Provence and Languedoc as reflected in the modern French novel

Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic)

Authors Bryson, John Maurice, 1912-

Publisher The University of Arizona.

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Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/553298 PROVENCE AND LANGUEDOC AS REFLECTED

IN THE MODERN FRENCH NOVEL

by

John M. Bryson

A Thesis

submitted to the faculty of the

Department of French

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Arts

in the Graduate College

University of Arizona

1956

6 ?

The writer wishes to express his

sincere appreciation to Dr» Sydney Barlow

Brown for M s invaluable and generous as­

sistance In the preparation of this thesis.

1*5587 TABLE OF COI1TEHTS

IHTEOIlUCTIOH

PART I . 1

Chapter I — Alphonse Bsudet 1

II - Paul Arone

III — Jean Aicard f&

17 - Edmond Jaloux 54

V — Jean-Loula Vaudoyer - 41

71 - Jean Hartet 4®

PART II

Chapter I — Ferdinand Fate® 51

II — Georges Beaune 64

III - Jesn-Touss&Int Sanat 70

17 — H«iry de Montherlant . 7*

lUTROttJCTIOH TO PARTS I H AMD If 79

PART III - Reflections of Provence 81

Chapter I - Geographical Description, Climate, and Landmarks 81

II - Atmosphere and General Impression 101

III — Racial Characteristics 107

If - Customs, Legends, Festivals, Language, Dress, and Sports 116 PART IV - Reflections of Languedoc 157

Chapter I - Geographical Description and Architectural Remains 157

II — Racial Characteristics# Customs# and Religion 147

III — Industries and Products 162

CONCLUSION 176

BIBLIOGRAPHIC 178 maorocnoe

The purpose of the ensuing study is to show how Provence and Langue­ doc are reflected la the modern French novel. It should be understood, however, that it has been the author’s intention to make this a repres­ entative rather than an exhaustive treatment of the subject. The novels included date from approximately 1860 to the present day.

The study is divided into four parts* first, a brief discussion of the lives and works of the authors representing Provence with synopses of tlie novels here specifically dealt with; second, a similar treatment of those representing Languedoc; third, "reflections* of Provence, con­ sisting of observations substantiated by typical, illustrative passages taken from the novels themselves, and fourth, "reflections* of Langue­ doc.

It has been impossible, in spite of a definite attempt, to maintain an even balance in the discussion of the various novelists, since some of them have become known so recently that very little, if any, material concerning their lives and works can be found.

In order to reveal something of the underlying spirit or "fond* of the novels rather than to give merely their bare plot outline, it was judged necessary to make the synopses somewhat more detailed than is sometimes done in similar studies.

Lastly, in solving the question as to just how much of the longer citations to include, it was decided that, if the passages were to be sufficiently representative to avoid giving false or fragmentary im­ pressions, it would be advisable to present them in their entirety. PABT I

Chapter I

Though Alphonse Baudot was Languedocien by birth, it is nainly

Provence that is reflected in his writings.

Baudot was b o m in Nines in 1840* Because of delicate health, he was left alone a great deal, and, endowed with an unquenchable thirst for adventure, be had to create around himself an imaginary world*

Mien he was eight years old, his father* s silk business was ruined by the revolution, and the family was forced to move to Lyon# At the

College de Lyon, Alphonse was given the nickname **le Petit Chose**, because of his timidity and email stature* The eight years he spent in this school were painful for the sensitive child* In order to avoid his harsh masters and his bullying schoolmates, he often escaped to the woods to spend long hours by himself* In spite of this comparative in­ attention to study, he always managed to stand high in hie literary courses, and it was during the last years there, that he began to write verso.

The family was then completely broken up when M s father, still pursued by ill luck in his business enterprises, became a commercial traveler. Alphonse, only sixteen years of age, had to accept a posi­ tion as study-master or usher at the College d* Alois In order to earn

M s living. Already made eeneiti^ 1 8> i.oly by hie school life and the misfortunes of kls / i i then entered an even worse per­ iod, h: oy l „6 , 1' » 1 :: ued by hie employers. At the

* * o: — bl i le .uft in 1857 with the intention of taking

►.. i lit. + r' 3 s,r in Paris, where his older brother, Ernest, was a

His first years in the capital were spent in a bohemian atmosphere on the outskirts of the city.

Soon after his arrival, he published a collection of verses,

IfSE Amoureases, which enjoyed a fair success, and of which Le Figaro spoke highly. Then for five years (1860-1865), he served as secretary to the distinguished Duke de Moray, the president of the Corps Legis- latif and presiding genius of the empire. Hie position, which he filled rather as an observer than as a politician, gave him leisure for writing and an inside view of the political and social life of Paris which he later portrayed so strikingly in Le Nabab and Hums Rouaestan, After the

duke's death In 1865, Daudet consecrated himself wholly to his writing.

For several years, in fact, he was hailed as the greatest master of the

short story In France. The events he witnessed during the War of 1870

had & profound influence on his work.

Besides his short stories, he published many novels, the most

famous beings Les aventures prodigieuseg de Tartarin de Taragcon, 1872;

Promont Jeune et Rlsler a$ne. which won the Academy's Jouy prize in

1874; Los role en exil. 1879; Jack. 1876; Le Nabab, 1877; Hums Rouaestan,

aoeurs pnrlsiennes. 1881; L'Evangeliste. 1885; Tartarln eur lee alpes.

1886, and r 1888, a bitter satire against the Ac&demie Francaise In his later years, Daudst suffered front insomnia, failure of health and consequent use of chloral. He died in Paris in 1897.

Early in his career, ho had turned to the "roman do moeurs,"

Loved by the public which he had already gained through his verses, he quickly became even more popular when he began to present his plays and publish his novels. He pleased many of the admirers of the realistic school with his qualities of observation, and those of the romantic novel by his depth of feeling. He was willingly cited with Zola and 1 Goncourt as one of the masters of the contemporary novel. La Grande

Encyclopedia points however to what it calls *un certain injustice* In this judgment#

*Au contraire de ceo deux chefs d'ecolo, Baudot manque de slncerite dans 1 *observation# il cherche surtout a plaire et a anuser, et son proc^dcf est plutot celui d fun chroni- queur quo d'un ronencier d* observation.. .Pcu dou<£ du cdte de 1*invention, il a...une faculty singulibre de saisir le cote pittoresquo des choses et un veritable don d 1expression... See personnages.«.resumes d ’une serio d*observations true jnotes et quelquefois penetrantes, donnent 1 'illuoion de la vie. Mais, si habile quo soit la mise en oeuvre, on sent^ parfois que la vie profonde manque, quo I ’uniti du caractere n*exist8 pao.Q.Le charae de ces romans n«en est pas moins tree vifj le principal talent do 1 ’auteur consiste dans le melange do I ’ironie ot do la sensibilite.2

Nouveau Larousse Illustre observes tiiat the name best fitted to him is that of impressionist, but adds#

Jamais il n*a nieux roussi que dans l 1expression des choses qui avaient emu son ame...Aucun autre des roman- ciers frangais nodomes n'dgale peut-etre Alphonse Daudet pour le talent de rentire les attitudes, les physionomieB, les coutuses, tout le pittoresque et le dramatique de moeurs. Et cela ne veut pas dire que ce pointre nerveil- leux soit un mediocre psycholpgum. Sa psychologie, c o m e

1. U^Grande^cTOlopedio. vol. 15. p. 965. 2# passage from Baudet's Trente Ana de Paris:de Ana Trente Baudet's from passage • Leaaitre, J., Leg Contomporains. vol. Contomporains. Leg J., Leaaitre, • 159-48. pp. 7,vol. Contomporains. Les J., Lem&itre, . « r»H 3. vol. Illustr^. Larouose Nouveau . Speaking of his realign and his psychology, Jules Leaaitre says* Leaaitre Jules psychology, his and realign of his Speaking In a later volume of later volume a In Bene Bomnic, in his Portraits d'Ecrlvaina. quotes the following the quotes d'Ecrlvaina. Portraits inhis Bomnic, Bene paroles.* per- les &vcc corps fait KLle comentaires» fnstidieux m pas un de leurs sentiments qui ne soit pas acconpagne d*tm acconpagne soit pas ne qui sentiments de leurs un pas h i s t o r i a n d e s m o e u r s eirant goats, d,«B air de visage, commontl par uno attitude, une attitude, par uno commontl visage, de d,«Bair goats, d ^ d a i g n e p o i n t , dee dee eonfesse l rautre jour..,Ses personnages no nous scat prls- scat nous no personnages rautrejour..,Ses l eonfesse lours et metes leurs par traduit sc elle sonnages, *l no II est vivante, ensesdescriptions, *etalopas Il y a chess a y Il lui tous ces livres, le podte affoctueux affoctueux podte le ces livres, tous ihute Coot t o o C silhouette. m%4a de pessimismo memo et de la ferocity, mais aussi de la de aussi mais ferocity, la de et memo pessimismo de C ,eet qu'il est tr est ,eet qu'il C stijete,.,grands plus Et son charme n*est-il pas, en offet, dans cotte facllit© cotte dans offet, en pas, soncharme n*est-il Et ekoeale^ . , ail^e?^ legkrote Baudet possbde possbde Baudet pleurer... de gout le tendresco, la do comique, du g&ite, et cotte incroyable rapid!to k sontir, et dans eette dans et sontir, k rapid!to incroyable cotte et meins le paralt lo qu'il pares precis^nent naturalist#, plus tdfntbi« otu ntntd arcs 'galas'. racesla de instinct tout un « i b definit et 6 aoire.,, b u m b l e s d e s t i n i e s , Le realiste, c’est lui et non M, Zola, Zola me 1'a me Zola Zola, etM, non lui c’est realiste, Le que dans les moments moments les dans que Ai-je defini cet adorable ecrivain? Helasl non, Helasl ecrivain? adorable cet defini Ai-je Ce rlalisto est cordial. II aims; il a pitiej il il pitiej il a aims; II cordial. est rlalisto Ce H est entre les roaanciers de la nouvelle ecole le ecole la nouvelle de roaanciers les entre est H Il y a dens la longue de Mistral, un not qui resume qui not un de Mistral, longue la dens a Il y .3 dans 1 *imagination et qu*ils nous rostent dans le dans rostent nous et qu*ils *imagination u n d o n q U i ..Alphonse Baudot a a Baudot ..Alphonse trap 6 h. s complete dans sontransparence... dans complete s cause de cola qu*ils nous entreat si entreat qu*ils nous cola de cause et qui et de de ,,Ce realiste est est ,,Cerealiste chosess oiotus e 'charme'... le touts domino 6 b. et agiscont; lie sfeet dee dee d , 528, iimrrl aieemont tfgal aieemont iimrrl aux 6 8 nerfs, t p 185*, p, dee 6 , dans Leaaitre adds: Leaaitre kubs petite# gens et gens petite# de ltironie, de I un un grand un 11 coin de coin n’est n

ne

railler, plalcenter. It l*on volt 1*Eclair d'ironie, la point* a&lieleuse qui luit au fond des yeux pro- venywx..,Et moi aussi, je suis un .

Dnder tiiie veneer of gaity, however, there is melancholy, and Baudot has often h e m considered •un petit fr&re de Dickens•* He himself recog­ nised their comnon love for the humble and poor and explained it no a result of their common hardships in youth. Doumic gets close to the

crux of Baudot's appeal when he sates, "Ironic et pitie, c'est la tout • 2 M. Baudot*■

Henry James, in 1883, wrote*

Fbnnerly it was possible to oppose Halmac end ' Mae. Sand to Dickens and Thackeray) but at present we have no one, either in England or in America, to op­ pose to Alphonse Baudot.®

that Baudot, though of the naturalistic school, is more easily con­

trasted to than compared with Zola is brought out by Benjamin Wells in

his introduction to a school edition of Le Nabob. Zola, he explains,

is methodical, objective, vast, architectural, epic, and works with

documents} Baudot is spontaneous, subjective, slight, subtle and idyllic, ' ■ . 4 and works from the living model. •Finally," concludes Wells,

if, in their philosophy of life, Zola will make us hate vice and wrong, Baudot will win our love for what is good and true.1 2*45

1. Doumic, R., Portraits d'Ecrivains. vol. 1, p. *69. 2. Ibid., p. 276. 8. Janes, H», Partial Portraits, p. 196. 4. Wells, B., p. xxvi. Introduction to Tartarin de 5. Ibid. Leon P. Irvin, In hie introduction to a school edition of Tartarin do Tarascon, gives an account of the interesting circumstances of its conception*

Ihen, lot# in the year 1861, Baudot*s doctor ordered him to leave the climate of Paris, his employer, the Duke do Moray, gave him not only ft generous leave, tut also enough money to enable bin to take a trip.

Thinking that Africa, which was quite popular at the time, would be a pleasant and beneficial change for him, he left for Algeria, accompanied by his middle-aged, provincial cousin, Heynaud, who wanted to hunt lions.

Disillusioned at finding Algiers quite European in appearance, the two cousins arranged a hunting party cm the edge of the Sahara, but it was not until they returned to Algiers that they saw a lion— a poor beast led around on a leash by some Moslems, A few days later, on re­ ceiving news from his brother that his play, La derniere idole. had been successfully presented at the Odeon, Baudot returned to France, after having spent only two months in Africa,

This trip and the ridiculousness of his cousin gave Baudot an idea for a story, which he finally published as Tartarin de Tarascon, after some legal threats had made him change his first title. Though it was highly appreciated by the elite public of Le Petit Koniteur. in which it appeared, his cousin, recognizing himself la the character of Tartar- la, became so angry that it took Baudot several years to bring about a reconciliation. 1

1, Listed in the bibliography. «?■

To show by acre discussion and synopsising how well Daudet realized his purpose of portraying the ridiculously funny, self-important, imag­

inative and-lovable Tartarin is as difficult as to brief one of Bacon's essays. Desperately, the writer will resort to quoting as the only pos­

sible neons; inevitably, he trill discover, if he has done.his task con­

scientiously, that ho has practically copied the story or the essay ver­ batim.

It must suffice, therefore, to quote a short passage from Rene

Doumict

Notez que M. Daudet eat le soul a peu pres en notre temps qui ait reuse! a souffler la vie & un de ees heros quasiment l^gendaires dont la figure eat famil^i^re a tous, dont le csract^re, une fois trace, reste le mm®*

% first describing Tartar in' s picturesque garden and awe-inspiring house, Daudet prepares the reader for a silent, strong, well-traveled m m of action. Thus, when Tartarin is revealed as the fat, kindly,

romantic little provincial that he actually is, the characterization

appears all the more humorously ironic. His prominence in the little

town , of Taraseon is due to his "doubles ■usoles”, his marksmanship, his

garden filled with all sorts of exotic plants, his house adorned with

arms of every description, end, most important of all,, the imagination

of his follow citizens.

His description of Tartarin*a dual nature is especially funny.

First, there is the Tartaria-Quixote, who fondly dreams of thrilling

adventure; the other, the Tartarin-Sancho, is forever interrupting

1. Doumic, R., vol. 1, p. 865. these dreams with hie more practical desires for the comforts and safe­

ty of heme.

His tendency to brag finally puts him in an embarrassing predica­

ment, when he is forced to go to Africa in order to save his reputation

(self-made) as a lion-hunter. After being dazzled by Marseille and

nearly dying of seasickness, he finally arrives at Algiers. Upon dis­

covering to hie disgust that there are no more lions in that region,

and after wandering around the city for a month, while getting into all

sorts of ridiculous adventures, he decides to go further southward*

Then, for another month, and accompanied by a bogus prince, he hunts

around the edge of the Sahara without as much as seeing a lion. One

morning he awakes to find the "prince* gone with most of M s money.

The ease day, he comes face to face with M s first M o n , and, frighten­

ed nearly out of M e wits, it is not till after he has killed it that

he notices it is on a leash. The little money and hunting equipment he

still possesses barely pays for the lion, the skin of which he sends

back to Tarascon. Finally, aft or spending a trying month in the courts

of Orleensvllle, he regains Algiers afoot.

The captain of the boat agrees to take him back to Marseille, and

at the last minute takes Tartar in’s camel which has obstinately follow­

ed him all the way from Biskra.

Hoping to bo able to return quietly to Tarascon in M e humility,

Tart&rln, seated in the train, is dismayed to see his canol galloping

• after him. To his surprise, he is met at the station by a large dele­

gation of friends, who, with the lion skin as evidence, imagine him a veteran ninrod. Rising nobly to the occasion, Tarturin says, pointing

to the puffing camel; "C’est aon chameau*.,C,est une noble betel....

Elle m'o, vu tuor tons nes lions.”

Tlie incidents of Tartarin sur les Aloes occur some fifteen years

after hia famous lion-hunt. Tertarin, now over fifty years of age,

secretly prepares for a siege of mountain eliabing, with the two-fold

purpose of bringing new laurels to Tarascon and strengthening his pres­

idency of the Alpine Club, which he himself had organised* Tolling only

his old friend, the pharmacist Besuquet, of M s intentions, he finally

leaves, encumbered with all the accoutrements of a veteran climber.

Onoe in Switzerland, he quickly breaks down the Inhospitality of

the guests at the fashionable tourist hotel with his cock-sure nerve

and inescapable, effervescent friendliness. There he meets a party of

Russians who seem involved in some vague revolution. He falls in love

with Sonia, one of the Russians, but a mysterious warning found in his

room worries him considerably, and aided by his powerful imagination,

gives M m food for much fearful but heroic conjecture as to M s probable

fate. ... ' ■ ■ ■ :

In order to get away from these "dangerous” people at the Rigi-

Kulm, he travels by boat and carriage to the foot of the Jung-frau. It

is there that he meets his old friend, Bompard, who fills his head with

the nonsensical idea that there is absolutely no danger in mountain

climbing, the "company” having seen to that; all the wild stories tell­

ing of the mishaps in this actually mild sport are tiie propaganda of

this same "company.” - 1 0 .

In tiie aeantine, horever, he writes Bezuquot, greatly exaggerating hla danger iron the RuasianB (he has,, la fact, been slightly Implicated

in a Imaging, M s rope having supposedly been the one which had accom­ plished the act), and asking that a committee be chosen to bring him

the club* s banner that he might gloriously plant it on some unconquer­

ed peak. The furor w M c h this letter raises In Tarascon is of course

greatly out of proportion to the gravity of the situation. Throe mem­

bers of the club excitedly arrive with the banner to see Tart&ria off

for the climb.

