BIOGRAPY

Biography of Chateaubriand
the Enchanter of the Valle-
aux-Loups I met between
two centuries as with the
confluence of two ri!ers" I
plunged in their disturbed
water mo!ing away me to
regret from the old shore
where I was born swimming with hope towards an un#nown ban#$
%Chateaubriand &emories of in addition to-fall' Biography of Chateaubriand
Chateaubriand according to (irodet - engra!ing - collar) Company Chateaubriand -
*ran+ois-,en de Chateaubriand %-./0--010'
Born on 2eptember 1th -./0 in 2aint-&alo Chateaubriand passes its adolescence
to the castle of Combourg with his3her older brother and his sisters) 4fter studies
with *raud ,ennes then 5inan it enters to the regiment of 6a!arre %-.0/' before
being submitted to the Court of Versailles %-.0.')
,e7ecting the first re!olutionary agitations he underta#es a tra!el in 4merica
%-.8---.89' where he disco!ers an incipient ,epublic which will strongly
influence its design of the representati!e mode)
:f return to 2aint-&alo he marries Cleste Buisson de La Vigne %-.89' which he
gi!es up at once to 7oin the army of the ;rinces where he is wounded with the
head office of <hion!ille)
Emigrated in England %-.8=--0>>' it publishes in London its first wor# LEssai
sur les rvolutions %-.8.' and begins the drafting of Le Gnie du Christianisme
%-0>9') 5etached of this wor# the small no!el Atala %-0>-' is worth its first
literary success to him)
It begins its political career as a secretary from legation in ,ome %-0>=--0>1'
before being named in ?ere worth station which it did not 7oin@ it gi!es its
resignation when it learns the execution from the du#e of Enghien %&arch -0>1')
4t the summer -0>/ he underta#es his tra!el in the East which carries out it to
<erre 2ainte and from where he brings bac# the Itinraire de Paris Jrusalem
%published in -0--') ?ith its return he publishes in Mercure de France %Auly
-0>.' a !irulent article where he stigmatiBes the despotism with the Emperor)
Constrained to mo!e away from ;aris it buys the Valle-aux-Loups)
In -0-1 it publishes two political boo#lets which again open C briefly C the
political career to him) It follows Louis DVIII to (hent then is named minister and
par of *rance %-0-E') 4fter the publication of Monarchie selon la charte %-0-/'
where he condemns the dissolution of the ,oom #nown as untraceable$ it is
relie!ed and constrained to sell the Valle-aux-Loups) Co-founder of the
newspaper Le Conservateur it collaborates of -0-0 to -09> and is made in it a
burning defender of freedom of the press %-091') 4mbassador in Berlin %-09-'
then in London %-099' he is *oreign &inister in -09=--091) In -09/ he signs a
contract with Lad!ocat for the edition of his complete ?or#s) 4mbassador in
,ome %-090--098' it refuses to adopt the new mode after the fall of Charles D and
withdraws political life) Fe reads out the first &moires dGoutre-tombe reading in
the house of Auliette ,camier in -0=1) <he wor# is published after its death %Auly
1th -010' initially in serial in the ;ress then in Boo#store %-018--0E>')
INTRODUCTION
"It was an Epicurean who had the Catholic imagination." Sainte-Beuve
"Great artist, not a great man, great talent but most enormous pride, devoured by ambition, but
having ound love and admire in the world than his person, tireless wor!, capable o everything
e"cept real dedication , sel-sacriice and aith. #ealous o any success, it has always been
opposition to deny any service or received any other than his own glory. "$enri-%rederic &miel,
%ragments o a diary, '( September )*+,
%ran-ois-.en/ Chateaubriand was born in Saint-0alo in ),1*, close to the ocean that has so
inluenced. $e comes rom an old aristocratic amily penniless, which however manage to regain
its dignity through the commercial success o his ather.
&bandoned by his parents and abandoned domestic Chateaubriand already loo!ing, acing the
sea, dreamy and everish, hurricanes, the wrath o heaven and lost hori2ons. 3eenager both
charming and rebellious, "he orges relationships with easy arts and sciences." $esitating
between the Church and the 4avy, he inally gives up both.
