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Paul Charles Joseph Bourget (; 2 September 185225 December 1935) was a French poet,
novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire ...
and
critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or gover ...
. He was nominated for the
Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...
five times.


Life

Paul Bourget was born in
Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...
in the
Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...
''
département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety ...
'' of
Picardy Picardy (; Picard and french: Picardie, , ) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Hauts-de-France. It is located in the northern part of France. Hist ...
, France. His father, a professor of
mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
, was later appointed to a post in the college at
Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, ; ; oc, label= Auvergnat, Clarmont-Ferrand or Clharmou ; la, Augustonemetum) is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, with a population of 146,734 (2018). Its metropolitan area (''aire d'attrac ...
, where Bourget received his early education. He afterwards studied at the
Lycée Louis-le-Grand The Lycée Louis-le-Grand (), also referred to simply as Louis-le-Grand or by its acronym LLG, is a public Lycée (French secondary school, also known as sixth form college) located on rue Saint-Jacques in central Paris. It was founded in the ...
and at the
École des Hautes Études École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...
. Between 1872 and 1873, he produced a volume of verse, ''Au Bord de la Mer'', which was followed by others, the last, ''Les Aveux'', appearing in 1882. Meanwhile, he was making a name in literary
journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (p ...
and in 1883 he published ''Essais de Psychologie Contemporaine'', studies of eminent writers first printed in the ''Nouvelle Revue'', and now brought together. In 1884 Bourget paid a long visit to
Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
, where he wrote his first published story (''L'Irréparable''). ''Cruelle Enigme'' followed in 1885; then ''André Cornelis'' (1886) and ''Mensonges'' (1887) - inspired by
Octave Mirbeau Octave Mirbeau (16 February 1848 – 16 February 1917) was a French novelist, art critic, travel writer, pamphleteer, journalist and playwright, who achieved celebrity in Europe and great success among the public, whilst still appealing to the ...
's life - were received with much favour. This cites: * Constantin Lecigne, ''L'Évolution Morale et Religieuse de M. Paul Bourget'' (1903). * Jules Sargeret
''Les Grands Convertis''
(1906).
Bourget, who had abandoned Catholicism in 1867, began a gradual return to it in 1889, fully converting only in 1901. In 1893, in an interview he gave in America, he spoke about his changed views: "For many years I, like most young men in modern cities, was content to drift along in
agnosticism Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficien ...
, but I was brought to my senses at last by the growing realization that...the life of a man who simply said 'I don't know, and not knowing I do the thing that pleases me,' was not only empty in itself and full of disappointment and suffering, but was a positive influence for evil upon the lives of others." On the other hand, "those men and women who follow the teachings of the church are in a great measure protected from the moral disasters which...almost invariably follow when men and women allow themselves to be guided and swayed by their senses, passions and weaknesses.""Paul Bourget in New York"
''The Pittsburg Press'', August 21, 1893.
These were the themes of his novel ''Le Disciple'' (1889), which he wrote, as he says in his American interview, just after abandoning his "drifting and comfortable belief in agnosticism". It is the story of philosopher Adrien Sixte, whose advocacy of
materialism Materialism is a form of philosophical monism which holds matter to be the fundamental substance in nature, and all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. According to philosophical materialis ...
and
positivism Positivism is an empiricist philosophical theory that holds that all genuine knowledge is either true by definition or positive—meaning ''a posteriori'' facts derived by reason and logic from sensory experience.John J. Macionis, Linda M. G ...
wields a terrible influence over an admiring but unstable student, Robert Geslon, whose actions, in turn, lead to the tragic death of a young woman. ''Le Disciple'' caused a stir in France and became a bestseller. Exemplifying the novelist's graver side, it was one of
Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-cons ...
's favourite books.
John Cowper Powys John Cowper Powys (; 8 October 187217 June 1963) was an English philosopher, lecturer, novelist, critic and poet born in Shirley, Derbyshire, where his father was vicar of the parish church in 1871–1879. Powys appeared with a volume of verse ...
listed ''Le Disciple'' at number 33 in his ''One Hundred Best Books''. ''Études et portraits'', first published in 1888, contains impressions of Bourget's stay in England and Ireland—especially reminiscences of the months which he spent at
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
and in 1891 ''Sensations d'Italie'', notes of a tour in that country, revealed a fresh phase of his powers; and ''Outre-Mer'' (1895), a book in two volumes, is his critical journal of a visit to the United States in 1893. Also in 1891 appeared the novel ''Coeur de Femme'', and ''Nouveaux Pastels'', "types" of the characters of men, the sequel to a similar gallery of female types (''Pastels'', 1890). His later novels include ''La Terre Promise'' (1892); ''Cosmopolis'' (1892), a
psychological novel In literature, psychological fiction (also psychological realism) is a narrative genre that emphasizes interior characterization and motivation to explore the spiritual, emotional, and mental lives of the characters. The mode of narration exami ...
, with
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
as a background; ''Une Idylle tragique'' (1896); ''La Duchesse bleue'' (1897); ''Le Fantôme'' (1901); ''Les Deux Sœurs'' (1905); and some volumes of shorter stories—''Complications Sentimentales'' (1896), the powerful ''Drames de famille'' (1898), and ''Un Homme d'Affaires'' (1900). ''L'Etape'' (1902) was a study of the inability of a family raised too rapidly from the peasant class to adapt itself to new conditions. This powerful study of contemporary manners was followed by ''Un Divorce'' (1904), a defence of the
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
position that
divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving th ...
is a violation of
natural law Natural law ( la, ius naturale, ''lex naturalis'') is a system of law based on a close observation of human nature, and based on values intrinsic to human nature that can be deduced and applied independently of positive law (the express enacte ...
s. He was admitted to the
Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...
in 1894, and in 1895 was promoted to be an officer of the
Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
, having received the decoration of the order ten years before. Several new novels were to follow, including ''La Vie Passe'' (1910), ''Le Sens de la Mort'' (1915), ''Lazarine'' (1917), ''Némésis'' (1918), and ''Laurence Albani'' (1920), as well as three volumes of short stories and plays, ''La Barricade'' (1910) and ''Le Tribun'' (1912). Two other plays, ''Un Cas de Conscience'' (1910) and ''La Crise'' (1912) were written by him in collaboration with others. A volume of critical studies appeared in 1912, and another set of travel sketches, ''Le Démon du Midi'', in 1914. On 16 March 1914, he was present in the offices of the newspaper, ''Le Figaro'' when the newspaper's editor, his friend Gaston Calmette, was shot and killed by
Henriette Caillaux Henriette Caillaux (5 December 1874 – 29 January 1943) was a Parisian socialite and second wife of the former Prime Minister of France, Joseph Caillaux. On March 16, 1914, she shot and killed Gaston Calmette, editor of the newspaper ''Le Figa ...
, the wife of a former Prime Minister of France. Her subsequent trial caused an enormous scandal at the time. He was a contributor to ''Le Visage de l'Italie'', a 1929 book about Italy prefaced by
Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in ...
. Bourget died on Christmas Day 1935, aged 83, in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
.