Assured by Bomp&rd’s explanation and encouraged by the arrival of

M b friends, Tartarin laughs at the precautions of the guides, convinc­

ing them by M s foolhardy actions that he is either an experienced

climber or an idiot. He negotiates the really difficult ascent, but is

®o fatigued at the end of it that he remains in bed for three days.

The men then decide to return to Tarascon, but Tartar in, learning

that M s enemy, Costecalde, has started for Mont Blanc, stands resolute

in M s desire to climb that peak even after, discovering to his horror

that Bompard,o confidential information was entirely false.

With the poor Bompard trailing along at Tartarin’s insistence, the

party begins the ascent. Warned of an approaching blizzard when over

half-way up, the two friends decide to return to tho bottom. During

the perilous descent, the two men are admittedly terrified, and take

some consolation in confessing to each other that they have at times.

exaggerated the truth in relating their famous exploits*

C ’est 1*imagination, pechere! suplra Tartarin; - 1 1 -

nous somes dos men tours par imagination.1 ,

Finally, hiddroi from each other by a crest of ice, the two men, tied together, feel the rope break. Bompard, terror-stricken at the loss of his friend, barrios down the mountain. Searching parties are unable to find tho body, and Bompard returns sadly to Taraseon. He is dramatically explaining his heroic efforts in order to rescue his fallen friend (he says be descended into the crevasse fifteen times at great risk, and even exhibits several bones— supposedly those of Tartarin) when in walks Tar tar in himself*

It is finally revealed that each man had at the crucial moment in­

stinctively and unconsciously cut the rope. Tartarin had made his way down the opposite side of the mountain, and after a few days spent in bed, had returned home thinking Bompard dead. This dramatic adventure, needless to say, tremendously increases Tartarin1s popularity*

Benjamin J. Wells calls this novel "the masterpiece of French . . g '' .... . humor of the 19th century."

In Fort-Taraecon, the concluding sequel of the Tartarin series,

are to be found some of Baudot* s choicest iroxy and humor, as well as

some of his most piercing truths in regard to the peculiar temperament

of the people of Provence. The plot, though certainly far-fetched, is

his boldest exaggeration of the Provencal imagination.

Otherwise, however, Fort-Tnrnscon falls far short of measuring up

to the standard of the preceding stories* The gravity of the plot, the 12

1, Baudot, A*, Tartarin sur les Aloes, p. 542* 2. Introduction of Le Nabab — cf* Bibliog, tragic end of the colony and the pitiful hunbling and ignoninious death of Tartarin are unfitting departures from the style and spirit of uhat has cons before#

Several years after hio triumphant return froa the Alps# Tcrtarin

throws tho town into a rabid state of curiosity end excitement by bring­ ing to it no less a personage than a dukeo Tho day following his ar­ rival* Taroscon is sot agog by a poster calling for colonists for the

"Colonie libre do Port-Taraccon”, fantastically described as a veritable

Garden of Eden on some distant island# Through tho efforts of the Duke

de lions* and aided by Tartarin* who, in a blase of glory* spends hio

time in running back and forth betvean Tarancon and Marsoillo, the .

whole llidi is stirred to a fever of enthusiasm. The money pours in

from the gullible Southerners, land is cold in the colony by the hun­

dreds of acres and finally tho first load of emigrants, with Bompard at

their head, leaves Harooillos

Qao month later, a second large group leaves. Tartarin, elected

governor of tho colony, remains in Taraocon to look after tho business

affaireo One of hio most important duties is editing a paper contain­

ing what is supposedly the news of tho colony*o progress#

Just as the final shlp-lomd of colonists is preparing to sail, a

fisherman brings Tartarin a nocongo ho had found floating down tho

Mbone in a bottle. After telling of tho cocploto destruction of the

colony, the note warns tho others to wait for further nows before

sailing. Regarding this as tho work of either a crank or a practical

joker, tho eager colonists sot out to sea on a Kay morning of 1881, The Duke do Hone is almost the only person left behind. It bolng agreed that he shall follow after finishing some of the business which yet re­ mains undone* At the last minute, the "T&ra&quo”, grotesque effigy of the mythical founder of Tarascon, is tied to the s t e m of the ship.

After a long, uncomfortable journey, the travelers sight the island of "Port-lBimsoon** The captain of the landing party is killed when he rushes unsuspectingly toward a group of savages, thinking they are colonists playing a joke on the new-comers. Shortly after hastily retreating, the colonists are joined by Bezuquet, hideously tattooed from head to foot. After they return to the ship, Bezuquet tells them a tragic story of the fate of the first colonists. He is the only sur­ vivor, all the rest having been killed or eaten. The telegrams re­ ceived at Tarascon could naturally not have c o w from the island. The would-be colonists, over- joyed at the captain’s offer to take them back

to France, are amazed when Tartarin suddenly steps forth to declare his

faith in the duke and his intention of remaining on tho island. After

a heated discussion, about one hundred and fifty of the emigrants vote

to stay with him.

The history of the colony during the following months is related

by the journal of Fascalon, Ter tar in’a aide and faithful friend. Liv­

ing huddled together in one large building, unable to go out on account

of the incessant rain and threatened with a shortage of food, their life

is truly miserable. In order to break the terrible monotony, Tartarin

draws up a truce with Negonko, king of the savages.

Hot long afterward, and in spite of the opposition of many of the •14-

oolonists, Tartarln marries the fifteen year old daughter of King

Megonko. After he admirably puts down a revolt, seven men led by his old enemy, Costecalde, escape from tho island in the only boat.

A few days after Christmas, the colonists are everjoyed at sight­ ing a ship off the island. They are dumb-founded, however, when the officers on the ship notify than that they are living on British ter­ ritory and give them only twelve hours to evacuate.

Tartarln and Pascalon are assigned quarters in the officers’ state­ rooms, but the rest of the colonists are herded into the stuffy hold.

Bjy the time the ship reaches Gibraltar, Tartarln has not a friend on the boat except Pascalon. At Gibraltar, French officials take him into custody to be tried for fraud, infraction of emigrant laws and homicide resulting from negligence.

The trial is hold at Tarascon, The three judges from the lorth are driven almost frantic by the stifling midsummer heat and the con­

fusion resulting from the contradictory testimony of the imaginative

Taraseonnais. It finally becomes evident that tho account given by

> ■ ■ ■' ' ■ " Besuquet was greatly exaggerated, and that there were actually only a

w r y few casualties. Just as things are looking blackest for Tartarln,

Boapard rushes in to hie rescue. He incoherently explains that after

leaving the ship when it was still in the harbor of Marseille, he had

forgotten to give Besuquet the last-minute instructions of tho duke.

The ttinstructions* explained the gigantic dupery. Foolishly unwilling

to throw such a "jet d ’eau" on the enthusiasm of his fellow citizens,

Bompard had cent the naming message which had been found by tho 1 5 -

fishennaru

Tartarin is of course acquitted, tut almost all his former friends have turned against him. He is forced to sell his house together with all his collections, and even moves across the Ehone to Beaucaire. A few months later, Pascalon hears that his "governor* is dead.

Those stories, based on the Provencal imagination, contain a great many reflections of Provencal life and racial traits, some of which will be cited later in this study. Much of the humor and irony in Baudot* s characterizations are the result of intentional exaggeration. This fact is so obvious that it needs no proof, and Baudot practically refutes the activating theme of this last story, whan be says In his much more ser­ ious novel, Le Hababt

...chez les Meridionaux, en dehors et tout effusion, 11 n*y a jamais d ’aveugleraent conplet, * d*enballement*, qui reeletc cux sagesses de la reflexion.1

Building his whole story around the old Provencal proverb, "gau de 2 Carriero, doulou d*tmetau*-— ( "Joy of the street, sorrow of the hone")—

Baudot has with Kuna Houmestan brought out more forcefully than perhaps any one else the difference between the people of the North and those of the South of France.

His love for the South is as apparent here as anywhere, yet it is a love tempered by perfect understanding and true evaluation. He de­ fends Paris by calling itt 12

1. Baudot, A., Le Habab. p, 52. 2. Baudot, A., Huaa Bourses tan, p. 579. - 1 6 -

la .grazide vllle ou la province deverse toutes see ambitions, ses convoitises, son trop-plein bouil- lonnant et malpropre, et qu* elle accuse ensuite de perversity de d'infection*'1

His characters ere much more significant, much stronger end, espec­ ially, much more real than those in the Tartarin stories. The purposely ridiculous exaggeration in Tartarin is missing, and in its place is a much fairer and keener character analysis. His portrayal of H u m and of the other principal character®, his descriptions of Provence, and • his striking chapter "Aux Produits du Midi9 entitle this novel to a permanent place in French realism.

H e m y James wrote in 1883s

Hums Roumestan is a masterpiece5 it is really a perfect work; it has no weakness, no roughness; it is a compact and harmonious whole**

Emile Zola praised it in the following manner*

For Alphonse Baudot, Hmaa Roumestan will mark this interfusion of a temperament and a subject that are made for each other, the perfect olenitude of a work which the writer exactly fills#5

The action opens with the description of a grand festival in honor of Hums Roumestan, the new minister and a former resident, in the Pro­ vencal town of Ape. Baudot tells the reader in his introduction that he manufactured this town as a sort of composite picture of several

towns in Provence, and that he drew several of the characters from

1. Baudot, A., Huraa Roumestan. p. 855* *. James, H.,Partlal Portraits, p. 197. 3* Ibid. * p#; JS08# ■ actual acquaintances* At the tine of the celebration (1875), Hmaa Is forty-three years old*

The author then goes back and retraces H u m ’s career. Coning to

Paris at the age of twenty-two to study law, he had quickly become the leader'and idol of those cabarets in the students’ quarter frequented especially by his emigrant countrymen. Beginning as fourth secretary to a famous Legitimist lawyer, his rise becomes spectacular after M e marriage to Rosalie Le Quesnoy, oldest daughter of a counsellor in the

Paris Court of Appeals. From the very start, however, and in spite of their deep love for each, other, it is evident they can never be happy together. luma’s fiery spirit and ambition— the w r y things which are indispensable to his career— are in direct contrast to his wife’s simple desire to have a home above everything else.

As a result of the fall of the Empire, he becomes counsellor- general of a southern department. In his new glory, and with M s exuber­ ant, friendly nature, he promises impossible favors to all those who cone to M e . Making a short trip down into the Midi, he meets Valna- jcur, a rustic tasbourinist, and promises to introduce him to the

Capital.

Three months later, he is made Minister of Public Instruction, and all his increasing duties and obligations take him more end more away

from M s wife# He is surprised when Valmajour appears in Paris, having

taken M e promise seriously. Kuna’s young sister-in-law. Mortem###

finally makes him arrange a concert for Valmajour’s debut. To every­

one but the imaginative Hortens®, Valmajour, hopelessly out of piece In the Parisian salon, is a diaappoi&tiaeat#

Hot long after this, Hortense, suffering from a severe cold, is taken by her mother to the baths of Arvill&rd, -where her brother had died of consumption several years before, toere slie is joined by Nurae, sfao has been invited to lay the oornerstone of a new school at Chambery,

falmajour, in the meantime, has made a "debut*— playing at a cheap

skating rink. Hortense, eager to see the tambourinist, with whom she has fallen in love, returns to Paris, though some of her intimate friends know that she con never he troll. Resulting from the shock

caused by disgust and over-exposure when she goes to see Valnajour play,

she falls gravely ill and is rushed back to the South. Valmajour'o

greedy sister, armed with her brother* s photograph of Hortense, engages

a lawyer to aid her plans of extortion. Then, learning of Numa’s affair

with a young singer, she fiendishly writes Rosalie a letter telling her

to go to a certain address. Following the instructions of the letter,

Rosalie for the second time surprises her unfaithful husband. This

time, she insists upon a divorce, which would of course ruin Huna’s

career, changing her mind only after being told that even her father

had once been unfaithful.

Soon after this, Hortense, on her death bed, makes her mother

promise to forgive Huma.

Rosalier3 troubles are all forgotten, when, a few months later,

a child is born to her. The child1 s baptism is the occasion for great

rejoicing among Huaa’e southern admirers, whom they happen to be visit­

ing at the time. Daudet brings the story to a striking close, when. - 4 . 9 -

Imaedintely after her huGbcnd1 a brilliant speech to the throng aaseabled in the street, Rosalie asks him to repeat the proverb which hie aunt had quoted only a few days before; then;

...olle repots lentament, en y mettant la plaints de sa vie, ce proverb® ou toute une race s'est peinte et foraulee* i- -Joie de rue, douleur de matson.#*

Of Le Hcbab. Julee hemaltre once wrote;

Asses convent, dons l 1oeuvre d'un grand ecrivain, un livro se dietingue qui n'eat pas le plus parfait, mats qui esfc le plus riche, le plus curieux ou le plus fort, celui ou 1*artiste a donne toute sa mesure. Je crois que pour Alphonse Daudet, ce livre eot Le Habab.%

la this ironic story of a multi-millionaire^ cclf-deetructlon caused by naively trusting so-called friends to help him realise his political ambition, Daudet glaringly portrays the corruptness of the political society of Paris. He M s given us Paris in all its Second

Zhpire complexity and glitter* ' . Bernard Janeoulct, the Provencal peasant mho, after making & vmmt fortune by somewhat questionable enterprises in Tunis, comes to Paris with the intention of carving himself a niche In politics and society, is by no means above reproach. And yet, Daudet has so masterfully por­ trayed this man, endowing him with such child-like naivete, vanity, and sensitiveness, that the reader cannot help pitying him as each day he grows more and more disillusioned. Bernard Jansoulet is an individual;

H u m Roumestan, though possessing striking peculiarities of charfeeter. 12

1. Daudet, A., Numa Roumestan* p. 870, 2. Lemitre, J., Los Contemporains» rol, 8, p. 145, - 80-

i® hardly aore than a type.

Though tho setting la laid chiefly in Paris, the hovel contains several striking scenes of Provence.

Through one of his first acquaintances in Paris, the popular Dr*

Jenkins, Jansoulet is introduced to the Kbemi nonde." He Is coon called

*le H&bab* ty the crowd of opportunists who besiege him. Flattered by his imagined popularity, the gullible Provencal hands out prodigious sums of money to almost anyone who professes to have a worthy cause.

Be hires young Paul de Gary, whose father had formerly befriended him, as his secretary. Paul soon sees that his employer is being fleeced, but it is now too late to cease donating to some of the pro­ jects. Finally, after having given away several million francs, he is almost overcome with joy at being named a candidate for the office of deputy of Corsica. His joy is short-lived, however, for his enemies, headed by a Boron Hemaerlingue who was formerly one of his business associates, defeat him by bringing false accusations against M m . Be is on the point of jumping to his feet to prove himself Innocent of the charges by referring to a rather scandalous affair concerning his brother, when he sees his aged mother enter the courtroom. Unwilling to cause her any pain, he nobly sacrifices hie ambition and reputation by de­ clining the opportunity to defend himself#

! The death of the Duke de Mora (modelled after the famous Duke de

Moray), on® of his true friends, ends any hope that might have remained . for him. Be fiery later discovers that his death, wag the result of mal­ practice on the part of Dr. Jenkins, who was ma

Soon afterward, the *pauvre nabab*, after being booed from his box in a theatre which hi® own money had eared, dies in the arms of Da Gary, who, with typical Daudet irony, has just returned from Africa with ten million francs he has managed to salvage from the fortune# Chapter II

The nese of Areas has long been famous, not only in Provence, but also in Corsica, and Italy, and was even k n o m to Honor, who often spoke of ala riante ville d’Arene13 and "Valuable Arene*B

Paul Areas was born in 1043 at Sieteron in the Bacses-Alpea of ttaute-Provencse Like his ancestors, he was also to fight for Provence#

At the College do fanves, where, he performed the duties of study- master, he received his degree of "liecncie-es-lettres.8 For a short time, he had occupied a similar position at the Lyceo do Marseille.

Thus, ha acquired a vary intimate acquaintance with the atmosphere and

nature of Provence— en intimacy which is immediately apparent in his works, fihen his play, Pierrot Her!tier, received favorable comment at

the Odeon In 1865, ha left the university to take up journalism. It was about this tine that he began to contribute to the Figaro litteraire

and to publish his first Provencal poems in the Alaanach avlgnonals of

Roumanille#

Charles Kaurras, in a study of Arfene's life and works Included in

an edition of La Chevro d'Or. regrets that it is not well enough recog­

nised that Ar&ne honored two French literatures, tiiat of the Worth and

that of the Midi# Hie best verse, though hardly equalling Mistral1 s,

is Provencal; his best prose is French and of the first order#

1. Maurraa, C.„ Introduction to La C h W e d*0r. to. 6 . (Of. Blfellogra^y) Paul Aren© poote, conune Paul Areno contour, no oortait gudre jamais do son arrondlsseaent, mals 11 y mettait I’mlvers.

His plays, as trell as his othsr works, reflect Provencal manners and life,

Ha needed only two months of the summer of 1868 to write his master- piece, Jean des FiRues* of which Kaurras, in calling It a monument of

French prose, eayoi

Si.Jean doc Piques resto, l*on saura que le gout francala n*avail pas disparu vers le troisierne tiers du dut-neuvi^ms siecle,1 2

Wirni tiie War of 1870 was declared, Krone immediately put Into practice the much discussed plan of the League of the Midi, and for his service am "Capitalne dee mobiles” he was decorated in 1884 by the

Legion of Honor,

After the war, he continued hi® writing, producing stories, chron­ icles, poems, and plays.

His principal stories are contained in La Gueuse Parfuaee. which includes Jean des Fimies. and Au Bon Solell. Besides his most famous novels, La C h W r e d*0r and Xtoalne, his works include several other novels, a few volumes of poems, several volumes of short stories and various other works. In addition to these works, ho was a frequent contributor to several literary journals.

