Jean Charles Emmanuel Nodier (; 29 April 1780 – 27 January 1844) was a French author and librarian who introduced a younger generation of

Romanticists Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

to the ''conte fantastique'',

gothic literature Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror (primarily in the 20th century), is a literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name of the genre is derived from the Renaissance era use of the word "gothic", as a pejorative to mean m ...

, and

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

tales. His dream related writings influenced the later works of

Gérard de Nerval Gérard de Nerval (; 22 May 1808 – 26 January 1855), the pen name of the French writer, poet, and translator Gérard Labrunie, was a French essayist, poet, translator, and travel writer. He was a major figure during the era of French romantici ...

Early years

He was born at

Besançon Besançon (, ; , ; archaic ; ) is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzerland. Capi ...

in France, near the border with Switzerland. His father, on the outbreak of the French Revolution, was appointed mayor of Besançon and consequently chief police magistrate, and seems to have become an instrument of the tyranny of the

Jacobins The Society of the Friends of the Constitution (), renamed the Society of the Jacobins, Friends of Freedom and Equality () after 1792 and commonly known as the Jacobin Club () or simply the Jacobins (; ), was the most influential List of polit ...

without sharing their principles. But his son was for a time an ardent citizen, and is said to have been a

Jacobin Club The Society of the Friends of the Constitution (), renamed the Society of the Jacobins, Friends of Freedom and Equality () after 1792 and commonly known as the Jacobin Club () or simply the Jacobins (; ), was the most influential List of polit ...

member at the age of twelve. In 1793 Charles saved the life of a lady guilty of sending money to an ''émigré'', declaring to his father that if she were condemned he would take his own life. He was sent to

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

, where he studied with

Eulogius Schneider Eulogius Schneider (baptized as: Johann Georg; October 20, 1756 – April 1, 1794) was a Franciscan friar, professor in Bonn and Dominican Order, Dominican in Strasbourg. Life Johann Georg Schneider was born as the son of a viticulture, wine g ...

, the notorious Jacobin and public prosecutor of

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

, but a good

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

scholar.

Activism and wanderings

During the

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the French First Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and Capital punishment in France, nu ...

his father put him under the care of Justin Girod-Chantrans, with whom he studied English and German. His love of books began very early, and he combined with it a strong interest in nature, which Girod-Chantrans was able to foster. He became librarian in his native town, but his exertions in the cause of suspected persons brought him under suspicion. An inspection of his papers by the police, however, revealed nothing more dangerous than a dissertation on the antennae of insects.

Entomology Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

continued to be a favourite study with him, but he varied it with

philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...

and pure literature and even political writing. For a skit on

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

, in 1803, he was imprisoned for some months. He then left Paris, where he had gone after losing his position at Besançon, and for some years lived a very unsettled life at Besançon, Dole, and in other places in the Jura. During these wanderings he wrote his novel, ''Le peintre de Salzbourg, journal des émotions d'un coeur souffrant, suivi des Meditations du cloître'' (1803). The hero, Charles, who is a variation of the

Werther ''Werther'' is an opera (''drame lyrique'') in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Édouard Blau, Paul Milliet and Georges Hartmann (who used the pseudonym Henri Grémont). It is loosely based on Goethe's epistolary novel ''The S ...

type, desires the restoration of the monasteries, to afford a refuge from the woes of the world. At Dole, on 31 August 1808, he married Désirée Charve. Their only daughter Marie-Antoinette-Élisabeth Mennessier-Nodier (1811 – 1893) became a noted woman of letters. Nodier was working as a secretary to the elderly

Sir Herbert Croft, 5th Baronet Sir Herbert Croft, 5th Baronet (1 November 1751 – 26 April 1816), English author best known for his novel ''Love and Madness''. Life Croft was born at Dunston Park, Berkshire, son of the son of Herbert Croft and Elizabeth Young. He matricula ...

and his platonic friend

Lady Mary Hamilton Lady Mary Hamilton or Lady Mary Walker (''née'' Leslie; 8 May 1736 – 29 February 1821) was a Scottish novelist of the 18th century. She was the youngest daughter of Alexander Leslie, 5th Earl of Leven and the mother of James Walker, a Rear ...