3he revolution o ),*5 encouraged him to travel to &merica, where he will return the astonished
eyes o a pristine nature 64iagara %alls, the 0ississippi ...7 and blac!ened noteboo!s that use
particularly in &tala, 8es 4atche2, travel in &merica.
Bac! in %rance, he wants to serve the monarchy threatened. 9ounded at the siege o 3hionville,
he too! reuge in #ersey and England. :pset by the death o his mother and his sister,
Chateaubriand is touched by grace. $e wrote the Genius o Christianity. $is lie will be devoted to
literature and politics.
In )*;;, he returned to %rance, ready to con<uer =aris> "I approached %rance with the century."
Chateaubriand able to interere in the entourage o Bonaparte who has respect or him. $e was
appointed secretary to the embassy in .ome. But ater the assassination o the ?uc d@Enghien,
Chateaubriand distanced himsel rom the man who became 4apoleon )st. It ta!es a "private lie"
and starts writing. $e then began his second great Aourney, the trip East. &ll the lights and all the
memories it brings bac! rom Greece, 3ur!ey, Egypt, 4orth &rica and Spain, it will later Itinerary
rom =aris to #erusalem, 0artyrs, and the last &bencerage.
Bac! in =aris, he bought a house, the Balley o the 9olves, near =arisC residence that allows him
to escape the wrath o the emperor. $e decided to begin what will be the great wor! o his lie,
memories o Dutre 3ombe. $e devoted himsel or more than thirty years o writing this
masterpiece that will be published ater his death.
#ean Drmesson in its e"citing history o %rench literature and the author depicts the Genius o
Christianity and memories Dutre 3ombe "Chateaubriand straddles two centuries, and indeed two
worlds> the eighteenth and the nineteenth, licentiousness and passion, the age o Enlightenment
and romanticism. $e was twenty-ive when bursts o terror. Stendhal and 8amartine ten years to
three years. Bigny is not yet born. $ugo either, o course. the romantic revolution will be
underta!en by an ancien regime, true to the legitimate monarchy and the Catholic conservative,
attached to tradition. 3his is not the only parado" o a writer dominated by contradiction. it will
proess to despise honors and he will see! and obtain all his lie. he will be both vehement
deender o press reedom and super conident. it will be a true Christian, a Catholic subAect and
adultery and women held in its e"istence a considerable place. "
8ucile, his beloved sister, Charlotte Ives, Celeste Buisson de la Bigne, his wie, =auline de
Beaumont, ?elphine de Custine, 4atalie de 4oailles, Cordelia de Castellane, #uliette .ecamier>
women who have been important in the lie o Chateaubriand would ta!e not all on the boo! ?on
Giovanni, as they are numerous.
&nd this is one o the great women o the nineteenth century, #uliette .ecamier who collect his
last breath, =aris, #uly (, )*(*. "She cut a loc! on his orehead and deposit into his heart will stop
beating, a bou<uet o verbena. "
&s he wished, Chateaubriand is buried on the roc! o Grand Be in Saint-0alo, acing the ocean
which he was born. $is epitaph is as ollows>
Definitions
from The American erita!e" #ictionar$ of the En!lish Lan!ua!e% &th Edition
'4 double-thic# tender center cut of beef tenderloin sometimes stuffed with seasonings
before grilling)
- Chateaubriand Vicomte *ran+ois ,en de -./0--010) *rench political leader
diplomat and writer considered a forerunner of romanticism) Fis wor#s include 4tala
%-0>-' <he (enius of Christianity %-0>9' and &emoirs from beyond the <omb
published posthumously)
from the G() version of the Colla*orative International #ictionar$ of En!lish
9 a double-thic# center cut of beef tenderloin broiled and ser!ed with a sauce and
potatoes)
from +ord(et ,'- Co.$ri!ht /--0 *$ Princeton )niversit$' All ri!hts reserved'
= *rench statesman and writer" considered a precursor of the romantic mo!ement in
*rance %-./0--010'
1 a !ery thic# center cut of beef tenderloin