In praising the quality of his writings, Maurras says*

1. Maurras, 0,, Introduction to La C h W e d*0r. p. 6 . (ef« Mbi,) 2. Ibid., p. 14. ; Artme recueillait tout le pittoresque do eon pays ♦•.Son tact exguls preserve Arbuo d ’eorire janals une raillerie trop aeide*1

For a time his vork seemed to get dry, then suddenly ho was able to recapture his youth and former spontaneity. With some regrots at leav­ ing Paris, where he had been living for a long time, he was forced by poor health to move back to Antibes, in the Midi. Just when it was hoped that he had recovered, the winter solstice suddenly brought on his death in 1896,

He was buried with great reverence in his beloved Midi at Sisteron, on his grave, this epitaph (in Provencal)s

Je E*en vais Pause ravie D*svoir r6ve ma vie*

An Bon Solell. though not a novel in the strict sense of the word,

does contain besides the short stories, anecdotes, legends and nature

sketches, several longer "etudes de plume" which have a rather loosely

joined unity of action* these last are especially rich in the atmos­

phere of Provence;— in them, the author conducts the reader on a sights

seeing tour of the whole Provencal region, centering mainly around

Avignon,

The selections are varied, colorful and with almost no exceptions,

very interesting, Artrne shows a genuine but not blindly prejudiced love

for Provence, an understanding of its people, a deep background oi^ its

legend as well as of its history end an intimacy with its partidtilAr

______;______'______. ; 1. Maurras. C.. OD.cit., pp, 18-19• 2. Ibid., p. 21* •ts*

and typical natural beauty. He is, like Baudet in many ways, character­ ized by a quiet, pleasant, quiszical humor which not only adds greatly to the reader's enjoyment, but also tempers hi® portrayal, which might otherwise be prejudiced#

Anatole France, discussing Arena in his ha Vie Litterairo. compares him to his best k n o w character, Jean dos Figuee, who, in the story says*

Je vine au nonde au pied d'un figuier, un jour que les cigales chantaicnt#1

Continuing his study of Arhne, he says*

II nine le eoleil at tout ce que baigne le eoleil. Son style clair et ©baud a, dans son elegante eecher- eess, cette sauveur de pierro zl fusil que le soleil . donna aux vins quill nurit avec amour. H faut placer S. Paul Arbne h cote de H. Quy de Maxqwaeant, et ces deux princes dea conteurs auront pour enblene le pre­ mier 1 'olive, le second la pome#

1* France, A,, ha Vie Litteraire. vol. S, p# 48# 2- Ibid.. Chapter III

Viator Hugo, spealcing in the French Acadeny about a m u c Mwr&ldad young writer irho had just cone to Paris from Toulon, predicted! "Je 1 ' ' proffiots ce poet® a la France.® This was about 1668. Before long, all

Paris was talking about this young man, and in 1909, forty-one years after Bigots prediction, Jeen Aicard was elected to take Francois

Coppee's place among the wIaaortal Forty.”

Born in Toulon in 1848, Aicard, whose father had been a contri­

butor to the encyclopedia of Pierre Leroux, vary early showed signs of literary talent. His poetry soon made his name known throughout France,

and when ho wont to Paris at the age of twenty to study law, he made

what might almost be called a triumphal entry.

His unique Provencal poems were very favorably received in the

Capital, and he immediately became popular socially. A remarkable

speaker and reciter, he mas ever in demand at public occasions. He

also spent a good part of his time in traveling throughout France. His

greatest triumph case toward the end of his life, when hb was chosen

with Rlohepin to reply to Rudyard Kipling*s eloquent verses written at

the time of Poincare's visit to London in 1915,

Though he was always idolised In Provence, which, in the words

of Winifred Stevens, *ie for Aicard what Lorraine is for Barrds and

Touraine for Berne Boylesve," he was destined to lose much of his

2. Stevens, W., French Novelists of Today, p. 881. earlj popularity escmg th« PrrtBlene.

Andre Laaande, In an article published in the Revue Politique ot

Litterairo in 19B4, gives a careful analysis of the unpopularity of

Aieard, Aicard* 8 T?ork always had a definite undercurrent of moral and social preoccupation. Moreover, he vac too independent to cede to con­ temporary standards and practices* His motto was, RJe suls ce que je euie,R and Ltmande continues, '

II eut rougi de flatter* II ne chercha jamais a plaire* II disait son coeur tout simplemcnt. C'etalt, event ■tout, un moralists qul a1ignorait et gui parlait en vers, trouvant ce lang&ge harnonieux*1

Influenced by Saint-Simon and Rousseau,

Ches lui le coeur I ’cnportait eur la raison. De la bont^, humaine infinie, et par eons^quegt, du pro- grbs moral incessant, il so fit xm dogma,^

His enthusiastic admirers wero made hostile by hie stoic drama,

Smilis. and even M s popular P&re Lobonnard had to be presented first in the The&tre Libre d*Antoine, though conscious of the attacks dir­

ected against him, Aicard peacefully continued his writing. His

election to the Academy in 1909 doubled hie opposition*

Antoine Albalat says, in his Souvenirs de la Vie Lltteraire, that he made many of his literary enemies by hie spontaneous improvisation, and he once confessed that he could not make himcolf work hard. Along his rather easy-going life, he did, however, make a large number of

I* Laaande, A., Jean Aicard. % v u e Politique et Litt&aire. 15 ndv., 1924, p. 764. 2- Ibid. staunch friondo, Piorre Loti and Sully-Prudhome being two of .the cost faithful*

During the World War, he worked hard in spite of the malady which • eventually: caused his death in 1922 after he had returned from a short visit to Provence. There were no representatives fron the Academy at his funeral. The oration was so poor that the Societe dos Gens da

Lettres, of which ho had been president in 1904, refused to publish it as was customary*

Albalat cays nothing is more false than reproaching Aicard for posing as a rival of Mistral—

Aicard a ecri t en francais, et Mistral ost un po&te proven^nl.1

He also attacks the idea of opposing Tartarin deTarascon to

declaring#

Lea deux ouvragea n*ont rien

peinture du aausant et populaire.

5 ”11 n ’itait pas de tout le nonde,* says Lanandef and Winifred

Stevens mlarges this idea in concluding#

Among realists, Aicard remained an idealist (•obstin^ dans son iddaliEne1)# among class!date a romantic, among agnostics and atheists, if not a Christian, if not a deist, at least one who re­ gretted God** 2*4

1* Albalat, A., Souvenirs de la Vie Littfaraire, p. 817. 2. Ibid. 8. Lamandd, A., "Aicard". Revue Polltioue et Lltteraire. 15 nov., 1984, p. 768. 4. Stevens, W., op.cit.. p. 876* -4B9- •

More conoiderate of hie critics than most writers, Aicard gives in a charming, unbeaetful manner the qualities, which in his opinion, give hie the right to attempt to write a book cueh as Maurin des Haures. This

is also, incidentally, an excellent Insight into the Provencal characters

. ~C»est un livre qui ne pourreit Sire Wcrit que per un Provencal de vieille souche, $ w un hoimae qui ait paseS avee les Provengaux la plus grand® pertio de ca . vie;...un Provengal qui connaisse th fond leur accent, lour mani&re de se moquer et d'etre serieux, de s*irriter et de s^apeleer sans transition, et jusqu*& leur f&gpn si caract^ristique de retrousser sur la nuque leur . chapeau de paille ou de feutre...Plus j'y pens©, plus je crois quo Jean d^Aurioll pent faire co livre-lk, car 11 y faut mettre surtout une sympathie instinctive pour la raea d ’hommes qu’il s’agit de d<$peindre: ce n'cst on effst que per la sympathie qu'on peat la plne'trer et la com- ,prendre. Du dehors, telle phyeionomie de ce pays court le risque de paraltre ridicule qui, examinee comma elle doit I'etro, n*est que conique et satirique. Les Proven­ gaux rSvelemt volcmtiers leurs trovers pour afen egayer en artistes et en noraliotea. C*est 1*esprit mBne de Molidre. C,eet la une Pro­ vence tres ‘vieille Franco’. Pour ecrire un tel livre, il sera encore nSceseaire d’oublier la littwrature ap- prise et leo recherches da style. II faudra conserver a cheque phrase frangaiae un tour provengal, uhe incor­ rection savoureuso, dec n6ologismes et dea barbarism®## II faudra quo dans le transvasement d ’une langu® dans 1 ‘autre, le vin ne s’6vcnte pas trop.2

In hie Maurin dea Haures and its sequel, L ’lllustre Maurin. Jean

Aicard has created two characters, Maurin and Pastoure, who, if only

for their humor and idiolesome philoso$*y, deserve a place in tin hearts

of the reading public equal to those occupied by the better k n o w Robin

Hoods and Beau Qestes, Baron Munohausens and Don Juans of otiier lands

______;------!------i------— L— ------1. Jean d’Auriol— really Jean Aicard. S. Aicard, J., L ’lllustre Maurin. pp. 321-2%. -So­

und literatures* '

Eliot G* Fay, in praising Aicard, says that he ’’combines Mistral16 1 fine idealism with Daudet*s sense of fum." Fey adds that with all his similarity to Mistral, Baudot and Arene, Aicard has nevertheless his own individual style* ,

Aicard seems to owe to Daudet tlie idea of forming his hero*s name from his origin— the euphenioue title, Maurin dec Maures* being undoubt-

.* It is quite interesting to com- pare, er rather eontwsi, K1 ‘indonptable Tartarin* and "le juste Maurin**

Maurin, like Tartarin, is a sort of Don Quixote, but, unlike Tcrtarln, a Don Quixote without the contradictory characteristics of Sancho-Panaa* thus, while Tartarin is easily the more laugh-provoking# Maurin is the more colorful* Continually sought by the police on account of some ad­ venture of a Robin Hood or a Don Juan, Maurin is, in a word, the man of notion Tartarin fondly imagines himself to bo. Endowed with the roman­ tic attributes of strength, handsome appearance and popularity, and possessing a fine sense of both humor and justice together with a dis­ tinct philosophical turn of mind, Maurin is really a noble character*

Aicard himself calls him—

..*u b chevalier deo temps des saint Louis ot des Saladins**

Tartarin, with his "doubles muscles", rabid imagination and charity is perhaps the more lovable, certainly the core humorous of the two*

1* Pay, Z* Q,, (Cf* bibliography.) R* Aicard, J*, -Sl­

it is in the country surrounding Toulon— so familiar and dear to the author— -that Maurin, a descendant of the Moors v/ho once overran the region, ham W i l t up a reputation through his extraordinary marksman­ ship, heroi-comic adventures end *gnldgeades,#

Hhat with his love affair with Ionia, the daughter of a Corsican bandit, dabbling in politics, being falsely accused of a killing, con­ tinually escaping from the very clutches of the police and becoming in­ volved in other humorous or near-tragic situations too numerous to men­ tion, Maurin1s life does not lack for excitement.

In the sequel, I^Illustre Maurin. Aicard not only greatly elaborates the principal characters, bat also introduces many new and interesting minor ones. The plot-action centers around Maurin1s love affair with

Tenia, his more important role in local politics, M s continued clashes with the "gendarmerie" and his efforts to prevent his children from making many of the costly errors that have narked his life*

The book is a veritable mine of Provencal reflections, abounding in description* of the history, industries, racial characteristics, lang­ uage, literature, religion, customs, politics, dress and sports of the region, in addition to much excellent geographical description* :

As it is impossible to include even the outstanding incident# in a condensed synopsis, the least that can be done in justice to the story is to glance briefly over a few of the most striking passages*

There is, for instance, the hilarious description of the regional republican convention, the scenes of which are, in their confusion and

enthusiasm, reminiscent of Tartar in1 s trial in Port-Tarascon. Maurin, - S i -

ignorant of parliamentary procedure, presides over the meeting in an undeniably just though somewhat unorthodox fashion, and Psstoure, noted

for his reticence, cones out of his shell long enough to astonish every­

body with a speech, Pactoure, incidentally, plays a larger role as the

story progresses, and if Haurin is thought of as a sort of Robin Hood,

Psstoure can be briefly characterised as Little John,

Then, there is the sceno in which Haurin, unable to stand idly by

at a particularly cruel and bloody bullfight, jumps Into the ring and

chases away the crude toreador. Aicard1s views on the bullfight are

strikingly different from those revealed in the enthusiastic portrayal

of Henry do Montherlantr a Les Bestlaires. which will be discussed later,

Aicard devotes several pages to a remarkable description of the

fire which for a time threatens to destroy the entire region of the

Maures, and for which Maurln is falsely blamed.

Finally, there are the closing episodes, in which Maurln, after

being shot by the madly Jealous Tonis, is taken by Pasteurs and a few

other faithful friends to a smuggler's cave where he will be safe from

the pursuing "gendarmes." Before dying, Maurln profoundly influences

the lives of several hardened tobacco smugglers hy. hi® calming, optim­

istic, homespun philosophy.

Few other writers in this group have used the "galegeade" to

greater advantage, and non® to greater extent, than has Jean Aicard.

In defending one of the many"gaulois"stories of this nature which are

to be found in Haurin des Maures and L'lllustre Maurln. Aicard involves

two characters in the following arguments - 35-

-Inntlllsable en yerltet Comaeat 1 1entandss-vouef -J*sntends qu'xm eorlvain qui ee respecie et qul respect® son leeteur ne pent pas... -It mol, je n len pcux pcs crolre nes orelllesl.,* Voile done on en est la France do Babolals, do La Fon­ taine et de Molierel folia oil en sont nos llberWs morales apr^e la revolution politique de 89 et la revol­ ution littdraire de 18501.,.C1est inoroyablel Etea«-vbus done incapable de faire la distinction entre un not bac (qui Tie represent# qu’uno ordure) et une inconvenance, geste ou parole, qui a un sens eleve, qui represents tm mouvement do 1*esprit ou qui ooulonent devient le notif d*une manifestation de pensile, indignation ou Gnthouaiamae? *••11 les gens qui sont n£s, ni ceux qui, sans l'6tre, vivent quand n & o , — n^ont jamais result devent le not defendu, pouzva qu’il fut loyal, franc, net,— oe qui lui ote tout® Indlcenoe ou vilenie*1

1* Heard, J,, LMllustr® laurln, pp. 57-58* Chapter If

Bora in Marseille in 1878, Edmond Jaloux has written and is still writing today a great deal about his native Provence,

At tb# age of fourteen, he sent some of his verses to Stephana - ■ ' ' i ■ Mallnrrae, who praised them so highly that the young lad determined to devote his time to writing* lot long after this, a volume of hie verse

' ' ' ‘ ‘ ' ■ " won the approval of Andre Qide*

Encouragod by these early trlumgdis, he began to contribute te

L >Brmitage« a literary review. His first novel, Agonio del*Amour. written when he was twenty, is an ardent protest against contemporary life* He early came under the influence of Henri de Regnier, and to many M will remain a sjoabolist. He likes to make detailed descriptions of dead or sleeping places, such as Versailles or Aix-en-Provence, and he delights in the exotic*

To judge from the increasing bitterness of M s novels, Jaloux became very unhappy In Marseille. This anger and consequent acidity, oddly enough helped further his fame— which had already extended to

Paris— by causing many critics to associate him with Balzac and the naturalists. He did, in fact, get farther and farther away from symbolism and poesy in his approach to realism. \ v Finally, he began to attempt a sort of reconciliation, in order " ■ ■' '■ . ■ : . . & : to achieve the unity which every author desires in his work. His j philosophy aight. be resumed as follows* because life is so hard and cruel, the sensitive seek refuge and escape in the past; but they are

•wrong in so doing—

Oe qui a raison, c'est la vio. D ’abord, avant de rever, il faut viwee*

Armand Praviel, in a chapter devoted to Jaloux in his Du Romantlsna ft la Pri&re, states*

A It oeuvre marseillaiee de M. Edmond Jaloux, #i riche de vie et de couleure, si pleine de porconnages et d ’idees, il ne.manque plus, Ih-haut, que la sil­ houette de Hotre-Dane de la Garde,"

It is too soon to judge the work of this writer who is pleasing in spite of his pessimism. Sleeted Laureate of the Acndiaie Frang&ise in

1920, he is still a frequent contributor to several literary journals rod literary critic of Les Houvelles Litt^rairos.

Aix-en-Provence, that sleepy little city in the heart of Provence which seemed to resist the march of progress during the last century* serves as setting for the psychological novel.

Through the main character, Raymond do Bruys, Jaloux reveals an intense love for Provence and especially for Aix, In addition to his excellent descriptions, tlie author has added greatly to the realism and polgnrocy of tho story by his application of child and adolescent psychology, and his portrayal of religious fanaticism. 1

1. Praviol, A., "Un Marseillais Pessimists; Edmond Jaloux*, from JXi — 4.4 >. i, p, 65. (Them are Jaloux* s own words.) 2. Ibid.. p. 77. -w -

Througbout the story there is a deep undercurrent of pessimism, which may bo well exemplified by the following bit of discouraged phil­ osophy on the part of Raymond* -

Pour un peu, j ,eusse cm...a la bont^ de la vie, a la facilit® du bonheur, et cependant, jo savais bien main tenant quo lo monde est 1*organisation con- tinuelle d ’une impitoyable injustice.1

Raymond de Bruys, only six years old at his father's death, re­ members him only vaguely as a hard-faced, irascible man; therefore he is quite happy when his mother, a few months later, marries her former suitor, Maurice de Cordeusn. Although Raymond and hie new step-father quickly become the best of friends and confidants, it is soon evident that the marriage will not be a happy one. Epitomizing the very spirit of Provence, Maurice is pleasure-loving, popular, easily-bored and in­ constant in his likes and dislikes. Endowed with an unmistakable talent for painting, he is continnaUynaking rather far-fetched plane to travel and study which, however, he never carries out. His wife, five years his senior, is, on the other hand, in almost direct contrast to him— calm, happy in being alone with her family and becoming more and more religiously severe in her beliefs. Raymond, who has accepted Maurice as his ideal, is thirteen before he begins to realise their incom­ patibility.

The painful yet happy years of his adolescence are spent either alone in dreamy wanderings through the quaint old Provencal town, or

T» JalouxL I.. Fogies" p. 164. la close companionship with Kaurice, whom ho has cone to worship as a hero. Finishing the lycee at the age of seventeen, he spends his tine in loafing with several rich friends, becoming involved in minor love affairs and incidentally attending a few courses of law.

One day he is introduced to Calixte Aigrefeuille, a young woman who has come to Aix supposedly to steidy law, but in reality to lead a

sort of bohemian existence. He falls in love with her at first sight, but she treats him almost as a child.

On hearing a great doal of the attractive Maurice, she asks Raymond to bring him to her house. Heedless to say, Maurice falls deeply in

love with her and begins to visit her quite frequently. One day Raymond

accidentally surprises them embracing one another, an embarrassing

moment for all three.