. During this time he translated Hamilton's book ''Munster Village'' and helped her write ''La famille du duc de Popoli'' or ''The Duc de Popoli'' which was published in 1810. In December 1812 Nodier moved to

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

, then the capital of the newly established French

Illyrian Provinces The Illyrian Provinces were an autonomous province of France during the First French Empire that existed under Napoleonic Rule from 1809 to 1814. The province encompassed large parts of modern Italy and Croatia, extending their reach further e ...

, and was in 1813 the last editor of a multilingual newspaper, the ''Official Telegraph of the Illyrian Provinces'' ('' Télégraphe officiel des Provinces Illyriennes'') published in French, German and Italian. It was there that Nodier composed, in 1812, the first draft of his novel ''Jean Sbogar''. The story about a love between a

brigand Brigandage is the life and practice of highway robbery and plunder. It is practiced by a brigand, a person who is typically part of a gang and lives by pillage and robbery.Oxford English Dictionary second edition, 1989. "Brigand.2" first record ...

and a daughter of a rich merchant was finally published in 1818. After the evacuation of French forces from the

Illyrian provinces The Illyrian Provinces were an autonomous province of France during the First French Empire that existed under Napoleonic Rule from 1809 to 1814. The province encompassed large parts of modern Italy and Croatia, extending their reach further e ...

in 1813 he returned to Paris, and the Restauration found him a royalist, though he retained something of republican sentiment. In 1824 he was appointed librarian of the

Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal The Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal (, ''Library of the Arsenal'', founded 1757) in Paris has been part of the Bibliothèque nationale de France since 1934. History The collections of the library originated with the private library of Marc Antoine ...

, a position that he kept for the rest of his life. He was elected a member of the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

in 1833, also of the

Société Entomologique de France Groupe Lactalis S.A. (doing business as Lactalis) is a French multinational dairy products corporation, owned by the Besnier family and based in Laval, Mayenne, France. The company's former name was Besnier S.A. Lactalis is the largest dairy p ...

when this was formed in 1832, and he was made a member of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. He died, aged, 63, in Paris. The twenty years at the Arsenal were the most important and fruitful of Nodier's career. He had the advantage of a settled home in which to collect and study rare and unusual books; and he was able to establish a celebrated literary salon, known as Le

Cénacle Cénacle is the name given to a Parisian literary group of varying constituency that began about 1826 to gather around Charles Nodier. The group sought to revive in French literature the old monarchical spirit, the spirit of medieval mystery an ...

, rallying a knot of young literary men to romanticism (the so-called

of 1830), some of whom would achieve great renown themselves.

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

Alfred de Musset Alfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay (; 11 December 1810 – 2 May 1857) was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist.His names are often reversed "Louis Charles Alfred de Musset": see "(Louis Charles) Alfred de Musset" (bio), Biography.com, 2007 ...

and

Sainte-Beuve Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve (; 23 December 1804 – 13 October 1869) was a French literary critic. Early life He was born in Boulogne, educated there, and studied medicine at the Collège Charlemagne in Paris (1824–27). In 1828, he se ...

all acknowledged their obligations to him, and

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...

incorporated his recollections of Nodier into his novelette ''La Dame au Collier de Velours''. The group included

Alphonse de Lamartine Alphonse Marie Louis de Prat de Lamartine (; 21 October 179028 February 1869) was a French author, poet, and statesman. Initially a moderate royalist, he became one of the leading critics of the July Monarchy of Louis-Philippe, aligning more w ...

, and

Louise Crombach Louise Crombach (or Crombak) was born on in Lons-le-Saunier and died on in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, 20th arrondissement of Paris. She was a French Dressmaker, seamstress, prison inspector, writer and Feminism, feminist. In 1845, she w ...

. Nodier was a passionate admirer of

Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

Laurence Sterne Laurence Sterne (24 November 1713 – 18 March 1768) was an Anglo-Irish novelist and Anglican cleric. He is best known for his comic novels ''The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman'' (1759–1767) and ''A Sentimental Journey Thro ...

and

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

, and himself contributed to the literature that was one of the leading traits of the Romantic school.