Literary significance and criticism

As a writer of verse Bourget's poems, which were collected in two volumes (1885–1887), throw light upon his mature method and the later products of his art. It was in criticism that he excelled. Notable are the ''Sensations d'Italie'' (1891), and the various psychological studies. Bourget's reputation as a novelist is assured in some academic and intellectual circles but while they were widely popular in his time, his novels have long been largely forgotten by the general reading public. Impressed by the art of Henry Beyle (
Stendhal Marie-Henri Beyle (; 23 January 1783 – 23 March 1842), better known by his pen name Stendhal (, ; ), was a 19th-century French writer. Best known for the novels ''Le Rouge et le Noir'' ('' The Red and the Black'', 1830) and ''La Chartreuse de ...
), he struck out on a new course at a moment when the realist school was the vogue in French fiction. With Bourget, observation was mainly directed to the human character. At first his purpose seemed to be purely artistic, but when ''Le Disciple'' appeared, in 1889, the preface to that story revealed his moral enthusiasm. After that, he varied between his earlier and his later manner, but his work in general was more seriously conceived. He painted the intricate emotions of women, whether wronged, erring or actually vicious; and he described the ideas, passions and failures of the young men of France. One of his poems was the inspiration for an
art song An art song is a Western vocal music composition, usually written for one voice with piano accompaniment, and usually in the classical art music tradition. By extension, the term "art song" is used to refer to the collective genre of such son ...
by
Claude Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most infl ...
titled Beau Soir. Other settings by Debussy of poems by Bourget include 'Romance' and 'Les Cloches'.