His mother finally hears of the affair, and Raymond, t o m between

M s duty toward M s mother. M e hero-woreMp of Maurice and M s own

unrequited love for Calixte, tells her that it is he himself who is

guilty. Tihen his mother discovers the deception, she coldly asks M m

to leave. She has undergone a moral crisis as a result of brooding

over the affair, and, in her almost insane moral and religious fanatic­

ism, turns against her son. Maurice never dreams tliat he is responsible

for M s wife*s serious illness.

Called back to Aix ty M e mother after five long, unhappy years,

Raymond is sadly surprised to find everything changed; M s mother ap­

pears very old, even Maurice seems to have aged considerably, finally

resigned to a mediocre success in his art, and Calixte, whom he has -w -

never been able to forget, is married. After a few days, Raymond is glad to return to Paris*,*

n ’enportant de non voyage que le souvenir de eee colonnes de fumSes nontent tout# smiles, montant dans la caapagne d'automno, sous le d e l indifferent,1

Back in Paris, Raymond takes up hie monotonous daily life, but he also is ohangedf he simply exists, fixed, resigned. Soon afterward, his mother dime, and he goes back to Aix. Maurice has finally decided to go to Italy, the beauty of which he had praised all his life* He leaves, in fact, but shortly after his arrival in Genoa, is stricken with pleur­ isy and dies. For the last time, Raymond returns to Aix to dispose of the property. Touched by the faithful devotion of his old nurse, Miette, he gives her the house and leaves Aix forever*

The action of the psychological, one night almost say philosophical novel. La Chute d*Icare. is laid in and around Marseille, Several ex­

cellent descriptions of the vicinity add a groat deal to the interest

and local color of the story,

Albert Artillan, who tells the story, is one of a group of old

friends, all of considerable wealth, who live for the majority of the

time on the outskirts of Marseille, As the action opens, shortly after

the close of the World War, M. and Mme. Audi&pvre, friends of Artillan,

open their home to their young nieces, Lilioso and Ltarie-Marthe do

Thiberghlen. The two sisters almost immediately fall in love with

Robert Hyades, a young officer who had served at the front* 59-

In helping to extingultii a fire r M c h menaces the country house of iudlepvre, Robert is slightly injured. It is this minor Incident # m t brings the rivalries into the open, to add to the Interest of the situation, Artillan discovers that his crippled son, Luc, is in love with LUlose, the more attractive of the tro girls. Lilloee, however, keeps him dangling even though it is clear that she prefers Robert. She even begins to flirt openly with another man in order to prevent Robert from becoming over-confident*

A situation rapidly becoming ominous is eased when Lllioee brings about a reconciliation with Marie-Marthe by promising to give her free reign with Robertj if he shows no jealousy over her apparent interest in another man, she will admit defeat,

Robert, pricked by Lilloee*a apparent indifference, turns to Marie-

Mar the, and Luo, not particularly agreeable at beat, becomes inaupport- ably morose. After several weeks of this unpleasant atmosphere, Luc apologises to hie father for having been so disagreeable. It seems that

Lilioae, stung in turn by Robert’s apparent attentions to her sister, has been more considerate of Luc. When the poor boy confides to M s

father M s hopes of marrying Lilioae, Artillan, realising how matters

stand, tries to spare his inevitable disappointment*

After several other complications, Robert and Liliose become re­

conciled. Marie-Mnrtho, in a burst of jealousy, strikes her sister,

and Audi^pvre thinks it best to send her away to visit a friend in

Monte-Carlo for a while*

Luc, utterly dejected at the announcement of Lilioae*e engagement - 40-

to Robert, obtains M s fatherT e permission to s p m d several months in

Hlee, Bien, & few weeks later, irtillan receives word that his son and

Marie-Marthe are planning to be married, he realizes that they are tak­ ing one another as a sort of consolation.

Just as it appears that these complicated affairs are being re­

solved in mhat is perhaps the beat way for everyone concerned, the cat­

astrophe occurs# Robert, who has been away on duty, writes Lilioae

that he will fly over the house on his return. Just as he is directly

overhead, his plane suddenly bursts into flame before the horrified

eyes of M e assembled friends and falls into the bay#

;n

v -4L

Chapter V

Though Jean-Louis Vaudoyer is knoma priaarily aa an artist, being a member of the Higher Council of Fine Arts, staff-member of the Mus^e dea Arts Dicoratifs and art critic of the Echo de Paris, he is also prominent as a novelist and poet of distihetlm.

Born in 1888, he went to the front at the age of thirty and was awarded the Croix do Ckxerre for his valiant service. Besides the two novels to be treated In this study, he has published among others.

Laura et

While he has not, in fleeted Provence to as great an extent as have some novelists, the few examples that we find are excellent and, as in all his work, composed with the author’s continual ideal of beauty before him. In his observe*

tlon, which is noteworthy in its detail and artistry of expression, he

sees only that which is beautiful. As Henri Martinoau writes*

Peut-etre, comme l 1 a tres M e n indiqu^ Emile Henriot, qu’et 8se le representor d ’apr&s son livre, qui est un miroir complaisant, m i s pas indiscret, I’univers para£t M e n parfsit. II ne volt ni la laideur ni la b#tise, nl 1*ennui| la misbre et la pauvretS no le touchent pas. II resiste ^ la pititf, et ne salt pas ce qu’est la doulour des eutres.” Si sea accents sont ainsi limit^sj du noins e6llbr«at»ilo inlassablement la bea u W . 1

In an effort to take M s mind from the horrible scenes of t #

1. llartineau, H., WJ.-L. Vaudoyer", La Minervo 3 pp. ^9-81. front, Taudoyer had written a book trhich appeared In 1918 under the title, Les Pemissions de Client Beilin. Tho edition# having been out of print for several years, the author prepared a new edition which was published in 195* as Clement Beilin, ou les Amours Alxoises, He rea-»

«®bers having written the notes which went into the book while station* ed at different sectors in France and Italy—

loue les ensoleilione par 1 ’imagineti«n evec cette lumi^re provengale que, sur notre invitation, y convialt Cldment Beilin. Elio d^oouvrait, coasie dee miragee, les beaux hotola aixois, couleur de niel, couleur de souci,^ les bruiesantes fontainea, les hauts platsnes touffua ou jamais lea sifflenents d*un ehrapnell n'ont interrompu les chants d Tun olse&u.l

this fantastic story reveals the author1s artistic nature through his love for the exotic and his sensualism. He speaks of Aix as "la eh&re yille rotrouvee", repeating the idea of the "hotels couleur de niel." Beilin, combining oddly nixed characteristics of a Northerner end of a typical Provencal, represents a unique type, described by his friend, Quintignies, as follows:

Toutes sea tendances etalent assurement idealiates, mala jamais il n leut eonsenti i, exprimer cet idealisms autrement quo par la forme la plus sensuelle. Touts oeuvre depouillee d ’cnveloppe et de chair lui semhlait nonstrueuse. La voluptd, pour lui, dtait fill© de la matiVre et de l 1esprit...La suite de cette hietoire montrera qu’il y avait en Beilin des oppositions pro- fondes, venues sans doute de I'ab&he qul existait yentre son esprit sensuel, m<rise par un gout de clarte, d ‘ordre, de e

1% faudoyer. J.- L . . Cldaent Beilin, n. iiT 2. HartJneau, H., op.cit., pp. 14-15* The story opens during the second year of the war, when Qulntig- n l W , & French soldier, goes to Alsace during a leave of absence to see Clement Beilin, a former acquaintance now serving as officer in the observation corps of the artillery• They quickly become friends and confidants'. Both tlio men arc artiste, but Beilin, undoubtedly the greater, has for some regrettable reason (not explained) abandoned his painting for architecture.

On writing to Mme. Marcella Comtalo, a beautiful lady whom he had seen some years before la Aix-en-Provence, he is surprised at receiving not only an answer, but a gift. Then, for several months,he and Une.

Comtale exchange letters end gifts. When his first leave comes, Beilin goes to Aix, at her invitation, to visit her.

At M s return, he enthusiastically tells Quintignies of M s ex­ perience. 86ae. Comtale, from M s description, is rich, artistic, some­ what of an epicurean and, in spite of her rather uncertain age and too generous use of cosmetics, very beautiful mid charming. His visit lasted only a few days, being interrupted by the arrival of Violetta

Hommay, Marcella's younger sister.

Shortly after M s return, Quintignies is transferred and placed under Boilin's instruction. The following May, the two friends are

granted another leave, and Beilin asks Quintignies to cone down to Aix

for & day or two from M s home in Avignon, Hae. Comtale shows Quint-

igni&s every hospitality, but he feels attracted to Violetta rather

than to Marcella* QuintigMes, the M g h t before he leaves, has the

vague premonition that Violette is trying to tell him something# but never discovers whet it is.

Back at the front, the two friends are separated, hut menage to keep in fairly close touch with on® another. Immediately after a ter­ rific bombardment (strikingly described by the author), Quintigni^a receives a telegram from Violetta, announcing the sudden death of Mar­ cella, Beilin, shocked at the news, feels unable to W a r the ordeal of going to Aix, but Quintlgnibs, partly out of consideration for Vio- lette and pertly but of curiosity, decides to return to Provence#

That night, in hie room in Marcella1s home, he is startled at

Seeing what he at first mistakes for Mae* Cootale# Closer examination reveals several wax images and portraits depicting her at different egos. Violette, surprising him at his examination of these things, tells him that Marcella Contale was sixty years old when she died, that she had formerly been a popular dancer and finally that she was her

(Violette1 a) grend-eotheri Possessed of almost undying beauty and youth, she had attracted the attention of Beilin several years before#

At first entering into the deception as a joke when he had written for an Invitation to visit her, she had been dismayed when he had fallen in love with her# Finally, she had been unwilling to cause the pain­ ful and embarrassing disillusionment which would result from a con- - I fession. Her sudden death had luckily averted an inevitable and awk­ ward denouement,

- '; In a quandary as to whether or not to tell Beilin the truth,\ Qolnt-

ignies is almost relieved to learn, upon returning, that hie frieiifl has been killed in action# though, as has been sold, not replete with reflections of Provence, merits being Included In this study for the descriptions of Toulon and a few sharp insights Into the Provencal character*

Andre Cellleux, the chief character, Is a Parisian painter en­ dowed with characteristics which are in all likelihood those of Vaudoysr himself, In order to rest and draw fresh Inspiration from the Provencal countryside, Cellleux rents a room justoutsido Toulon from tone. Mango- matin and her daughter, Raymond®.

Ho is almost immediately struck with the singular beauty of Ray- monde’s speaking voice, and in spite of her extreme homeliness, falls

In love with her. Their affair is broken up when Andre receives an urgent appeal to return to Paris.

Several months later, he learns that Raynonde has married another

artist who had been staying in her home. Bored with his life as a

society portrait artist, Cellleux at last comes to the ironic realiza­

tion that he has thrown a*my M s only chance of happiness by leaving Raymond#* . . , . ■ ... ■; • _ ’ . v: A delightful and noteworthy addition to the contemporary regional novel has recently appeared by a comparatively unlmown author.

The author referred to is Jean Hcrtet, and his novel is rather

The game of "boules*— apparently an ancestor of American lawn­

bowling— furnishes the framework around which Hartot tells the humorous,

ironic end baffling story (which in France will undoubtedly ba termed

a galegeade— and a fantastic one at that) of a Rouen doctor*a conver­

sion to the contagious gaity which seems to nark so distinctly the life

of the enthusiastic, inaginativo people of Provence.

Few writers, not excluding Baudot or perhaps some other especial

favorite, have equalled Jean Martel*c love for Provence and his expres­

sion of the peculiar spirit and atmosphere so particular to Proven##*

Indeed, so clearly has Martet expressed this love and tills spirit that

to appreeiate M s novel without reading it in its entirety is as im­

possible as to appreciate the delicious humor of Tartarin by merely

reading a condensed review of it* Here again, it is not only what the

author says, but how he says it that matters*

The exaggerated, enigmatic plot serves as tho vehicle for as

excellent a portrayal of Provencal atmosphere and character as is to

be found in any of the novels treated in this study. Shortly after the war, Jean Cabassud, a young doctor from Rouen,

■oven to Hazurgues, a small resort near Toulon. He ia Immediately struck by the brillianee of the sunlight, the beauty of the sea, the glaring ugliness of the town itself, end, most of all, the galty of these imaginative, good natured people who put so much enthueiaae into things which at firet appear to him as being insignificant. Firoa time to time his daughter visits him, making him feol almost antiquated in eontrast to her youthfulness.

After twelve years, Cabassud has gradually become accustomed to

the lacy tempo of Mazurgues life— so much so, in fact, that he has long

since abandoned the list of improvements to be made around his home

which he had drawn up soon after hie arrival# Several years before,

he had fallen in love with his cousin, Augusta Piqufbos, seventeen

years younger then he, but on thinking of the difference in their ages,

had tried to treat her merely as a friend. It is nevertheless with a

distinct feeling of remorse that he learns of her engagement. Even so,

when, after her engagement is broken, her uncle offers M m a consider­

able dowry if he will only marry Augusta, who quite evidently loves

him, he refuses#

As the "raconteur®, Cabassud had Introduced at the first of the

story a young man of mysterious origin and baffling abilities. Then,

on going back twelve or fifteen years, he had retraced the events lead­

ing up to the present moment. It is tills unique character, Julien, who

tram now on assumes such an important role in the story, and it is he,

endowed as ho is with if not supernatural powers at least unaccountable abilities* who nakos the story so intriguing.

Cabassud and his daughter, Denise, now sixteen years of age, are amazed at Julian's remarkable sleight-of-hand tricks, his almost uncanny speed in the water in spite of absolute disregard of form, and his mysterious ability to *causer aveo lea cigelos* by playing a little flute.

It ia at this point that the game of *boules# is described. The history and teehaique of the game are gone into at great length, Julian, called on to take some one's place in a gome one evening, steps up non­ chalantly, and, though never having before, easily boats the three veterans of this really exacting sport. Though he plays with absolute abandon, ignorant of the correct fora which is so essential a part of any active sport, his ball rolls up to tho stake and stops as though cone unseen force were directing it. His uncanny skill causes a great deal of excitement in tho town and it is with great joy that one of the two bowling societies obtains his promise to play with their team.

testified by all these events, Cabassud resolves to experiment on

Julien in an effort to confirm his belief that the young nan really has some supernatural power* Both he and Julien are amazed when tho latter, placing hi# hand over a pair of finely adjusted scales, jarringly dis­ turbs the balance merely through sheer force of will*

A few days later, Julien, by taking two signed papers away from an old inn-keeper after putting him under a sort of hypnosis, breaks the tyrannical hold the inn-keeper has long and unjustly exerted over his wife, her paralyzed, illegitimate son, end his servant. Shortly '- 4 9 -

afterward^ he restores to the young cripple the use of his paralysed legs* • Julien explains that he cured the paralysis nsroly by sitting at the bedside and projecting his strength into the body and mind of hie patient. The fact that a thunder storm had been in progress is apparently quite, important, and Julien appears noticeably fatigued and seeasto have aged considerably* Be surprises Cabassud by.confessing that he loves Beniso, and vainly tries to make an agreement whereby he will cure Cabassud’e patients in return for M s daughter’s hand. IThen he learns that she is engaged, he is almost overcome with despair at the irony in,his ability to perform supernatural acts and M s inability to have the one thing he really wants.

Denise, venturing too far out in the bay after only a few swimming lessons from Julien, is drowned. In a frensqr of fear, Cabassud forgets to apply artificial respiration till it is too late. At M s pitiful request, Julien repeats M s self-projection under conditions much similar to those of the former occasion, and succeeds in bringing her to life. He than asks Cabassud to present M s proposal to Denise, w M l e be hides in the room. Unable to refuse t M # time, Cabassud tells M s daughter first how Julien had cured Felielen, then how be bed brought her back from the dead. She refuses to believe him however, and when he tells her that Julien wants to carry her, she bursts into scornful laughter.

Shortly afterward, Julien disappears completely, and to add still more to the aystery surrounding him, at least a dozen people profess

to have seen him in as many different places as he left tho town. Cabaesud, profoundly affected b>r all these events, resolves to abandon himself completely to the influence of this strange Provence, declaring to his daughter his intention of buying a phonograph, taking up bowling, working only when he feels so inclined and, finally, of marrying Augusta,. - 51-

FART II

Chapter I

Ferdinand Fabro was barn In the Cevenol town of Bedarieux in 1850*

His father, an architect, sent him to toe neighboring oeninary of St*

Fone de Thornierea for his first education. Ills sumero he passed with . hie uncle, the Abbe Fulcran Fabre, priest of Canplong, and it is amidst

these rude mountains of Languedoc that he received hi® first and most

lasting impressions. His happy childhood was interrupted by the fin­

ancial ruin of his father. As he had reached toe age of choosing a

vocation, he was inclined toward the priesthood, and accordingly sent

to too "grand seminaire” of Montpellier. In spite of rigid application

to his theological studies, he never succeeded in feeling destined for

the church, and after a long struggle with his conscience, he gave up

a priestly career. As Rene Boumic puts its

H etait beaucoup trop honaSte.. .pour entrer dans un 6tat qui exige des dispositions si sp^ciales ot dont 11 avait conscience d ’etre si elolgno.1

Boumic adds that he was too loyal to have any thought of dramatis­

ing or in any way twisting toe forces which caused him to act thus.

Accordingly, he left in 1849 to brave a Paris enfevened.with the

Revolution. Although he had vaguely planned to study medicine, he - 52-

instead studied philosophy, history and literature at the Sorbonne, At

the conelueion of these courses, he became a lawyer* e clerk. He had t>econo acquainted with a group of young literary aspirants, and, in

1865, he published a volume of verses, Feuilles de Lierre. which, how­

ever, went unnoticed.

Influenced by his intimacy with these budding ^litterateurs", he had little by little begun to realise his calling. Stung into action by the scornful laughter of these acquaintances when he had confided to

them hi® tentative plan to return to Bedarieux in order to write novels using the church and the people of the Covennos as a background, he

left immediately to take up his task.

