Les Mmoires doutre tombe par Franois Ren de
Les Mémoires d’outre tombe par François René de Chateaubriand Walter Perrie FSS Perth Branch
Outline of my talk today • • Origins Early career Development of “Les Mémoires d’outre tombe” Romance and romanticism Romanticism and Scotland Late career Withdrawal from public life Legacy - Chateaubriand De Gaulle Francois-Rene de Chateaubriand
Born in 1768 St. Malo Brittany to an aristocratic family, François-René de Chateaubriand was the youngest of 10 children. Father: René de Chateaubriand was a retired naval captain, ship owner and slaver Mother: Appoline de Bedée St. Malo Brittany
Lived in the family Chateau at Combourg Early years He grew up in a rather melancholic atmosphere Found solace in the beautiful Breton countryside and a close attachment to his sister Lucile Chateau Combourg
Education Dol Rennes Dinan Educated up to the age of 17 in Dol, Rennes and Dinan He was torn between his desire to follow the expectations of his family and becoming a naval officer or entering the church as a priest.
A Military Career 1785 Uniform vers 1779 Navarre Joined the Regiment de Navarre, an elite guards regiment of high status rising to the rank of Captain after just two years
Leading literary figures of the day In 1788 at the age of 20 François René visited Paris and was introduced to many of the leading writers of the time. Jean François de la Harpe, André Chénier, Louis-Marcelin de Fontanes La Harpe Andre Chenier Louis-Marcelin de Fontanes
French Revolution (1789 – 1799) Chateaubriand was initially supportive of its aims Quickly became disillusioned by an escalation in violence The August insurrection 1792
American sojourn In 1791 Chateaubriand was persuaded by Chrétien -Guillaume de Lamoignon de Malesherbes to leave Europe for America which had recently won its independence from Britain (1775 – 1783) Chrétien-Guillaume de Lamoignon de Malesherbes was a Lawyer, Minister, Statesman and latterly Council for the defence of Louis XVI – he was executed in 1794
Development of a vivid style Although recent scholarship disputes the veracity of many of the events Chateaubriand describes during his time in America, he developed a vivid and captivating style which later formed the foundation of the romantic movement in France Whether or not his recollections were grounded in fact, his adventures formed the basis for the novels “Les Natchez” (17931799), “Atala” (1801) and “René” (1802)
Return to France (1792) Chateaubriand joined the army of the royalist émigrés under the command of Louis-Joseph de Bourbon Under pressure from his family he married an aristocratic woman he had never met Céleste Buisson de la Vigne Louis-Joseph de Bourbon Celeste Buisson de la Vigne
The end of his military career Chateaubriand was seriously wounded at the Siege of Thionville in Alsace. He was evacuated to Jersey and from there exiled to England where he remained until 1800 Siege of Thionville 1792
A time for reflection and consolidation Although living in extreme poverty he managed to support himself by teaching French During his time in England he published his first book “Essai sur les revolutions”, reconnected with his Catholic Faith and became deeply influenced by Milton’s “Paradise Lost” which he subsequently translated into French prose
Return to France 1800 On his return he edited the journal “Mercure de France” and in 1802 published his apology for the Catholic Church “Génie du Christianisme” which cemented his fame as major literary figure The book significantly influenced the post revolution religious revival and won him favour with Napoleon who at the time was keen to normalise relations with the Church
Appointed Secretary to the Holy See Chateaubriand was nominated Secretary to the Holy See a delegation to Rome led by Cardinal Fesch (Napoleon’s uncle) The two men soon quarrelled resulting in Chateaubriand becoming minister for Valais in Switzerland. Cardinal Fesch
A man of letters Chateaubriand resigned his diplomatic post in disgust at the decision by Napoleon to order the execution of the Duc d’Enghien in 1802 From that time he was forced to support himself entirely by his literary output Louis Antoine de Bourbon Duc d’Enghien
Benefactress The Tsarina Alexeievna donated a substantial sum of money in recognition of his support for the Catholic Church Tsarina Alexeievna This made it possible to embark on a Grand Tour in 1806 to Greece, Asia Minor, Palestine, Egypt and Spain and gave him the freedom to follow his own literary inclinations
Return to France 1808 On his return he published a highly critical article of Napoleon in which he likened him to Nero, this got him banished from Paris He completed “Les Martyrs” during his time in the Vallee aux Loups situated in the Paris suburbs Vallée aux Loups Châtenay-Malabry