Works

* * * In English translation * ''A Cruel Enigma'' (1887). * ''A Woman's Heart'' (1890). * ''Was it Love'' (1891). * ''Pastels of Men'' (1891). * ''Impressions of Italy'' (1892, rep. as ''The Glamour of Italy'', 1923). * ''A Love Crime'' (1892). * ''A Saint'' (1892). * ''Cosmopolis: A Novel'' (1893). * ''The Son'' (1893, rep. as ''The Story of André Cornélis'', 1909). * ''The Land of Promise'' (1895). * ''Outre-Mer: American Impressions'' (1895). * ''A Living Lie'' (1896). * ''A Tragic Idyl'' (1896). * ''Antigone, and Other Portraits of Women'' (1898). * ''The Blue Duchess'' (1898). * ''Domestic Dramas'' (1899). * ''The Disciple'' (1901). (T. Fisher Unwin) * ''Days in the Isle of Wight'' (1901). * ''The Screen'' (1901). * ''Some Impressions of Oxford'' (1901). * ''Monica, and Other Stories'' (1902). * ''A Divorce'' (1904). * ''The Weight of the Name'' (1908). * ''The Night Cometh'' (1916). * ''The Gaol'' (1924). Selected articles * "The New Moral Drift in French Literature," ''The Forum'' (1893). * "My Favorite Novelist and His Best Book," ''Munsey's Magazine'' (1897).Rep. a
''My Favorite Novelist''
(1908).

"Gustave Flaubert,"
''The Living Age'' (1897).
"The Evolution of Modern French Novel,"
''Appleton's Magazine'' (1903). * "For Intellectual France," ''The Living Age'' (1919). * "The Decline of the Diary," ''The Living Age'' (1921). * "Pascal and Renan," ''The Living Age'' (1923).