He did not return to Paris until eight or nine years later, but he brought with him renewed health, and, more important, the manuscript of his first novel, Les Courbezon. This story was crowned by the Academia

Francaise and drew much favorable outside attention, including that of

George Sand and Sainte-Beuve, who recognized In the original, young

author "un fort Sieve de Balzac.*

Though strongly attracted by Paris, Fabre was never at home there $

it was too radical a change for •cet enfant de Bedarioux”, in whom

simplicity and humility had been drilled since earliest childhood. He

had the good sense in hi® writing not to venture into field® with which

he was unfamiliar, but limited himself almost solely to the portrayal

of ecclesiastical life in the Cevennes of Languedoc. From about 1980

till his death in 1898, he published some nineteen or twenty other 1

1. Doumlc. R., Portraits d* EcriyainB. vol. 2. p. 270. novels, dealing, with only two or three exception®, with the above sab* jeet.

In 1885, he was appointed eaeeeeeor to Jules Bandeau as trustee of the Kazarin Library, and ei^it years later he was accorded the first prize (5000 Arenas) of the Cheuehard fbundsilon \tf the Soci^t^ des geos de lettres# Though he presented hinself against Fierro Loti and Eailo

Zola to succeed Octave Feulllet in the French Academy, he was never elected# His death came in 1898 after a short attack of pneumonia#

Contemporary critics agree in according to Fabre his contribution of being the first really to portray clerical life and to give it a place in the novel# These same critics are enthusiastic in their praise of his description of the mountainous region of his youth and the pecul­ iarities of its inhabitants# He is to the Cevennes of Languedoc what

George Sand is to Berry and Anatole Le Bran to Brittany# Much of the interest and uniqueness of his work lies in its striking description, keen observation, and vivid portrayal of Gevenol characteristics and wealth of picturesque detail#

Fabre1 s work in regard to his portrayal of clerical life is unique; he had no master in this, and, as there are no writers with when to

compare him, his work m e t be judged alone# It is enough to say that,

by his extraordinary knowledge of his subject and by the way he takes

the reader right into the homes, churches and religious ceremonies of

these priestly characters, he leaves the strong impression that he

himself is a priest. Halter Pater, in an essay on Fabre which first

appeared anonymously in the Guardian, praises his character portrayal in the fSlewing word##

Something of the gift of Francois Millet, ithoco peseents arc veritable priests, of those older relig­ ious painters who could portray saintly heads so sweetly and their merely hunan *proteges* so truly, seena Indeed to have descended to M. Ferdinand Fabre- • ••and if hie peasants have something akin to Words­ worth’s, his priests nay remind one of those solemn, ecclesiastical heads familiar in the paintings and etchings of H. Alphonse Legros.1 2

F&brs is recognised as having created types— an enviable literary accomplishment. He also made effective use of antithesis In hie char­ acter portrayal, placing saintly priests in constant clash with greedy mountaineer® and with priests of violent temperament. let, it is not fair to say that all his characters are but mere typosj they are often distinctly individual in their personality, though they might be fairly definitely classified. Celeetin and Courbeson, for example, are both : ' ■ : , ' 8 quite saintly, but, ns Lenaitre explains, while the former might be thought of ns marked by naivete, the latter is distinguished by hie absolute self-denial and charity.

Fabre’a style, in its laborioueness, ponderance and bookishness, lacks "eclat*, but it is by these very qualities happily appropriate to the severe simplicity and dignity of the priests of whom ho writes#

His greatest weakness is his lack of inventive power, the unfort­ unate result being that the greater part of the action of hi# plots is either banal or violently melodramatic. However, so engrossed is the

1. Pater, W,, Essays from the Guardian, p. 121. . 2. Ibid., p. 134. 5. Lenaitre, J., Lee.Contenporalns, vol, t, p. 314. - 55-

reader likely to becoae in the welfare of the principal characters that w r ® recogniiiaa of this fault will not often succeed in detracting from his enjoyment.

In concluding his criticism of Fabre, Lezaaitre oayst

Four aoi, je ne serais pas ^tonn<£ qua 1 ’oeuvre Candida, severe at un peu fruste de ce Balzac du clerge catholique et des paysane primitifs restat comme un des monuments les plus originaux du roman conteaporain,1

Les Courbezon, Fabre<8 first novel, is outstanding in a number of wayst it is one of his most touching storle## it contains some of his most striking character portrayals and it is one of his most melodram­ atic# . . -

Courbezon, the saintly old priest who is tho principal character of the story, is aptly characterized by Lecaitre as "un Vincent de Paul / 2 absolument denue de sens pratique," In answer to Sainte-Beuve, who called tho work the French Vicar of Wakefield. Lemaitre writes! "... ce clergyman n ’eat qu'un tr&s digne honae; I ’abbo Courbezon est un pretre ot un saint."

Pierre Courbezon, a saintly priest who at the ago of sixty has been reduced in rank on account of disastrous affairs arising from his passion to do good combined with his lack of business sense, is cent ty hie bishop in 1816 to become the "cure" of the newly-created church serving four Belaboring Cevenol communities. After a previous dis­ missal from the clergy, Courbezon had lived for ten years in the direst rrhemaltre, J „ Los Conteaporalns. vol. 2. n. 25Q. 2, Ibid.. p, 511. 5, Ibid.. p. 512* poverty In Montpellier with hie mother, and the charge of oven this poor church had come as a God-eend.

Upon M s arrival in Saint-Xist, he is ovenrhelned by the hospital- ity of Antoine Burnt, a young peasant rho had been instrumental in hav­ ing Idle church built* Burnt, as is soon revealed, intends to gain tho friendship of the new priest, thinking that such a friend might later bo able to help him in his love for Clcile Severaguette*

The purity and kindness of the young girl soon wins the deep friend­ ship of Courbezon. On the other hand, *ln Pancole", Cecils* e cruel, grasp­ ing aunt, immediately takes a dislike to him, Birlously jealous because of Cecil#* e generosity toward him* Hor hatred becomes more intense when

Courbeson, compassionately taking a widow with several children into his humble dwelling, throws a now expense on Cecile, who, unlmown to him, slips money into his dresser drawer from tins to tine. La Pancole, never ceases to remind Cecile of her promise to marry Justin (son of

La Pancole), named nle Sanglier" because of his appearance and temper.

Vhen tourboson goes to Montpellier for the conference of the dio­ cese, he is cruelly treated by his scornful fellows until the revered

Abbe Ferrand rebukes them. Later, in a private talk, ho explains to

Courbeson that it is because of the new conditions in the clergy aris­ ing from the Revolution that he has been so censured for his well-meant but unlucky enterprises.

Helplessly gripped by hie passion for constructive work, he is

almost immediately placed in an embarrassing situation when Funat,

angered by his refusal to intercede for him, withdraws a pledge he had Bede. Cecil© cornea to the rescue, and slips bin even nore money when the arrival of hie mother makes one more mouth to he fed,

Jkudoue to ruin M s rival, Pumat buys Justin1 a debts, Ihen he tells Cecil© that her aunt is stealing from her, tthich is the truth,

Cecils refuses to believe him, and, disgusted with all the corrupt*### about her, resolves to become a nun.

Soon after this, ah# almost catches her aunt and Justin in the aet of taking money from her room. After a fierce argument with M s mother,

Justin, truly *le Sanglier*, follows and kills Fumat. He escapes un­ suspected, end it is only through the help of three friends that the conaeience-striekea Oourbezon is cleared of suspicion. The news of the

Abbe Ferrand1s death is a terrible M o w to Oourbezon, but Gecile*e announcement that she intends to enter a convent cheers him consider­ ably,

Oourbezon and the young girl secretly begin work on a long-cherished

dream of founding a religious hospice for girls. Then, after a tearful

scene in which he promises M s mother to give up the idea, they finally

agree that, since Olcile is planning to enter a convent, where she will

have no use for money, they might as well go on with tho plans, Oeur-

bezon’s almost childish joy in seeing M s dream finally materialize is

interrupted when it soon becomes evident that the cost will greatly ex­

ceed what he had impractically figured. It even becomes necessary for

Cecils to sell some of her land and borrow on the remainder*

After being away several months, Justin returns. His appearance

has undergone a terrible changes instead of the brute of a man that he wsa, he is now broken in health, and, due to M s growing love for

Spoils, hie face has softened almost to the point of tenderness« Still toping that sho will marry himj he is glad to bo able to help her by working on the building* This portrait of Justin is undoubtedly one of the most powerful in Fabre’a works. His mother alone realizes of what excesses he is capable when ho learns of Cecils1s resolution to become a nun*

The completion of the building finds Courbezon, his dream realized,

truly happy for the first tine in M s life* :

La Pancole, learning that her niece is practically penniless, re­

solves to avenge herself on Courbeaon. She tolls her'son that Ceclle

is planning to enter a convent, and blames Courbeson for her change of mind* Justin, seeing M s dreams crash about him, completely loses

control of himself* Aided by M s mother, who calls Courbezon out dur­

ing the night, Justin attacks him with a knife* The priest, strong in

spite of M s age, disarms Justin, and is returning to the house when

Justin attacks him again* Fighting to save M s life, Courbeson ac­

cidentally kills his assailant*

This terrible event causes the death of his mother within a week*

Still quite ill, Courbezon demands to be led to the church in order to

conduct the Requiem in her honor* Weakened both mentally and physical-

16, he has barely finished the service when he falls dead.

Twenty years later, Cecils, though never having embraced the life

of a nun, is regarded throughout the surrounding country ns a veritable

saint, and the religious hospice is carrying on a splendid and recognised work* Tho steaory of Gourbeson has become sacred*

The critics and reading public vho had placed Fabre as a sort of

Balzacian historian of clerical virtues experienced a severe shock when

ItMhbo -Tlgrano appeared in 1885.

Fabro himself says;

AprSo 1 1 abbtif Gourbeson le prdtre charitable, Vabbcf Tigrcno le prStro aabitieuxl Aprds une aani&re de saint, une mani^re de ccAeratl Lo bond parut inexplicable, et d6s ce moment, dans certains esprita, je fUs ■arqu^ ou p w r ltntta4|ust ou pour la haine, ou pour Vabandon.1

RenS Domaio points out the foregoing feet, but lays the respons­ ibility of it not to personal bitterness, as Fetors himself thought, tout rather to the influence of contemporary literature— the triumph of naturalism. Thus influenced by naturalism# Fabre changed his attitude, pointing boldly to faults in the clergy and portraying violent priests where before he had portrayed only saints, his novels "degenerating into pamphlets.*

Luckily, concludes Doumic, Fabre was able to shako off this naturalistic influence, returning in his last novels to the charming portrayal of the simple lives of the humble and rustic people of the 3 Cevennes.

For the setting of l*Abbo Tiprone. Fabre has Invented Loroieres, a Cevenol town with a population of 15,000 divided into two distinct sections— *1® quartiar dee convents" and "le quartior des pnpoterles."

1* vol. 2, p. 276. E# #80. 5. #81. •In 1865, ten years after being made bishop of Lornieres, the pious old Monseigneur Roquebrun, informs the priests.that he intends to sub­ stitute members of the regular clergy for tho secular clergymen rho hold the teaching positions in the ngrand B^ainalre.” This radical step causes immediate revolt, tdth Capdepont, nicknamed ®Tigrane» by his associates, leading the opposition. The situation rapidly becomes intense, with tho uhole toun split over the matter* Led by the am­ bitious Tigrane, the opposition becomes more and more openly hostile, until Roquebrun suffers a stroke of apoplesy as a result of the violence and audacity* He dies en route to Paris dLth the intention

of ridding the. church of Capdepont.

His ambition for the bishopric revived by the death of his enemy

and whetted by his scheming ally, MicalE Capdepont exceeds all bounds

of priestly demeanor by refusing to bury Roquebrun with fitting cere­

mony. The courageous Lavornede encourages a group of tho lete bishop1•

friends to over-ride Tigrane's decision, and after a violent eceno,

manages to win out* I For several months the whole town is disrupted by the conjecture

as to the successor of Roquebrun, Lavernede heads a group favoring

the mild little Temisien, while Capdepont, the other logical choice,

struggle® to curb his temper in order to realise his ambition* When

Tigrans announces thathe has carried the election at Paris, Lavernede

sends Temisien to Rome to enlist the aid of his former friend, Car­

dinal MaffSi*, in the fight against Capdepont. To his consternation,

tho Cardinal chides him for opposing Tigrane, explaining that ho has made the mistake of confusing two things altogether different— -the

Church and the government of the Church. The government of the Church, he adds, san always use a man like Capdepoht.

• Of course, Tigrane is elected. Ternislen dies several years later*

Leverage, to his great surprise, is recalled to hie former post at the seminary. Tigrane then becomes'arch-bishop, and all his reforms are in turn changed by his predecessor. Living in semi-seclusion, Capdepont produces several important religious works and, still prodded by Mical, dreams of the Papacy. .

Mon Oncle C^lestln. another of Fabre*s series of wmoeurs olexleales* is the touching story of a feeble, saintly old priest told by his thir­ teen-year-old nephew. It is quite probable that in the writing of this novel Fabre drew extensively from his own childhood in the home of his uncle. ' • Forced by failing health to seek a smaller parish or retire,

Celestin, in 1046, moves with his nephew and his old governess, Marianne,

to the little Gevenol village of Llgnieres-sur-Qraveson, in the canton i of Lunas* They interrupt their wearisome one-day journey by ox-cart

at the mountain t o m of Herepien. Wandering about the picturesque fair,

they meet Marie (Saltier, twenty year old daughter of the hunch-backed,

drunken beadle of their new church, and employ her to take car# of the

goat they buy in order that Cllestin might daily have fresh milk.

During the following months# Celestin wins the unwarranted hatred

of his old schoolmate, Clochard, now the "cur&oywn* of Lunas* On the

other hand, Adon Labor!®, an old hermit who had boen the friend of the former priest of Lignieres* becomes the steadfast friend of the house­ holds

Several months after their arrival, Marie, rsho has in the meantime won the respect and love of every one by her sweetness and devotion to .

04lestin» is found to be pregnent. It is thought that Jaeope Rusca, a

•@@ati-belliH or wandering merchant of religious trinkets, had attacked her when she had become lost at . the neighboring town of Lodeve on Saint-

Fulcron's day, but in her extreme innocence the young girl can tell them nothing to help locate the guilty m e #

Hardly realising her condition, but anxious not to cause her bene­ factors any trouble, Marie runs easy# After several months of dis­

couraged wondering through the countryside, she returns to her dis­

tracted friends. That night a child is bora to her. The next day, her

cruel,step-mother, ”la G<i&re", causes a scandalous scene in the

church when d m accuses Celestln of being the father of the child. Re­

turning to the "prieur^*, Gelestln and his nephew find Mario dead# The

funeral furnishes the occasion for another violent scene, when "la Gal-

ti&re* repeats her accusation#

Shortly afterward, Olochard, Infuriated at Celestln, whom he

blames for the disfavor of his former ally, tho recently elected Bishop

Vidalenc, comes to tell CSleotin that as a result of the scandal he has

been interdicted. When the poor old man, sorely tried by the foregoing

misfortune, learns that M s nephew and the hermit had Innoeently des­

troyed the. letter calling him to the ecclesiastical court to defend

himself, he dies of the shook# -es-

The picturesque aettinge, the wealth of lore, tradition and local color, end the keen Insight into the peculiarities of tho Cevenol peasants afford a rioh source of interesting detail* In tailing tho story fron tho naive viewpoint of a young lad reared in the priestly atmosphere of his uncle* s hone, F&bro has not only given the reader a refreshing change fron the more otern novels which precede, but has made this one itself much more charming* ; ' '

One must read only a few novels of this realistic author to under- stand what prompted Doumic to say*

' Ceux qui, quelque jour, eorlront l lhistoiro du roman pendant la seconds noitio du dix-neuviene siecle, no nanqueront pas d ’y fairs une place & 1*oeuvre do Ferdinand Fabre, et probablenent un pen plus large qua ne l*ont faite los contemporains*^

1* Doumic, R., Portraits d*Ecrivains« vol. 2, p. 263* Chapter II

Quill&rae-^iario-Georges Beaune, novelist and chevalier of the

Legion d ’Honneur, was b o m in the little Herault t o m of Pozenas In

1881. Hie literary debut was made in 1888 with the novel, Gvolau##.

Continuing hie writing in spite of envious and spiteful critieima on the part of hie aequaintonccs, he was rewarded by the cuccess of his

Sous la Robe. His next work, Le Fecha. showed real talent, and from then on much of M s lork appeared in reviews and journals# Foremost among hie subsequent novels are Leo Vendanges. which was crowned by the

Acad&ie Frangaioe, Lss Hoblnsone de Paris. K SaipWem.. etJLe

HoMln, and

ta one of the Etudes Conteranoraines in a 1904 number of La Grande

Revue.' Raymond Clauzel has loft an intimate study of Beaune and his works

...Les romans de Georges Beaune eont un peu, dans la litt&raturo conteaporaino, tin groupe d {oeuvres rust- iquee, apontenlee, ^closes k 1'^cart des ohentins battus @t rebattus,' et qui-Mont P-g ^te' dtfcouvertes d*un peramier coup d*o#il* II cst vrai, la sente so dStache aaintenant do la grande routs, le site eet revolt, et lee touriatee effluent# Lea mots de ♦site* ot de 'tourists* no eont pas employes lei par pure fantaisie analogique. L'deufro do Georges Beaune est vraimeni un site, et appnrtient bien, si l 1on pent ainsi dire, au tourismo litterairs. ...L*oeuvre de Georges Beaune est bien l*una dos con- tr^es les plus attrayontes et des plus plttoresquee de cette g^ographio lltt&aira, dont Jean-Jaequee loueaeau, au xvii0 siecle, fat I ’initi&teur. C a s t done un beau voyage & fairs* tin tol voyage conduira dans le Languedoc dore, aux olivettes vibrantes do clgales, aux vlgneo abondzmteo et gfcireuaes# aux plaines couvertes de bl^s roux ou peupleos par lec grandee feullles en glaive dum H & balal# du cals et des roseaux# On parcourira lo Languedoc maritime, aree lee c&tos ardheueee, ajouries d ’dtange bleufitres et enva- hios par lea myrtlies et les tcnarlx. On escaladorn lec f chealns- rocheux, enlla^s par endroit dens un sable coloro et cheud, et dont les orni&res il trovers doc fourree de ehShes verts ou des landes de frigoule ot de lavende, voua mdnent dans le Languedoc contagnard, dans le pays oh le sobre et d6lloleux Ferdinand Fabre nous a guidds, si souvent, et avec tont do chareet Do 1&, nous redsccendrons encore vers le Languedoc fluvial qui, exit les bords Hnoneox du Rhdne, oouelne avec la charnante et joyeuse Provence. Nous p^ndtrdrons nussi dans do potitos villes on- breuses# dtont les rues conservent encore la courburq que lour dnt inprlcee les antiques renparts; nous errerons dans dee d t ^ s dtroltee, oh le relent des vlelllos taaisons so mdle aux exhalalcone do fruits trop ndrs, de tonneaux d ’anchoia et de morues# d ’dpices de toutes varidtds, et bmyantes, agitSes, joysuses, ddvordes par la nd&isanco conxe par l 1 ardent soleil. Sous verrme lours habitants lagers, moqueurs, bavards, flmabor en de grands enthousi- asaes, p&rtir en de subites gdn^rosites, ou bien en prole i la fi & r e maligne que provoquent lea cesquineB fdrocites de 1 1 amour-propre et de l*orgueil.l

Instead of replying to or defending hinself against the earcasns of his critics, Beauna shut hinself up at Pezenas and read. Ho was influenced by Chateaubriand, Rousseau* and Fabre, among others# Rather than change his particular manner, he continued to develop his indiv­ iduality# As Cleusel says# .