Works

His best and most characteristic work, which is exquisite in its kind, consists partly of short tales of a more or less fantastic character, partly of nondescript articles, half bibliographic, half narrative, the nearest analogue to which in English is to be found in some of the papers of

Thomas De Quincey Thomas Penson De Quincey (; Thomas Penson Quincey; 15 August 17858 December 1859) was an English writer, essayist, and literary critic, best known for his ''Confessions of an English Opium-Eater'' (1821).Eaton, Horace Ainsworth, ''Thomas De Q ...

. The best examples of the latter are to be found in the volume entitled ''Mélanges tirés d'une petite bibliothèque'', published in 1829 and afterwards continued. Of his tales the best are ''Infernaliana'' (1822); ''Smarra, ou les démons de la nuit'' (1821); '' Trilby, ou le lutin d'Argail'' (1822); ''Histoire du roi de Bohême et de ses sept châteaux'' (1830); ''La Fée aux miettes'' (1832); ''Inès de las Sierras'' (1837); ''Les quatre talismans et la légende de soeur Béatrix'' (1838),The source for the opera '' Béatrice'' by André Messager together with some fairy stories published in the year of his death, and ''Franciscus Columna'', which appeared after it. The ''Souvenirs de jeunesse'' (1832) are interesting but untrustworthy , and the ''Dictionnaire universel de la langue française'' (1823), which, in the days before Littré, was one of the most useful of its kind, is said to have been not wholly or mainly Nodier's . There was a so-called collection of ''Œuvres complêtes'' published in 12 vols. in 1832, but at that time much of the author's best work had not yet appeared, and it included but a part of what was previously published. Nodier found an indulgent biographer in

Prosper Mérimée Prosper Mérimée (; 28 September 1803 – 23 September 1870) was a French writer in the movement of Romanticism, one of the pioneers of the novella, a short novel or long short story. He was also a noted archaeologist and historian, an import ...

on the occasion of the younger man's admission to the academy. During the 1820s, after adapting Dr.

John William Polidori John William Polidori (7 September 1795 – 24 August 1821) was a British writer and physician. He is known for his associations with the Romantic movement and credited by some as the creator of the vampire genre of fantasy fiction. His most su ...

's short story "

The Vampyre "The Vampyre" is a short work of prose fiction written in 1819 by John William Polidori, taken from the story told by Lord Byron as part of a contest among Polidori, Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, and Percy Shelley. The same contest produced the n ...

" successfully for the stage in France (''Le Vampire'', 1820), Nodier involved himself in the theatre for a few years. Among these works were ''Bertram ou le Pirate'' (1822), based on a play by

Charles Maturin Charles Robert Maturin, also known as C. R. Maturin (25 September 1780 – 30 October 1824), was an Irish Protestant clergyman (ordained in the Church of Ireland) and a writer of Gothic fiction, Gothic plays and novels.Chris Morgan, "Maturin, C ...

in England ('' Bertam, or The Castle of St. Aldobrand''), and ''Le Monstre et le Magicien'' (1826), which adapted an English play based on Mary Shelley's novel ''

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a Sapience, sapient Frankenstein's monster, crea ...

''. Nodier also translated and adapted an Italian play by Carmillo Frederici (''Le Delateur''-''The Informer'') in 1821. Despite the success of these works, he lost interest in the theatre, and by the late eighteen twenties devoted himself entirely to literature, mostly to the conte fantastique. An account of his share in the Romantic movement is to be found in

Georg Brandes Georg Morris Cohen Brandes (4 February 1842 – 19 February 1927) was a Danish critic and scholar who greatly influenced Scandinavian and European literature from the 1870s through the turn of the 20th century. He is seen as the theorist behind ...

's ''Main Currents in Nineteenth Century Literature''. Nodier's ''Description raisonnée d'une jolie collection de livres'' (1844), which is a catalogue of the books in his library, contains a life by Francis Wey and a complete bibliography of his numerous works. See also Sainte-Beuve, ''Portraits littéraires'', vol. ii.; Prosper Mérimée, ''Portraits historiques et littéraires'' (1874); and A Estignard, ' (1876), containing his letters to his childhood friend and fellow enthusiast in literature, Charles Weiss. A collection of Nodier's dream writings (''De Quelques Phénomènes Du Sommeil'') was published by Le Castor Astral in 1996.