Highly productive times “Les Martyrs” (1809) “Itinéraire de Paris a Jérusalem” (1811) “Les aventures du dernier Abencérage” (1826) First drafts if his “Memoires d‘Outre Tombe”
Literary friends at the time Madame de Stael Joseph Joubert Pierre-Simon Ballanche
Elected to the Académie Française in 1811 Although elected to the Académie, he didn’t take his seat until after the Bourbon restoration in 1814 enabling him to deliver his inaugural speech which was highly critical of the revolution Académie Française
Romance and Romanticism Madame Juliette Récamier Céleste Buisson del la Vigne Madame Pauline de Beaumont
His true love Madame Juliette Récamier
Romanticism and the enlightenment movement An artistic, literary and intellectual movement that shaped European thought throughout the 18 th and the first half of the 19 th century. It was founded on the principles of Liberty, Progress, Reason, Tolerance and Fraternity It was staunchly opposed to absolutist monarchy and the abuses of church and state
Scottish Enlightenment figures David Hume and John Adam James Mc. Pherson (Ossian)
Late career Under the restoration and once Napoleon had been exiled, Chateaubriand sided with the Bourbons and wrote a pamphlet denouncing Napoleon. As a consequence when Napoleon returned during the 100 days he was forced to follow the Louis XVIII into exile On Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo he was nominated as ambassador to Sweden, before becoming a peer of France and a state minister
The Ultra Royalists His favour was short lived as he criticised the king for dissolving the first House of Deputies – a chamber dominated by monarchists committed to restoring the Ancien Régime Chateaubriand lost his position as state minister whereupon he sided with the Ultra Royalist opposition supporting Charles X
A Life in Politics He sided again with the court when the Duc de Berry was murdered in 1820 by a Bonapartist sympathiser He was a major contributor to “Le Conservateur” the mouthpiece of the ultra royalist opposition group During this time he became ambassador to Prussia 1821 and then Britain in 1822
Restoration of the European Monarchies He rose to become the Minister for Foreign Affairs between 1822 - 1824 and represented France at the Congress of Verona in 1822 where he committed French troops to restoring the monarchy in Spain Congress of Verona 1822
Switching horses Despite the success of this campaign the prime-minister Jean-Baptiste de Villèle relieved Chateaubriand of his position in an effort to limit the damage to Louis XVIII As a consequence he joined forces with the liberal opposition group and became a contributor to the “Journal des Débats” a publication that was more moderate than Le National
Now in the moderate corner He became highly popular in his opposition to Villèle and support for press freedom On the demise of Villèle he was made ambassador to the Holy See in 1828 by Charles X but resigned a year later in protest at the appointment of the ultra reactionary Prince de Polignac as primeminister
The July Revolution After the July Revolution of 1830 Charles X was removed as the last Bourbon monarch in favour of Louis-Philippe Duc d’Orleans The refusal of Chateaubriand to swear allegiance to the new king signalled his withdrawal from politics and public life The July Revolution 1830
Withdrawal In his final years Chateaubriand lived the life of a recluse in Paris only venturing out periodically to visit Madame Récamier at her home His last book “Vie de Rancé ” (1844) was a biography of a 16 th Century French aristocrat who withdrew from society in order to found the order of Trappist monks Paris Appartment in the Rue du Bac
Departure The parallels between the two men’s lives is quite remarkable Chateaubriand died during the revolution of 1848 and in accordance with his wishes he was buried on the remote and virtually inaccessible island of Grand Bé just off the coast of Brittany
Isle de Bé Chateaubriand’s grave Isle de Bé (High Tide)
Squaring the circle? Chateaubriand was a truly complex character who summarised his convictions with the following statements: I am a Bourbonist out of honour A monarchist out of reason And a republican out of taste and temperament
Contact details wperriefraspublishing@gmail. com
Additional Photos Lord Byron Ossian receiving the fallen French Napoleon
Additional Photos Paris Revolution 1848
Additional Photos General De Gaulle
Additional Photos Marie-Caroline Duchesse-de-Berry Charles Ferdinand Duc-de-Berry Louis XVI
Additional Photos Charles X Louis XVIII Armand Bouthillier Rancé
- Slides: 42