigel Harkness (University of Newcastle upon Tyne), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), David Williams (University of Sheffield), Jennifer Yee (University of Oxford)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1829

Places

France (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

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This is an early novel by the father of French Realism that has received relatively little critical attention. Set during the French Revolution, an event still within living memory at the time of publication, it shows historical fiction shifting away from stories set in the distant past to a focus on more recent political events, and away from a schematized story of good versus evil (in this case Royalists versus Revolutionaries) to an investigation of the effects of belief or loyalty on individuals, and the role of “masks” (in the case of Marie de Verneuil here) and treason.

Balzac began the novel in September 1828 near Fougères, where the action is set and where he was staying with the Général de Pommereul, a family friend. He published it in 1829 under the title Le Dernier

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1325 words

Citation: Williams, Heather. "Les Chouans". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 December 2017 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4034, accessed 18 April 2024.]

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