Musical adaptations of Nodier's ''Trilby''

Nodier's 1822 novella ''Trilby, ou le lutin d'Argail'', provided the inspiration for the ballet ''

La Sylphide ''La Sylphide'' (; ) is a romantic ballet in two acts. There were two versions of the ballet; the original choreographed by Filippo Taglioni in 1832, and a second version choreographed by August Bournonville in 1836. Bournonville's is the only ve ...

'', 1832, to a scenario devised by

Adolphe Nourrit Adolphe Nourrit (3 March 1802 – 8 March 1839) was a French operatic tenor, librettist, and composer. One of the most esteemed opera singers of the 1820s and 1830s, he was particularly associated with the works of Gioachino Rossini and Giacomo ...

. In 1870, the novella was adapted for another ballet titled ''

Trilby A trilby is a narrow-brimmed type of hat. The trilby was once viewed as the rich man's favored hat; it is sometimes called the "brown trilby" in UK, BritainBernhard Roetzel, Roetzel, Bernhard (1999). ''Gentleman's Guide to Grooming and Style''. B ...

'' by the great choreographer

Marius Petipa Marius Ivanovich Petipa (; born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa; 11 March 1818) was a French and Russian ballet dancer, pedagogue and choreographer. He is considered one of the most influential ballet masters and choreographers in ballet history ...

, balletmaster of the

Tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

Imperial Ballet The Mariinsky Ballet () is the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russian Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet is one of the world's ...

of St. Petersburg, Russia. The

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

John Barnett John Barnett (15 July 1802 – 16 April 1890) was an English composer and writer on music. Life Barnett was the eldest son of a Prussian Jew named Bernhard Beer, who changed his surname on settling in England as a jeweller. According to some h ...

's 1834 opera ''

The Mountain Sylph ''The Mountain Sylph'' is an opera in two acts by John Barnett to a libretto by Thomas James Thackeray, after '' Trilby, ou le lutin d'Argail'' by Charles Nodier. It was first produced in London at the Lyceum Theatre in 1834 with great success ...

'' is also adapted from ''Trilby'', via the ballet ''La Sylphide''.

Commemoration

There are streets in France named after Charles Nodier, located in

Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...

Paris,

Pantin Pantin () is a Communes of France, commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, Île-de-France, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. In 2019 its population was estimated to be 59,846. Pantin is located on the edge of ...

Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

and

. The centre of French science and culture in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

, established in December 1966, was in 1983 named the Charles Nodier French Cultural Centre (now the Charles Nodier French Institute). It is housed on the left bank of the

Ljubljanica The Ljubljanica (), known in the Middle Ages as the ''Leybach'', is a river in the southern part of the Ljubljana Basin in Slovenia. The capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, lies on the river. The Ljubljanica rises south of the town of Vrhnika and ...

, between the

Prešeren Square Prešeren Square () is the central square in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is part of the old town's pedestrian zone and a major meeting point where festivals (like the annual Ljubljana Dragon Carnival), concerts, sports, political events ...

and the St. James' Bridge. From 1994 to 2008, the institute regularly published a bulletin titled ''Le Petit Nodier''. Since 1985, a bronze bust of Nodier stands at the court of its building, work of Jakov Brdar, according to the plans by the architect Marjan Ocvirk. It is a vivid portrait with a sharp look and some traces of the

Secession Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a Polity, political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal i ...

style.

Selected works

Fiction and creative writings

* ''Stella, ou Les Proscrits'' (1802) – (''Stella or The Exiles'') – a juvenile novel which was subsequently abandoned by the author in his several collected works. * ''Le Dernier Chapitre de Mon Roman'' (1803) – (''The Last Chapter of My Novel'') – a short novel. * ''Le Peintre de Salzbourg, Journal des Émotions d'un Cœur Souffrant'' (1803) – (''The Painter of Salzbourg, Journal of a Suffering Heart'') – a novel. * ''Les Tristes, ou mélanges tirés des tablettes d'un suicidé'' (1806) – a collection of death-haunted romantic writings which includes Nodier's first conte fantastique, "Un Heure, ou la Vision"; and the poetic essay "Les Méditations du Cloître", which was inspired by Chateaubriand. * ''Le Chant des Morlaques'' (1814) – (''The Song of the

Morlachs Morlachs ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Morlaci, Морлаци; ; ) is an exonym used for a rural Christian community in Herzegovina, Lika and the Dalmatian Hinterland. The term was initially used for a bilingual Vlach pastoralist community in the mountain ...