References


Further reading

* Austin, Lloyd J. (1940). ''Paul Bourget. Sa vie et son œuvre jusqu'en 1889'' Paris: Librairie E. Droz. * Beaufort, M. Pearde (1915). "Paul Bourget and Ireland," ''The Irish Monthly'', Vol. 43, No. 509, pp. 695–703. * Blaze de Bury, Yetta (1897). "Paul Bourget," ''The Forum,'' Vol. 23, pp. 497–514 (Rep. i
''French Literature of To-day.''
Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin & Company, 1898, pp. 107–132.) * Bowman, Edgar Milton (1925). ''The Early Novels of Paul Bourget.'' New York: Carranza & Co. * Crawford, Virginia M. (1935). "Paul Bourget and Some Successors," ''Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review'', Vol. 24, No. 95, pp. 433–441. * Dimnet, Ernest (1913)
''Paul Bourget.''
London: Constable & Company, Ltd. * Doumic, René (1899)
"Paul Bourget."
In: ''Contemporary French Novelists.'' New York: Thomas Y. Crowell & Company, pp. 177–211. * Dworski, Sylvia (1941). ''Paul Bourget, Novelist and Short Story Writer.'' Ph.D. Diss., Yale University. * Fewster, J.C. (1992). "Au Service de l'Ordre: Paul Bourget and the Critical Response to Decadence in Austria and Germany," ''Comparative Literature Studies,'' Vol. 29, No. 3, pp. 259–275. * France, Anatole (1922)
"Science and Morals: M. Paul Bourget"
In: ''On Life and Letters.'' London: John Lane, The Bodley Head, Ltd., pp. 53–74. * Goetz, T.H. (1978). "Paul Bourget's ''Le Disciple'' and the Text-Reader Relationship," ''The French Review,'' Vol. 52, No. 1, pp. 56–61. * Gosse, Edmund (1905)
"Some Recent Books of Paul Bourget."
In: ''French Profiles.'' New York : Dodd, Mead and company, pp. 239–265. * Guérard, Albert Léon (1916)
"Paul Bourget."
In: ''Five Masters of French Romance.'' New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, pp. 177–211. * Lynch, Hannah (1902). "Paul Bourget, Preacher," ''Contemporary Review,'' Vol. 82, pp. 305–340. * Jones, Edward A. (1940). "Paul Bourget and French Traditionalism," ''Phylon,'' Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 165–174. * Keating, L. Clark (1957). "Mark Twain and Paul Bourget," ''The French Review,'' Vol. 30, No. 5, pp. 342–349. * Keeler, M. Jerome (1936). "Paul Bourget," ''The Catholic World'', Vol. 142, pp. 554–561. * Klerkx, Henri (1946). ''Paul Bourget et ses Idées Littéraires.'' Nimègue: Van de Vegt. * Lemaître, Jules (1886)
"Paul Bourget."
In: ''Les Contemporains: Études et Portraits Littéraires.'' Paris: Boivin & Cie., pp. 337–364 (tr. by A.W. Evans
"Paul Bourget."
In: ''Literary Impressions.'' London: Daniel O'Connor, 1921, pp. 43–79). * Marsile, M.J. (1893)
"Paul Bourget and French Literature,"
''The Globe,'' Vol. IV, No. 13, pp. 650–655. * Mathias, Yehoshua (1995). "Paul Bourget, Écrivain Engagé," ''Vingtième Siècle. Revue d'Histoire'', No. 45, pp. 14–29. * Maurras, Charles (1923). "Les Idées Politiques de M. Paul Bourget," ''Revue Hebdomadaire'', Vol. 12, pp. 296–313. * O'Rell, Max (1898)
"Mark Twain and Paul Bourget,"
''The North American Review,'' Vol. 160, No. 460, pp. 302–310. * Secor, Walter Todd (1948)
''Paul Bourget and the Nouvelle.''
New York: King's Crown Press. * Singer, Armand E. (1976). ''Paul Bourget.'' Boston: Twayne Publishers. * Smith, Garnet (1892)
"Paul Bourget,"
''The Gentleman's Magazine,'' Vol. 272, pp. 370–385. * Turquet-Milnes, G. (1921)
"Paul Bourget."
In: ''Some Modern French Writers: A Study in Bergsonism.'' New York: Robert M. McBride & Company, pp. 107–130. * Twain, Mark (1895)
"What Paul Bourget Thinks of Us,"
''The North American Review,'' Vol. 160, No. 458, pp. 48–62 (Rep. i
''How to Tell a Story, and Other Essays.''
New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1898, pp. 181–212.) * Vickers, Jackie (1992). "Women and Wealth: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edith Wharton and Paul Bourget," ''Journal of American Studies'', Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 261–263.


External links

* *
Works by Paul Bourget
at
Hathi Trust HathiTrust Digital Library is a large-scale collaborative repository of digital content from research libraries including content digitized via Google Books and the Internet Archive digitization initiatives, as well as content digitized locally ...
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bourget, Paul 1852 births 1935 deaths People from Amiens Lycée Louis-le-Grand alumni École pratique des hautes études alumni French literary critics French psychological fiction writers 19th-century French novelists French travel writers 20th-century French non-fiction writers 20th-century French male writers French monarchists Converts to Roman Catholicism from atheism or agnosticism French Roman Catholics Roman Catholic writers Members of the Académie Française People affiliated with Action Française Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Burials at Montparnasse Cemetery French male novelists Members of the Ligue de la patrie française 19th-century French male writers French male non-fiction writers