Prosper Mérimée, Chronique du règne de Charles IX [A Chronicle of the Reign of Charles IX]

Download PDF Add to Bookshelf Report an Error

Mérimée's only novel has as its central event a vivid evocation of the Saint Bartholomew's Day massacre during the night of 23-24 August 1572, when over 3,000 Protestants died in Paris at the hands of a Catholic mob. The topic was a favourite one for liberal writers under the reactionary and clerical rule of Charles X. Mérimée's work coincided with the vogue for historical novels triggered by the success of translations of Sir Walter Scott; it is the best documented of the French Romantic works in the genre, drawing on the contemporary memoirs of Lanoue, Tavannes, Pierre de lEstoile, Vieille-Ville, Monluc and Brantôme (all published in the 1820s) and on Agrippa d'Aubigné. In the Preface Mérimée confesses: “In history, it's only the anecdotes that I like”, as they give “a…

1291 words

Citation: Cogman, Peter. "Chronique du règne de Charles IX". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 November 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=9390, accessed 19 March 2024.]

9390 Chronique du règne de Charles IX 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

If you need to create a new bookshelf to save this article in, please make sure that you are logged in, then go to your 'Account' here

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.