II aimo les champs; sa petite villa neme et ses h&b- itamte l ,int

1, Cleuxcl, R., "Georges Bonune", La Grande Rovuo, vol. 51, 1904, pp.89-91 8, Ibid*, p# 95# dregs®* do gordicilite ^nue, no raffia© pea aur lea senti­ ments. ,.Son ^thique eat pen compliqu6e$ c’est cell© de tout lo monde, noins I ’hypocriaio et la haine, c*est-a- dire, avec llindulGence et la bonW.*

Hi® heart and brain -ttuis filled with his observations rod his simple, wholesome philosophy, he went to Paris, and from there described

Languedoc sad its people. With all his local color, he is not at all an impersonal writer nor disinterested observer* As Clausel points out#

Ce n*est ni l 1 ho m e d ’un precede, ni I ’ho m e d ?un parti pria quti. qu*il soitj 11 appartient & lui-m^mo, aux intention® lihree que lui die tent son temperament propre era ®

Of his style, Clausel* e praise should be amply sufficients

Comae Baudot, Ferdinand fabre et Paul Aribe, 11 excelle h faire passer dans le frentals les graces, I ’^nergie et la rapidite etincelanto de la langue de Mistral et de Roumanllle.8

Concluding this interesting analysis, Clausel addsl

Elle nous a montr6 dans 1*auteur un primitlf lyr- Ique, un poAte rural fecond. poeaeddht une franche ori­ ginality ) un romnoier honnite, cordial, indulgent, robust® et frusta comae une plant® des champs. Elle nous a fait paroourir une oeuvre pleine de sonoriids, de souffles, ti*aromatee agreetea) de rutsseaux gaisj . de vents tuaraltoeux} une oeuvre anin^e, variie et pittoresque.- *5

1* Clausel, R«, "Georges Beaune", La Grande Revue, vol. 51, 1904, pp.94-95. g. Ibid., p. 97. . , ' ...... 5. Ibid.. p. 106# 4* Ibid., pp. 106—107# The romantic little pastoral, I»as Vendan

Iison Barraeand, discussing Las Vendaages, which he calls "joliee g^orglques* and which Raymond Clauzel entitles "delicieusee bucoliquee X ruralss", says#

•«.le terroir languedocien, meridional et conore, et qui, si proche de l*Espagne par la Cerdagne qui l*y relie, participe sans doute do sa grandiloquence# e m i t trouve son expression adequate. II vivait et ee per- ; ssanifiait dans une admirable figure, calle de Lice... *5

The story begins in the month of August, the time when the bands

of pickers, or ■colles*, from the mountains surrounding Baa-Languedoc

are arriving to harvest the grapes in the vineyards owned tqr the rich

land-owners of the fertile lowlands.

The chief of the •colie* which comes to the "Grange-dec-Pres*,

1. Barraeand, L», Revue Bleue. vol. 17, ser. 4, 1902, p. 52. 2# Clausal, R., op.cit.. p. 105. 5. Barraeand, L., op.cit.. p. 52. farm of the rich Garaud, which is situated near the Herault River a few kilometres from Saint-Jean, is a hardy-young nan named Carerne.

Hardly have the mountaineers arrived before it is evident that several love affairs are in progress* Lise, a young girl in the "colic", has been allowed to leave her hone only on condition that she will allow

Itilerand, her mountaineer fiance, to accompany her* Her main reason for coming, however, has been to see Pen tourel, Garaud*o twenty year old

eon, the two of them having fallen in love the preceding year* To com­ bat the opposition of both his father and the jealous Fulcrand, Pastourel

enlists the aid of CarShe, who, however, though a favorite of Garaud,

is afraid of endangering his own affair with flidone, a mountaineer ser­

vant at the Grange-dee-Pr^s*

Hhen Garaud, who has never been accepted into the aristocracy of

the country on account of M s humble origin, learns that in spite of

bis warning his- son and Lise are meeting secretly, he sends the little

mountain girl away. She manages to obtain work with a neighboring

farmer, and is soon joined by Fkiloraad, who has been tormented beyond

endurance by the taunts of his fellow workers# As a result of his

father’s anger, Pastourel bitterly accuses CarSne and Sidone of be­

traying him.

The last day of the harvest, Garaud, who has begun to repent of

his harsh measures, dies from having drunk too much wine. Pastourel,

saddened to think that he had never forgiven his father for having sent

Lise away, immediately assumes his new duties as master of the Grange-

des-Pres# He becomes reconciled with CorSme and Sidone, makes friends of neighbors from whon his father had always reaalned aloof and happily arranges the date of M b marriage*

The story ends shortly after a cloudburst, marvellously described by the author, v M c h cones as a veritable God-send to the dangerously dry vineyards* Tho closing paragraph of the story is especially strik­ ing in its beauty and optimisms ' .

-Tu w i s , dit le jeune naltrc, grace a I’inondation, nous anrons, l 1 an prochaln, d© superbee vmdanges, quend nous nous marierons***Regarde, Lise, ma plains oh. s’^pan- dent lea eaux do la montagne* Rien M e e t trieto^ en co pays* Tout est beau de force et de joie, grace a notre sol d i . . * w r o *

Chapter III

(Canard* Gardlaa is a portrayal of the life of the •gardions do taureau” on the prairies of Canargue— a picture

■which has been conpleted by Henry do Montherlant1a hes Bestiaires.

Christened "Canard" after a curious but fortunately peaoeftil bull had broken hie nose, Jean Beacarut begins his life as a "garditm",

A i c h is similar to that of a "cowhand” of western United States or a

•gaucho" of the Argentine pampas# as soon as he is big enough to sit a horse♦ At the age of eight, he is presented with a horse, saddle, knife, and even a fiancee, a little girl his own ago, from the neighboring town,

Saintes-Maries* Droa then on, in the words of tbs author, "la Canard n ’a qu’un souei, qu*une passion, le Taureau." The narration of to® ineidents of Canard*a life during the next ten years is subordinated to the detailed description of the daily work of the "gardiaas* and of their customs, traditions and religion. In their necessary migrations throughout Cemargue in order to find pasture for toe herds, they stop at many quaint villages which toe author describes in an interesting manner.

On reaching the age of compulsory military service, he easily ob­

tains an appointment to toe oavalry unit at Tarascon, the army officials being only too glad to have one of the celebrated "gardiaas", however humble, as a recruit* Owing to his admirable modesty and his familiar­

ity and handiness with horses, he soon becomes toe outstanding recruit -71-

of his oompeny ami the orderly of tlie captain, tihen tho captain* c wife

MtpreaeeG a desire for a young Camargue girl to serve as maid. Canard succeeds in securing the position for Loune, his fiancee.

Almost immediately, he begins to be allowed longer and more fre­ quent leaves of absence, and it is cone time before the unsuspecting

Canard learns that the captain has used this neons to betray h i m .

Raised in the Oeeargue tradition of right and wrong, he very cooly kills the captain with his knife, then, taking his fiancee with him, makes an escape, before an alarm is sounded. As he and Lound attempt to ford the swollen Rhone on horseback, they are drowned.

Such is the story of Canards realistic, yet romantic; beautiful, yet tragic. By his intimate description of the daily life of these simple, hardworking folk and by M e special vocabulary, Sanat night al-

' ' - . ' ' . y most be considered as approaching 2ola*s #ronen du metier*, without, however, the latter*a brutally scientific method.

The unique, colorful settings and the very "metier* itself are romantic. Animated by a definite love for his country and his people,

Samat perhaps tends toward idealization, but this is by no means over­

done, and does not In the least detract from tho story. Chapter If

Henry de Montherlant1 s Los Besti&lreot by describing bullfights from the viewpoint of the man in the ring, brings the picture so in­ terestingly begun by Sasat’s 1Canard1» Cardion to its dramatic comple­ tion. ' - :

Mcmtherlant, whose family title dates back to the 15th centuryf was b o m in Paris in 1896. He served in both the Halted States and

French armies during the war, end headed the Propaganda Service of the

Coaltd-Frrmee-tte4rique after the Armistice*

He played football till after he was twenty-six, was a fast sprinter, and, as an amateur matador, had killed his first two bulls at the age of fifteen. In 1925, he was so badly injured by a bull that he had to give up athletics*

In literature, he has won the Grand Prix de Literature de 1*Acad­ emic Franj&aise, the prise of the Foundation Tunisienne, the Northoliffe

Prize, and the Heinemsim Award. Among his novels are* Le Sonee (1922)

L@ Paradis a 1*Ombre des Ep^es. and Les Onee devant la Port Dor^e (1924) and La Petite Infante do Castillo.

Milton H. Stansbury, in his recent volume,

Today, devotes a chapter to a detailed discussion and criticism of the author*

1. Time. Jan, 27. 1956* p. 58. -T5.

Swept from the ochoolrooa into the trenches* he had all too little youth, or rather, had nothing hut youth# He became one of the ‘eternal young nen‘ engendered by the waree.lt is because he bed not time to become a con­ formed and adult thinker that post-war literature was , rejuvenated by this fresh, almost incredibly naive mind#

A disciple of Barr&s during his formative years, and lacking noth­ ing to foster his self-confidence, he became a bold partisan of nlc cultedu mol#* In summing up his activities, Montherlant himself sayss

Nothing is simpler for me than to indicate precisely the greet phases.#.through which my life has passed. First, a Catholic symphony composed of various strains i my educ­ ation in a religious college, the authors of ancient Rome, and the influence of Spain where I imbibed the spirit of the bullfight# The second was war. The third was sport.

Stanebury points out, and Montherlant shows clearly in Les Beat- iaires. that hie unique philosophy is, in part at least, the result of his strong faith in the influence of astrology in shaping his destiny.

His birthday, April 21, marks not only the founding of Borne, but also the period when the sun enters the zodiacal constellation of Taurus, the Bull. In Les Beatiaires. this “culto du Taureau” is treated at groat length. The exaggerated importance he puts into the history of the divine cult from its ancient origin in the time of Mithras to Its

present status in Spain and the Midi, and his deification of the bull

— in professing;to believe in man’s regeneration through the shedding

of taurine blood— were greeted by the scornful laughter of his country­

men.

1, Stansbury, M., p. 157, 8, Ibid;, p, 158. !

- 74-

By the tine Los Bestlalres was published (1926), he had drawn the

sanity of almost every faction* the Catholics were bewildered end then

angered by his placing 8le culte du Taureau” above Christianity and his

extreme sensuality, the nationalists naturally resented his glorification

of an institution essentially Spanish, the sentimentalists were shocked

by his accusation that the world measures guilt according to the slae

and significanoeof the victim and in his joy in killing fellow humans,

and the intellectuals scorned his adoration of physical prowess over

m m t a l ability*

There were, on the other hand, many critic® who praised these very

points, and who pointed admiringly to his colorful descriptions, both

of Spain end of action at the front, to his undeniably keen— and some­

time# biting— character analysis and portrayal, and to the unmistakably

personal element of hie novels. Henri Lamblin, in his Banal sur Mont-

herlant, cays, in r e p » d to his independence*

II trouble I ’harmonie veule pour lancer son cri viril et sa protoatution. Sans souci do plaire, 11 s’est jeto dons la bagarre, comae dans I'ureiio...II neglige los habituelles g&mflexions aux dieux du Jour, 11 repugns m i x exigences du monde..,Il n fa rien de l*homme de lettres, anxieux dog eucc^s de salons et des enthouelaemea de chapellee**

In 1954, at the age of thlrty-eig^t, he decided to forsake his

home and start life anew in northern Africa, announcing that he would

never write again. Shortly afterward, however, he emerged from retire­

ment with hie new realistic novel, Les Celibatalres. "an infinitely 1

1. Montherlant has forcefully brought out these latter two traits in his novels on the war and those on sport* - 7*.

1 greater artist” and an almost recognizable one*

In his short preface to Las Bestlaires. Montherlant gratefully thanks M. Gaston Doumorguo, former President of the Republic, for having been instrumental, in 1900, in legalizing the bullfight in the Midi*

His open.letter to II. Boumergae concludes as follows $

Laiasez-moi done l*offrir, co livre, mi peuple meridional, k eeux surtout du Languedoc et de Provence, „ ; qul honomat lem? dieu ot leur fleuve avec le mono non.

Alban de Bricoulo (really Henry de Montherlant, as the novel is to

some extent autobiographical), is overjoyed when, at the age of fifteen,

he is allowed to take a trip to Spain# Behind his happiness is M b

passion for bullfighting— a passion which has been an essential part

of his n&ke-up ever since M s childhood reading of Quo Vadim. Since

that memorable occasion, he had learned Spanish, seen Carmen as many

as seven times in one year, and had recently been taking lessons from

a retired matador.

Expectantly arriving in Madrid, he is disillusioned and disgusted

at finding the season closed. In M s impatience, he spends a miserable

week of sightseeing. Finally a fight is held, and ho is almost rude

to M s host, the Duke of Moreira, so keenly is he disappointed at hav­

ing to sit with the rest of the party in the remote box, instead of in

a ring-side seat as he bad fondly planned#

This minor sacrifice is rewarded, however, when the duke invites

1# Btaasbury, M«, op.cit.* p. 175. 8# Montherlant, H., Los Bestlaires* p. 9# (Mistral had recalled that the Provencal word "Rnuan", meaning "taureau”, is the emblematic name of tho Rhone#) him with several other guests to a round-up on hie bull-ranch near

Seville. In order to impress the women present, Alban asks permission to test his ability to manage a particularly mean pony. When Soledad, the duke's daughter, congratulates his success, ho performs several other rather difficult &@ts, childishly eager to make a still greater impression and at the same tine furious with himself for letting the girl so unduly influence him* '

Returning to Seville, he begins to take lessons in bullfighting

end to engage In minor "courses des amateurs", rapidly becoming more

proficient. Frequently invited to dinner by the duke, he becomes so

obsessed in M s passion for Soledad that he almost loses interest in

his bullfighting* After what he had considered a particularly success­

ful day, he is angered and worried to hear the other fighters deriding

M o ability. The goring of one of M s friends, a veteran at that,

makes M m take M s work more seriously for a while.

His furious desire for Soledad, however, leads him into an em­

barrassing situation, when the vain young girl promises him her love

only cm the condition that ho will fight an evil-looking bull of w M c h

he has just expressed a prudent, intuitive fear. Shocked end diague tod

by her obvious deoiro to make him risk his life for her, he vows that

after killing the beasthe will scorn her love. The duke finally gives

him the bull for his next fight, after denying all responsibility for

the possible consequences, saying that tide particular animal is a

"criminal", a man-killer.

As the time for the ordeal approaches, Alban grows more end more nervous, but rather than hurt the feelings of the Inferior matador eh© has been chosen to assist him, he rejects the opportunity to choose one of the best fighters in ell Spain. The morning of the fight finds him irritable, nervous, and miserable. Thus, he makes a poor showing in killing his first bull, a docile creature that draw# the laughter of the crowd# This changes quickly to applause, however, when, soon after­ ward he automatically rushes in and saves one of his assistants from being gored. During this second fight, he lets another young fighter make the kill, and in the meantime manages to regain his self control#

Anxious to make up for M s first fight, Alban exceeds himself in brav­ ing the rushes of the superb Hcriminal.® After winning the enthusiastic applause of the crowd % M s suicidal boldness sad before administering the "coup de grace", he is preparing to dedicate the bull to the

"Soleil in vain eu", when the animal surprises him and knocks him to the ground. Luckily escaping serious injuy, ha faces the maddened bull with such masterful skill as to gain the admiration of even the famous veterans of the arena. As he becomes more and more confident, he feels the energy of the bull entering M s own body and spirit. *Ce n^ta i t plus un combat, e’itait m e incantation religious#.*

At the conclusion of the fight, he scornfully contemplates Sole-

dad’s promise, feeling no longer anything but utter contempt for her,

and dreaming, instead, of other possible feminine conquests In the

future#

In a rather obscure and fantastic epilogue, Alban (possibly re­

incarnated) discusses with several other non the myth end legend of the ancient *oulte du Tsttreau** •

The last for; pages of the book contain several excerpts from letters and newspaper® concerning the author1s actual career as a bull­ fighter,,

Though the setting of this novel is laid for the most part in

Spain, there are frequent allusions to the Midi— Cenargue, especially— which treat of the bullfight and which entitle the book to n place in

this study. BmtOBOCTION TO PARTS III A W IV

The "relleetlone" which this study proposes to bring out are con­ tained in those last two parts* Tills should in no way minimize the im­ portance of the preceding sections# it being obvious that they are the framework upon which the last half is built and form an indispensable background for the whole*

The quotations included reflect a greatnmy of the phases of the two regions mid their inhabitants. These fall roughly under the fol­ lowing categories! geographical description, history end legend, racial characteristics, customs and tradition, industries, products, language, dress, end sports*

These classifications are difficult to make because of their over­ lapping and miscellaneous nature, and are therefore not intended to be arbitrary. For the sake of order and clarity, however, they have been combined under a few larger groupings, with the attempt to make all the quotations conform to one or another of the divisions.