'') – a short poetic essay that has been included in a collection of Nodier's dream writings. * ''Contes fantastiques'' (1814) – a fantasy short stories collection. * ''Jean Sbogar, Histoire d'un Bandit Illyrien Mysterious'' (1818) – a full-length novel. A gothic political romance mostly set in

Illyria In classical and late antiquity, Illyria (; , ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; , ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyrians. The Ancient Gree ...

. * ''Thérèse Aubert, Roman d'Amour Pendant les Guerres Vendéennes'' (1819) – a love story set in the wake of the French Revolution, it is in the form of a novella. * ''Le Vampire'' (1820) – (''The Vampire'') – an atmospheric full-length theatrical play, freely adapting the story of

. * ''Adèle'' (1820) – written in the form of letters, a love story of novella length. * ''Smarra, ou les Démons de la Nuit, conte fantastique'' (1821) – the author's most celebrated work, a remarkable novella, one of his dream writings, which features a vampire. The word "Smarra" was taken from the Dalmatian word for "Nightmare". * ''Trilby, ou le Lutin d'Argail, conte fantastique'' (1822) – one of Nodier's best known works, an atmospheric adult fairy tale of novella length set in a Scottish landscape. * ''Infernaliana'' (1822) – a book of little tales of ghosts and vampires, some of which were culled from earlier sources. * ''Le Songe d'Or, ou Arlequin et l'Avare, Pantomime Anglais en 11 Tablaux'' (1828) – a pantomime for the theatre which was subsequently adapted into a short story in 1832. * ''Mélanges tirés d'une petite bibliothèque'' (Paris: Crapelet, 1829) * ''Histoire du Roi de Bohême et de ses Sept Châteaux'' (1830) – an experimental full-length novel. * ''De Quelques Phénomènes du Sommeil'' (1831) – (''Of Some Phenomena of Sleep'') – a short journalist piece, one of Nodier's dream writings, also published under the title ''Le Pays des Rêves''. * ''M. de la Mettrie, ou les Superstitions'' (1831) – a short story which has been included in a collection of Nodier's dream writings. * ''Souvenirs de Jeunesse'' (1832) – (''Souvenirs of Youth'') – a collection of novellas comprising "Séraphine", "Clémentine", "Amélie", and "Lucréce et Jeannette". Subsequent editions included "Thérèse". Dedicated to

. * ''La Fée aux Miettes, conte fantastique'' (1832) – (''The Crumb Fairy'') – a full-length novel. A satirical adult fairy tale set in Scotland, it is one Nodier's most celebrated works. * ''Mademoiselle de Marsan, conte fantastique'' (1832) – a gothic short novel. * ''Jean-François les Bas-Bleus'' (1832) – a short story. * ''Le Dessin de Piranèse'' (1833) – a descriptive essay that develops into one of Nodier's dream writings. A shorter version was published as ''Piranèse'' in 1836. * ''Hurlubleu'' (1833) – a novella. * ''La Combe de l'Homme Mort'' (1833) – a short weird horror story. * ''Trésors des Fèves et Fleurs des Pois'' (1833) – a short story. * ''M. Cazotte'' (1834) – a short story. * ''Des Hallucinations et des Songes en Matière Criminelle'' (1835) – an essay which has been included in a collection of the author's dream writings. * ''Paul ou le Resemblance'' (1836) – a short story. * ''Inès de Las Sierras'' (1837) – a gothic novella set in a nocturnal storm.

complained to the author about the rationalization of this story in an addendum at its end, and Nodier conceded the point. This is recorded in Dumas' novella ''La Femme au Collier de Velours'', which begins with a personal portrait and some reminiscences of Nodier and the Cėnacle. * ''Les Quatre Talismans, et La Légende de Sœur Beatrix'' (1838) – two 'contes fantastiques,' a short novel and a short novella, the latter composed of Christian imagery. * ''La Neuvaine de la Chandeleur, et Lydie'' (1839) – a novella and a short story. * ''Franciscus Columna'' (1844) – a novella.