It is interesting to note, as the study progresses, the points of

contrast as well as the points of similarity between the reflections of

Provence and those of Languedoc*

The passages, it must be remembered, are from novels, not from

encyclopedias or source books, end therefore the observations or state­

ments may at times be open to discussion. It is quite certain, never­

theless, that, in the majority, these constitute authentic reflections of the regions» and ss such* they,are here offered* - 01-

PART III

Geographical Description. Climate, and landmarks

Provence is defined ss the

Ancienne province de Francs qui a forma les departe- msnta dee Bouches-du-SHone, du Tar, des Bassee-Alpes et une parti© dos dSparteacnto do Voucluse et dec Alpca- Kmritimee, On salt que le non de Provence eat derive de celui de la province ronalne fondee en Gaulo a la fin du IIG circle av, J.-C* et appelee plus tard Harbonnaice. Male la Provence n ’eut janais qu’un territoire asses re- ■ streint et no comprit que la partie de la Harbonnaice situdo £Vl*ect du EHono.l

The encyclopedia continues by giving the other boundaries, sdiieh have undergone various changes from time to tine in the turbulent his­ tory of the country. The approximate limits on the north and east can be contained between imaginary lines drawn from a rather vague point about midway between Avignon and Valence to Gap in the Hautos-Alpes, thence straight southward to the Mediterranean.

The reader feels, by the time he has finished reading this group of novels, that he really knows the varied, picturesque country. It would be difficult, indeed, for a literature— fictitious literature, that is— to bo more closely bound up with its actual geographical setting than are these novels of Provence*

1 vol 27, p. 847. Marseille, that moat fascinating city which is also the most im­ portant on the Mediterranean, nay nell bo chosen first, Daudet humor­ ously portrays the "ebnhissement” of the intrepid Tartar in as he views for the first tine the busy port as it appeared about 1850i

C ’etait tVperte de vue un fouillis de mats, de vorguec, se croisant dans tons' lea sens. Pavilions do tons les pays, russes, greco, suedois-, tunieiens, anir- ieelno,.,L88 navlres au ras du quai, les be&upres ar- rivant our la berge comae des rangeea da balonnottoa. Au-dessoue les naiades, les d^escos, les saintes vierges et autres sculptures de bois peint qui donnent le nora au vaisseauj tout cela nang6 par 1 ‘eau do ner, devore, ruls- selant, noisi...Do temps'en temps, entre les nnvires, un morceau do ner, c o m e une grande noire tachd'e d*hullo... Dans 1» encheV&trement das vergues, des nu6es de nouettee faloant de jolies tach.es cur le d e l bleu, des mousses qui a’appelaiont dans toutos les langues. Sur le quai, au milieu des ruisseaux qui venaient des savonneries, verts, ^pais, noiratres, charges d ’huile et de eoude, tout un peiiple de dounniers, de commission­ aires, de portefaix avec leurs ,bogheyar attelSs de petits chevaux corses. Dos magazine do confections bizarres, des baroques enfum^os ou los matolots faisaieat leur cuisine, dec mrchands de pipes, des carchands de singes, de porro- quets, da cordes, de toiles k voiles, des bric-a-brac fantastiques ou s’^talaient pele-mele do vieilles coule- vrlnee, do grosses lanternes dorces, de vieux polans, de vleillo ancres edentees, vieux cordages, vieilles poulies, vieux porte-voix, lunettes marines du temps de Jean Bart et de Duguey-Trouin. Des vendeuses de / monies et de clovisses accroupies et piaillant % cote de leurs coquillages.,.Des matelote passant avec des pots de goudron, dee marnites fusantes de grands panders pleins de poulpee qu’ils allaient laver dans I ’eau blanchfttre dee foateiaaee. ■ ■ : ■ - ' " " ■ Partout, un encombrement prodigieux de narchondises do toute espheez Soieries, mlneraia, trains de bois, saumons de plonb, drape, sucres, carcubes, colzas, a r6glisses, Cannes h sucre. L*Orient et 1*Occident pele- m'ole. De grands taa de fronages de Hollande que les Qenoises toignaient on rouge avec leurs mains. La-bao, le quai au ble| les porte-faix dechargacnt leurs sacs sur la berge du haut de grands echafaudages. Le bio, torrent dror, qui rculait au milieu d ’une fumes blonde. Das h o m e s en fes rouge, Is criblant a me sure dans do grands tamls de peau d*ane, et le chargeant sur dee charrottes qui s'eloignalent euivies d ’un reglnent do femmes et d'enfants avec dos balayettes dt des paniers ^ glane8..*plus loin, le bassin de car^nago, los grandes vaiaseaux couches sur lo flcnc et qufon flanbalt avec des broussallloo pour les debarrasser des horbes de la mer, les vergues trempant dans 1'oau, 1*odour de la reslne, le bruit assourdiscant des charpcntlers doublant la coquo des navires avec de grandes plaques de cuivre. Parfols, entre les. nSt8,une eclalrcie. Alors Tar- tarln voyalt 1*entree du port, lo grand va-et-vient des navlres, uno fregate anglalse partant pour Hclte, pin- panto et bien lavee, avec des officiero en gants jaunes, ou bien un grand brick nareeillais d&arrant au milieu des oris, dee Jurons, et k l farri^re un groe capitaine en redlngote et chapeau de sole, commandant la manoeuvre en provengal. Dos navlres qui s*en allaient en courant, toutes voiles dehors. D ’autres lil-bas. M e n loin, qui arrivaient lentement, dans le soleil, comma en l*air. Et puis tout le temps un tapage effroyable, roule- ment de charrettes, *ohl M s s e 1 dee nateloto, Jurons, chants, eifflets de bateaux k vapeur, les tambours et lee clairona du fort Saint-Jean, du fort Saint-Nicholae, leo cloches de la Major, des Accoules, de Saint Victor? par Ih-deesue le mistral qui prenait tons cos bruits, toutes ces clamours, les roulait, les secouait, les confondait avec aa propre voix et en falsait une nuslque folle, sauvago, h^rolque comme la grande fanfare du voyage, fanfare qui donnait envio do partir, d ’aller loin, d ’avoir des ailes.2-

Edmond Jaloum adds one detail la

*»tle phare do autour de lui son bras chcvaleresque.

The following passages taken cribee a breath-taking view of tho sea as soon from a palatial estate outside Marseille!

Par lee fenGtres do la piGce, lesquelles n'etaient pas encore closes, on voyalt ce qui entourait la naison?

1. Beudet, A., pp. 48-51. 2, Jaloux, E., p. 264. c fest-a-dire un grand bole de pins qui s'etendait nssoz loin our la gauche, tandis que, g u t la droite, 11 laic- salt libra un espace donlnant de tr&s hnut le golfe de Mareeillee La propriSte des Audiopvre occupait le point le plus elev^ de cette colline qui agrafe les rochers de Notre-Damo de la Garde aux pentes qui dovolent cur le Prado. C#etait un plaisir de manger en titioutant cette aymphonle que le rent enseigne aux conifdres et qui, area cos larges ’andante1, ses ’allegro’ inattendus, bo b brusques attaques sur les branches basses, ses lents deferlenents de citaes, apprivols^, apptroch6 de nous, rend intine et faniliSre, met en quelque sorto a la portae immediate do notre oreille, dnns une sorto de transcription vogetale, le multieonnante ruraeur marltint. II restait encore, entre les arbros, dec rongeurs con­ fuses, des masses confuses, doc masses £cunantes, quol- ques profile do nu&geo, qui, ce soir-lti, dechaihes, im- pAueux, nontrent dans leur assemblage des casques, des lances et des crinl&ree, ermlant je ne sals quo! de oheralereeque. Lo souffle grocsissant oenblalt tout, prbs d ’annanccr le nistralj 11 arait plu iSg^rcaent la ▼elUe,l • : .

Soeenhat later in the story, vre are given a description of prac­ tically the same view as seen from higher up on this hill overlooking the seas'

Nous avions grimpo jusqu’au point culminant de la propridte, il cette plate-forme, qui domino lee bois do pins et que jalonnent quelques grandee roches blanches. La vue descend&it de la par do larges bonds vers la *er| quelques Speulenents de terrain, tout noussus d’arhres, un vallon qui plongeait en s ’effilant, deux ou troic enpidtenents encore sur 15horizon, et soudain, nontant plus h m t que ces tuyaux d’orgue, que ces •spaces de tapiscerie, que ces toita rouges accol^s, que ces claires-voies baignSes done une atmosptibre d'aquariOB, quo ces aretes de calcoire aux couleurs d ’ossement, c ’^tait I ’innense masse de la ner, barrant tout, unissant les points extremes du paysage, opaque et transparent®, argont^e et bloue, immobile et courant sur place, sombre ot toute p6tillante de feu. jeime, semblait-il, conmo elle ne 1 ’avait jamais ete." 12

1. Jaloux, E., Chutejl’Icare,. Hoy. 1, 19BS, p. 7. 2. Ibid.. Dec. 15, 1935, p. 876. A gauche, a la chute do ce long corps de plerre qul ■•ebeideeme, et ce soulWeA et decline avec aobleose vors le golfe de Marseille, l 1lie Maire, touts ruisse- lante de vermeil, avec ses aiguilles, ses dechiqueturos, see k-plos, sea colonnettes, figur< tin grand asas roepu de palais, de ch&teaux et do sites dSvastes, cocao le dernier signs d*ime chose qul surait eu lieu et qul avait 6t<£ grande, arant que le temps ne la rulnet*1

Samat speaks of Avignon as

..,1a ville des eglises et dca popes, ou 11 y n im pout qul passe le Rhone et cur lequel on danse, c o m e le dit une tr&s vlellle chanson.

And In the some sentence, ho mentions another place famous for Its ruins*

Orange, avec des m i n e s tr&s grandes, peut-etre, male certainecent pas aussi^hellea quo cellos des ar&nes d 1Arles et de Hines.%

Alcard gives us a short description of the arena at Cogolin, in

the “Maures*!

las ar&nes, tout en bole et construltes hative- ment, Stalest cependent assez vaste. C*6tait un cirque A de l ouvert, de forme elllptlque* lea palis- sades ext^rieuree avmlrot prds de cinq nitres de hauteur et celles qul s^paralent le public de l*ar&ne environ un mbtre clnquaate. Tout le longue de ces pelissades Interieures courait m e pllnthe en saillie, eur laquelle pouvalt prendre appui la pied des toreadors lorsqu’ils l e a , voulalent franchir pour echapper au taureau.5

This “arena* is actually the race track at Cogolin,—

Le champ de course de Cogolin, au fond du golfe

le Jaloux, Be, Oj ),cit« i p. 878. 5. Alcard, J., L] Xllustre Haurln. tes. 2. Samat, p. 262. de Orimaud, eat etabli dens un vaote eopace aablonneus# eur lequel e'ilevent et de mgnlfiquea pins para- - sols*. IA, quand le regard ne se ports pas nur lea col- lines trop prochea, on pourrait se croire en Camrgue ' acme. Memos pins, neme aable, nemos aaladelles...1

It is surprising that Daudet, in the course of hie three novels so humorously exaggerating the character of the people of Taraseon, did not include a panoramic glimpse of the city itself. He has, however, given us a few random glances of the town, as, for instance, when he sayss

Ge qu’on w i t n'a pourtsnt rlen que Se fort ordi­ naire, une petite ville paiaible et proprette, dee toure, des toite, un pont eur le HhSne.

He was, in the above quotation, merely strengthening the Irony In his characterization of the inhabitants, for the city, though email, can lay claim to ancient origin, with several historic landmarks as ample testimony*

La prison de ville, a Taraseon, est xm chateau hls- torlque, l»ancien chateau du roi Rene, qui se volt do loin am bord du Rhone, flanque de oes quatre tour®*5

His description of the exterior of Tartarin*o house, exemplifies a type of contemporary architecture of the regions

Jolie petite villa taraoconnalse avec Jardin de­ vent, halcon derrl&re, dos mure tr&s blanca, des per­ siennes vertes, et but le pas do la ports one niehfe de petlts Savoyards jouant a: la marelle ou dormant on bon soleil, la tete sur lours boites cirago..,1 *4

1. Heard, J., 857. 8. Daudet, A,, 5* Baudot, A#, 4. Baudot, A*, ' '' ' / " ' -- - '

- 87.

In Tartarin sur los Aloes, Baudot speaks of the Alpine Club, of which Tartarin Is the founder and president, and whose members are de­ votees of mountain climbing— even though there .are no mountains to be

found in that region!—

Leo Alpes X Tarascon? Hon, nais les Alpilles, cette chaine de montegnottes parfum^es do thym•et de lavande, pas bien mSchantee ni tree hautes (ISO X 200 metres audessuo du niveau de la mer), qui font un horizon de vagues bLeues aux routes provengales, et que l fimagination locale a decoroes de nemo fabuleux' et caracteristiquest *le Mont Terrible*, *le Bout-du- Monde1, *le Pic-dac-G^ants* o1

The mere fact that these "AlpiUes** are hardly more than little

hills does not alter their attractiveness* In fact, says the authors

Elies sent cependent bien tentantes, ces jolles collinettes taraaeonnaieea, toutes parfun^es de nyrte, de lavande, de roaarini et ces beaux raisins muscat® gcnfl6s de sucre, qui s^chelonnent au bord du Eti3ne, sont diablement appetissants aussi..*

J.-T. Samat speaks of the Rhone, which has played such a nighty

role in France’s history and which separates Provence from Languedoc $

t.,le grand Rhone, large et roux, fut la qui ce- parrait 1® pay® d ’une autre terre plate ou poussent dea eaulee, de® peupliers et des tamarist la Camargue**

Che of the few quotable passages of J.-L. Vaudoyer is that one

which excellently sums up the rather hasty impression of Toulon re­

ceived by Andre Cellieux, the painter of Raymonde ?&n^ematint

Si, a la fin de ces trois journees, vous demandies

li Baudot, A., T&rtapiu sur les Alpes, p. 54. E. Deudet, A., Tartarin de Tarascon. p. 8, S Cellieux co qu’il pense de Toulon, 11 voue dlrnit (sons doute): ’Toulon est uno den plus jolios, dos plus agrScbloc villee do Prance., Lee eontagnec qul I’cntour- ent, sur terre et sur ner, eont aagniflques, Les unes hdrissoos et qystorieusec (11 parlerait des fonds du Vinci), les autres aaples et s^reines (11 noanerait Claude Lorreln)« II vanterait le qua! du vieux port, faailier, gontll, agrenento de cards a terasse, d ’oti l*oa regarde sans ce lesser oiler et venir, dessines sur la ner et sur le d e l heureux, les oisifs poseants. II parlerait des ruelles dtroites et fratches oit l*on traverse assez souvent dee zones d’odeurs fortes. II parlerait de la place ou s* clove une fontaine qu’Mibrage, nes de la pierro moucsue, un platane et un figuier. II s ’attendriralt sur le delicieux n&rche qui serpente du haut en has de la vllle, riche de fruits, de legumes, do •fromages et de fleurs. II n ’oublierait pas de celebrer lea graces loyaleo d ’une population fdnlnine asses mdlcngee, mais ou slnon les beam-: visages, les beaux

' civilicce, Hsae, v e m i e sur laquclle lea grands petits bailments de notre marine militalro circulent mo des elegants en habit dons un salon.

faudoyer Inter adds the following paragraph to this first impres­ sion!

II y a dens le vieux Toulon de petites rues e'troites, parall&les ou perpendiculalres su quai. Beaucoup d

Jean Aicard’s Hourin, in looking for his errant son, comes upon an

interesting part of Toulon which is overlooked by the other author® of

this groups

On volt encore, a Toulon, dans le port marchend, qua*tier do la Rode, tout un hameau 6tabli sur I’eau. Hameau compose de sept & huit vieilles embarcations,

1. faudoyer, PP# TS»?Se Ibid., p. 190# doat troig on quatre chalands de quinze metres de long­ ueur, ecbet^e m rabals par de pauvres pecheurs et b u t leequels H e ont construit des huttes de bois et de aaooanerleo On trouve la des interieurs meubleo conime des

A visitor to Toulon, especially if he has read La Partle de Bou' will be tempted out of curiosity to travel the short, remaining dis­ tance to Masurgues, described by Jean Martet—

Mazurgueo est bati sur la eSte Quest do la prea- qu'ile qui sdpare la bale de Toulon de la bale de Sanary. . - ^ , Quoad du qua! on regarde la ner, on a devcnt sol, d ’abord, le port, la jetee, qui, construite parallele- mont au quai, protege les quarnnto ou cinquanto petits bateaux de pecho, on a la bale de Senary, et, tout au loin, barrant l*horizon, les pointes, les.montagnes derriere lesquelles so cachent Bandol et toutes les petitos villa de la cdte jusqu*^ Marseille. Primitivement, Hazurgues n*etait qu’un village de imeWw#.*. ' - Puis, un beau jour, le village s’etendit vers le sud en suivant le rivage de cetto presqu'Tle, lequel, petit 6 petit, so transforms, en quai, avec, face & la bale, des maisons, des villas, des magasins, II s’etendit sur 400 ou 500 m&tros, jusqu’a se perdre tout ll-bae dans les bois et les rochere do la pointe. : ■ • De ce quai, qui est un beau petit quai, na foi, large au moins d'une vingtaine de mbtree, des rues partirent, grimpant vers les collines boisees qui fonaent comae l*epine dorsale de la presqu'tle. On eonetruielt, dans 1'une de ces rues, la mairio, I ’ecole, la poste, dans une autre l 5£glise et le presbytbre. Hazurgues, alors, se trouva avoir pris ea forme et son aspect deftnitifs,.... 2

Martet then proceeds to describe the hideously colored little houses, concluding with the following exclamation which charmingly

1* Aieerd, J., L'lllustre Maurin. pp, 118-19. : Sa*tet, J., ,I^.P^le_de^BpuleB, pp, 18-19. expresses his willingness to overlook this glaring disregard for natural beauty, regretful as it is* '

Cher M&zurgues, qui, sans ces tristes divagations architecturales, aurait pa fibre si charsant, qui etait si charaant nelgrS ellesi *

Jean Aicard gives us something of the character of the ”Maure3B, the region surrounding Toulon which serves as setting for the droll ad­ ventures of Maurlno First, introducing us to the forests of le Tars

Le Var est certainement uno dec regions do France oh. l {on trouve le plus de terrains libres, non cultives mais accessiblea, avec toutes les graces et toutes los boauteo que laisse aux paysages la sauvageries. Hos bois des Maures eont plus sauvages encore qu*on ne saurait I ’imaginer. Seuls, les naquie do Corse peuvent on donner l'id6e. Dans nos Maures, on rencontre certaines Stcndues de brousse quo les habitants appel- lent le ,gros bois1, et oh la marche est litteraleaent inposalKLee ...Sans doute, cotte brousse est aux forots d’Amer- i q w ce qu1uno mare est au vaste ocean, mais un noye no assure pas la quantito des eaux qui le tuent.