Some non-fiction works

* ''Dissertation sur l'Usage des Antennes dans les Insectes'' (1798) – (''A Dissertation on the Use of Antennae in Insects''). * ''Pensées de Shakespeare Extraites de ses Ouvrages'' (1800) – (''Thoughts of Shakespeare Taken from his Works'') – a short essay. * ''Bibliographie Entomologique'' (1801) – (''Entomological Bibliography''). * ''Dictionnaire Raisonné des Onomatopées Françaises'' (1808) – (''Reasoned Dictionary of French Onomatopoeia'') – a dictionary of words derived from the sound associated with the subject (e.g. Cuckoo). A high point of the author's early years which was somewhat expanded in a new edition of the book in 1828. * ''Questions de Littérature Légale'' (1812) * ''Histoire des sociétés secrètes de l'armée : et des conspirations militaires qui ont eu pour objet la déstruction du gouvernement de Bonaparte.'' Paris : Gide fils, 1815. (Eds.) Nodier, Bazin, Didier, Lemare, Lombard; English trans. (2008) Cornerstone Book Publishers. * ''Promenade de Dieppe aux Montagnes de l'Écosse'' (1821) – a book describing Nodier's travels through Britain including Scotland. His experience of the Scottish landscape inspired two of his best known works: ''Trilby'' and ''La Fée aux Miettes'', which were set in Scotland. * ''Essai sur le Gaz Hydrogène et les Divers Modes d'Éclairage Artificiel'' (1823) – (''An Essay on Hydrogen Gas and the Various Methods of Artificial Lighting''). * ''Dictionnaire Universal de la Langue Française'' (1823) – (''Universal Dictionary of the French Language''). * ''Mélanges Tirés d'une Petite Bibliothèque'' (1829) * ''Du Fantastique en Littérature'' (1830) – a full-length study of the weird or fantastic in literature. * ''Bibliographie des Fous: De Quelques Livres Excentriques'' (1835) – (''Bibliography of the Mad: Of Some Eccentric Books''). * ''La Seine et ses Bords'' (1836–1837) – (''The Seine and its banks'') – a full-length description of the river and the geography of its banks. Illustrated by Marville and Foussereau. * ''Description Raisonnée d'une Jolie Collection de Livres'' (1844) – (''Reasoned Description of a Beautiful Collection of Books'').

A contested novel

* ''Lord Ruthwen, ou Les Vampires'' (1820) – a rambling vampire novel based on earlier sources, a description of which is given at the end of the book. The overall theme is in the form of a sequel to Dr.

's short story "

", and the material suggests that it may originally have been intended as a play. The title page of the first edition attributed publishing to the author of ''Jean Sbogar'' and authorship to the pseudonym "C. B.", causing historians to speculate that the book was written by a contemporary vaudeville manager named Cyprien Bérard, with whom Nodier was associated. The sources for the stories suggest the knowledge of a librarian and a bibliophile, and the novel misspells the name Ruthven as occurred in the text of ''Promenade de Dieppe aux Montagnes de l'Écosse''. There are features of Nodier's ''Jean Sbogar'' and ''Les Tristes'' in the novel, but the writing is hurried and lacks the quality of Nodier's other fictional works.

References

External links

''Cahiers d'Études Nodiéristes''
, scholarly journal devoted to Nodier studies (in French).
"Jean Sbogar, Volume One" (in French)

"Jean Sbogar, Volume Two" (in French)
* *

*

*

* * * * ttps://archive.org/details/promenadefromdi01nodigoog "Promenade from Dieppe to the Mountains of Scotland" (In English)
"Promenade de Dieppe aux Montaignes de l'Ecosse" (In French)

"Dictionnaire Raisoné des Onomatopées Françaises" (Second edition of 1828, in French)

"La Fée aux Miettes" (In French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nodier, Charles 1780 births 1844 deaths 18th-century French writers 18th-century French male writers 19th-century French novelists 19th-century French poets 19th-century French short story writers 19th-century French male writers Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery French fantasy writers French monarchists French librarians French entomologists Members of the Académie Française Writers from Besançon French male novelists French male short story writers Knights of the Legion of Honour French male non-fiction writers 19th-century French lexicographers French bibliophiles

Early years

Activism and wanderings

Works

Musical adaptations of Nodier's ''Trilby''

Commemoration

Selected works

Fiction and creative writings

Some non-fiction works

A contested novel

References

Further reading

External links