Quite different is the aspect of the plain of Frejus—

La plaine de Frejus, estuaire de I'Argens, est un vaste terrain marecagcux, baigne par la aer qui vient y nourir sur l ,innense courbe d ’une plage det sable, Ces fouillia d’ajoncs et de roseaux qui obstruent les bords do I ’Argens, narecogss et ruisseaux, convient & la halts les oiseaux nigrateurs... Quelques f e m e s entourees de culture se dressent §& et iK dans la plaine* Et beau- coup de feraiers exploitent de petitos plantations de ta^to# ' ' ■ • : Da tous los points de la plaine de Frejus on aper- goit, au nord, les Maures grisoo au pied desquollea dor- nent des villages pittorosquest Claviers, Bargemen, Seillana, Galas* Au nord-eat, les dentelures rougeatres du mont Vlnaigre caohent le col do Tende, dont on apercoit lea

1. Martet, *7, 20 Aicard, 869-570. Beiges du haut de Hotre-Dame-dea-Angea dans lea Maures* An nord-ouest, les contreforts des Haures qui se terninent brusquenent par des roches taillees a pic au pied dosquelles est lo village de Eoquebrune* Dans cee roches hautes et verticales, s’ouvrent de profondea crevasses, veritables cavemes. accessibles seulement auz nartinets^ aux chata-huants et aux busards.1

In hie lyrical description of en old convent, Aicard captures a breath of the interesting past of the region*

La Verne.«.est un convent d*architecture romane et qui est tout en mines. Les encadrenents dee fenetres et des portee, les clefs de vofite, les consoles, les niches, sont en belle serpentine noire de Cogolin, et luxe sur des haillons, © m e n t des nurs degradda dh, dans les fantes, pouosent des horbes. Le convent est plants au bord d ’un plateau qui a'avance conne un cap "sur le ravin* Au-dessous de la construction, des roches vertim calea, nurs naturels, prolongent par en bas ceux qui sent faits de main d'homne, en sorts que, du fond des ravins, le convent paratt haut de toute la hauteur de la collins* Du pied de la roche nontent, jnequ^u fa£to do la toiture, des lierres colies aux iaurailles conne de gigantesqueo arborescences eur les plages d fun herbler dfemesurS, Et c^est un luxe plus beau encore que les sculptures, cos lierres qui couvrent le nonastere d ’un nanteau de velours vert aux plis pleins d*ombre, . frangis par lfor et la pourpre des aurores et des cou- chants. Lb-dedans, aux nois printaniers, nichent les oiseaux du d e l * It le ewnrent eat m&gnifique ainsi, au beau milieu des Maurec, tout au bord de la foret de vieux chataigniers, si vieux et si gros que chaque trono pout abriter deux bonnes, pares que le tempo et les ton- nerree les ont preaque tous creuc^s, dvides, en ont fait autant de gu6riteo> ils sont noire au dedans, argent## au dehors, et dans la saison des fcullies, la foret ruis- selle de lours grandes msiques nouill6es.. .la premiere cour, oh chants une fontaine et oh sont aujourd’hui des dssaures do payeans. Dans cetts ancienne cour d'honnour. 12 •® repandent leurs vapours tihdes et nalodorantos*

1. Aicard, J., pp. 118-119. - 2. Aicard, J., pp. 157-159. r

Partout des ruineo de couvent* partout dee chapel* lest penitents bleus, violets, blancs et rougesj partout des restes d lhotels seigneuriaux, do palais cardinalices. Hals oh eont, h6lael les hStelleries de lfAvignon des papes et des vice-legatc que chantdrent la Belaudiere et dfassoucy, le Coq, les Trois Testons, les Quatre Deniers, •■aOu sont les nails, lea lices, le jeu de paune, et cette rue do la Madeleine couchSe avec scs bains publics et sea lieux de plaisir si cel&bres vers 1500? Le hasard, Providence des voyageursl nooe ,e«iduit au march# a 1 ‘heure voulue, Une foulet des Avlgnonnaises, des Contadines en neglige, fratches sous les brides flot- trnnt## de leur ’Catalane’, quelques costumes arl^siens, 6 la fois severes et somptueux, On crie et on cause, en provengal toujoursi.,. Quelquo pas sous un ercean, et nous voici en plain# Juiverict la rue Abraham, la rue Jacob, deux 6troits boy- aux oh descend d'entre les toits un pen de lunieremais eh jamais le soleil n ‘a lull la place Jerusalem entoorSe de hautee maisons trietes, aux fenetres serreca, quelque chose c o m e un preau de prison, et dans un coin, la synagogue, Lh se trouvent le puits de la communaute, et le four pour les pains azymes» Tel est le Ghotto, oh, du temps des papes et jusqu^a la revolution francaiee, les juifs d 1Avignon etalent renferm^s, Dans le mur, a 1*entree, le guichet grille du gardien se volt encore,..*1.

Walking on a little farther on hie imaginary trip through Avignon,

Arene stops at the top of a little hill to look back over the city*

Piei, le payoage est merveillcux* au pied du palais, Avignon, groups la comae au pied^d’une montagne, Avignon et see toits rouges ou gris, d’ou se dressent des mure creneles, des terrasees d I ’ltalienne, les aillo clobbers do l*Isle eozmante et des tours plus humbles que nous avions deja renarqu^eo, debout au milieu des maisons, avec leur plate-forme et leur escalier el vis oxterieur. y Ce eont les tours des ‘bourguets1, petits enclos fortifies, petites villes dans la ville, ou, tant bien que nal, au dur moyen-age, lea bourgeois, se groupaiont, ee defend- aient...0n a be&ucoup demoli de ces tours tie bourguet, pouriant 11 en reste.2

1. Ar8ne, P., teJon^plell, pp. M8-Z51. t. itria.. p. at. Continuing the description of this last scene—

Tout autour, entre la croupe enorne du ventoux et :• loe eretea fines dec Alpilles, le grand Rhone, qui em- brasse la Bartelasse ot fuit vers la mer, eapourpre dos rayons du soleil couchent* Au<*dessous de nous, le pont denoli de Saint-B^n^aet et sa chapelle, le pont d*Avignon bvi' persotme ne paspe plus, et plus has, le pont nouveau vers la ports de l 1 Dole, oil fut assas sine le nardchnl Bruno* ✓ En face, do 1*autre cote du Eh&ne, dene les rochers et leg oliviers, Villeneuve, le fort Saint-Andre, tout un d6oor militairo et religieux, qui emporto l 1esprit , vers le passe ot fait rever de Palestine et de Croisades.

After mentioning Villeneuve, across the Rhone from Avignon, he gives us a taste of its history*

Ce n*est que plus tard et lorsque les papes euront fait lour paix avec les rois de France, que Villeneuve, avec ees plaints d*oliviers, ses frais bords du Rhone, fut adoptee comze residence d ^ t i per les cardinam: et • devint le Tibur, le Tusculun de la Houvelle Rone.

Them after describing several of the old churches and other points of interest, he says with pride*

Kale la nerveille do Villeneuve, c*est la Char­ treuse, fondee par Innocent VI qui voulut y thro en- seveli.1 2

Taking the rocky path rhich leads to Fort Saint-Andre, he cones

upon a scene which causes him to comment on its origin*

A 1*entree, sous un portail has qui ss gliese entre deux raonstrueusos tours rondes, une douzaine de gamines et de gamins, pieds nus, ebouriff^s, en gucnillos, nous regardent venir, et noua suivent sans nous saluer ni riea dire. lie attendant quelquee sous* Dans cette region pontifical©, on s’est trop longtemps

1, Arena, P.y P« 256. 2. Ibid., p.,259. Baudot has celebrated a renote little t o m in the Rhone valley by making it the setting for a Provencal festival (to be described Later)

in La Nabab—

Do Valence a Marseille^ dans touts la yallee du Rhone# Saint-Ronans de Bollaiguo est celohre conse un palais do f6es| ot c'est bien une vraie faerie dans cos pays brules de mistral que cetto oasis de verdure et de belle eau jaillissante.1

Ar^ne’s remarkable description of Avignon is almost as satisfactory

as a personally conducted tour—

Quant au vleux, au vrai Avignon, le seul moyen de le voir, c’est de s’y perdre. Rien d ’ailleurs do plus ais6 dans cet ^chevau eabrouill^ dee rues* rue Etroitej rue de 1 ’Onbre, etc., etc. La rue Saint-Etienne oxl sent lea restes d’un cirque remain que le moyen age appelait, Bleu salt pourquoil le ’Cirque des ChSvras,’ z ■ La rue oil saint Agricol, pour 1’etonneaent des Avignonais, faisait venir k son plaisir puis conge- diait les cigognes. La rue des Fourbiaseurs, ob. le Due de Guise so fournissoit d ’annures, . montrant encore e& miraculeuse Vierge peinte qui soigne sous le soufflet d ’un joueur* zLa rue de la Tarasque et son bas-relief ncCif qui represent© un nonstre rugueux et cornu en train de devorer un chevalier dont on ne volt plus que les jnribes. La rue de la Bonneterie celebre pour ea Idgende reoliste de I ’ego&t de nonsiour Canbaud, veritable enfer - tea cuisimiAres, oil une servant© peii charitable, qui , jetait le pain des pauvres aim chiens, hurl© changes en chain pendant les nuits La rue des Teinturiers, un norceeu de l ’Isle-sur- Sorgucs transports dans Avignon, avec son canal et sa procession do grandos roues en march© sous les La place Pie, oh des ftmatiquca denolirent la aaisoji du docteur Perrinet Perpaille, prinlcier de 1 ’Universite d»Avignon, decapite c o m e Huguenot et puis pendu (sup­ plies Strange) et qui dut enbarrasser I ’cxecuteurt en 1505m e

Si* Baudot, A., Le.Mnbab, p. 55. so reminiscent of its glorious past; and with a panorama of Provence all of panorama a with and past; its glorious of so reminiscent spread out in relief* in spread out

Ii. p, 270-271.ro. pp, Ibid., gSO-gSlT pp. Solell, HiBon Au .P.. Irene. The next scenes of particular beauty.are the ruins at Saint-Rezyl at theruins beauty.are particular of scenes next The Arhno'c next description is that of the ancient old city of of Eaux, city old the ancient of that is description next Arhno'c Be prolate,. Be dea couvents, des l^unono par nourrlr latss® gravats d ’un vieux fort, quolque chose des moourc chosedes quolque fort, ’un vieux d gravats coharaeau dans les eur lei, ccapds gens dopauvres disporaitre* fIni.par ont du Rhone quale doc portefalx dopailliorc, gueux avignonnais# lazzoronee torriblen d*autrefois persists encore,1 persists d*autrefois vnesltie Hi u e e otd’unadmir­ d sont nes i m ces que Haia solitaire. avenue virons d*Athenea# virons ces do ‘oliviers,pied an d champ ce de prbs effet, able ncapo, aslsrvnslise a apue lea pluie, la par laissees ravines les dans o&,champ un portions et pareilles sans doute aux collines dea en- dea collines aux doute sans pareilles et portions Marseille, le crocodile enchaine de la colonie rixmoise. colonie la de enchaine crocodile le Marseille, arenas, les par pierre, pierre tout Arles, extrait avoir collines grises, pro­ collines de sigrandes si'puresforme, de telles encore que les Remains les ont laiss&os apres en apres laiss&os ont les Remains les que encore telles de potorie, une nonnaie romaine ou grecque, la Diane de Diane la grecque,ou romaine nonnaie une potorie, de debris des terre, de flour & parfois, recueillent gamins il a y cote, A aqueduca. les et cirque le theatre,le Cost, avec quelques restes de constructions, dee traces dee constructions, de restes quelques avec Cost, de fours, des appuis de poutrea tallies dans le rocher, le dans tallies poutrea de appuis des fours, de dea Constantine, gardait le dSfil^ des Alpilles.^ dSfil^ le gardait Constantine, dea tout o# qui recto de la cit6 do ,Glonumt qui, au temps au ,Glonumt qui, do cit6 la de recto o# qui tout aiat, tne a ri et uor'u, les aujourd'hui, cents troio pas a et n'en habitants, ▼ue qui se qui ▼ue i,lsGoe or obe u lc e 1 et l ’un d bloc, tonbees tours admirable Gnomes les vif, pour dall6 montagne de flanc un tout chapelle, la bian, d6fi*rtes, le rues lepuits, vides, maisons les alimenter la citeme, les reaparts tallies dans le rocher le dans tallies reaparts les citeme, la alimenter ecilu ols l hn, epy *re, la d*Arles, pays le RhSne, le roules, cailloux de iV nacd rope nmuoe nbu ’une d bout an maueolee un trionphe, de arc Un ,,.*eette Poap6‘i mille dix contlnt qui Sge coyen oslsatqe 'urn ’imnensoscarrl&reo, d e'ouvrent antiques les Sous ot n lb couroe edat. Los et nendianto. dcsoouvroo pleba une tout® ti&mmtm do l* do desert son et Crau la esplanades

Colom­

Caeergue> les bords dm Tacoaros ou paissent lea taurenux ei les chevaux saurages, et, & 1 (horizon, la ner qtii brill®**

Lastly, (because the line crust be d r a m sonewhere in the quoting of these remarkable sight-seeing tours which Ar<=ne so generously places at the re^Unr’s disposal) there is the breath-taking vista of the whole area of Provence as seen from a famous grotto, *lo Trou d*Argent", not far from Baux:

Vers la frontifere d'ltalie, un pen do neige brill&it encore tl la cine desmontagnesj en face, dsns une poussi&re da eoleil, tout© la Provence, le Lubfcron haute des loups, le fier rocher oil Marius, aproo les Clmbres ^erases, dressa son temple A la Yictoire, et la Durance qul, courtmt entre des pronontoires, tour . a tour visible ou cach^e, brills jusqu'au lointain c o m ® un ohapelet de lacs* Dans l 1 air chaud, des pontes brilldes, montait Juequ»a nous I ’enivrante odeur des lavundas s&ches encore> sur le roc nu, qu»4toil- • aient de|5 par places les flours prdcocec du thlaspi, bourdonn&it la prenicJre abeiUe*"

%" way of summary, and just to glance back over the scenes so remarkably described, we find on the list Tar&scon, Aix, Marseille#

Toulon, Mesurgues, the "Maures", (the region once overrun by the Moors)

Avignon, Baux, Salnt-Reay, Saint-Eonans, and cany other towns or re­ gions* There have been descriptions of ancient ruins, modern buildings, and various other landmarks.

In a study aiming to show how the civilisation of the Midi of

France is reflected in its literature, some attention should first be

1, Irene, P., An^Bon Soleil, p. 276. paid to tho cllnato of the region#

The following remark of Ednond Jaloux will meet with the affirma­ tion of those who. have lived in the South of almost any country;

G’est I ’hiver que la lunioro triomphe le plus quand elle a l foccasion de la faires ce qui est frequent dans les hcureusee terras du Uidi.1

On® of the most outstanding peculiarities of the climate of the

Midi is that famous wind, ”le mistral.K Practically every one of these novelists make frequent references to this "vent magistral", as Aicard 2 calls it. ,

Jeon Hartet, unlike many persons, enjoy* this persistent wind—

at least, if we are to accept his Dr. Cabassud's opinion as bis own*

J'aiae le mistral. C fest un vent vif, un vent qui oleque ot qui 6norve certaines gens. Hoiy il mt de la joie.

Ar^ne has much to say of the mistral, there being no less than

four noteworthy references to it in hio An Bon Soleil—

N#»#or le mistral, qucnd il commence, souffle re- guliereaeni troic, six ou neuf jours,6

...un effreux mistral, beuglent comae un taurezm.*

(Speaking of the bridge at Arles)—

...Lee Jour do grand mistral, les cables deader , crioient ot g&issalent, et le tablier balancait de cote et d*autre, sembl&it-il. En dessous* qu'il fssse beau ou laid, 1'eau toujour*

1# Jaloux, E., La,Chute d*Icare, Dec. 1, p. 501. tm Aicard, J., L'lllustro Kaurin. p. 416 5. Ileftet, J., La partle de Boulos, p. 11,

sIlBidTp. 2521 ' ?V darned by the people acquainted rith then— rith acquainted people the by darned cording to Edmond Jaloux— toEdmond cording « *aH*; *S.—6**— "lesoleil.** du vent Here he defends the nistrol and the Rhone, both of %61ch are often are of %61ch both Rhone,the and thenistrol defends he Here Arena also epeeke of another wind, evidently common— "le vent de "le vent common— evidently wind, another of epeeke also Arena vdnl, vni h ot h pigi arcos fr ac­ for, capricious, is the spring South the in even Evidently, leats et^circulaires qul finissent dans un tourblllcn un dans finissent qul et^circulaires leats s'agi'cedes nouveraenta avec limoneuco tourbilloimt# et rend rend las taureaux de Caaargue et arrete los trains de chemin de trains los et arrete Caaargue de taureaux las et le Rhone« et le de fer en en Crau? fer de qu'Avignon doit d,evoir garder garder d,evoir doit qu'Avignon nous pittoresques me ravissent, et o& je rencontre ^ jerencontre eto& ravissent, me pittoresques nous de petites rues etroites et courtes so coupant d angle d coupant so courtes et etroites rues cesmilliera petites de a bati qu*on toumants, les tout a allee *vgo eulol upnlle# ^ lee conme qul,e,eepacent tours de releves maehicoulis, pontlfloel# ou republio&la l*Avlgnom il pas quandcerf'est les vieux droit, dont aigu, angle ehaque pea euelques debris, quelques souvenirs de souvenirs quelques debris, euelques pea ehaque Avignon & un page qui cult dans sa’croute, 11 y beau a y 11 sa’croute, dans cult qui page & un Avignon & ohatons d jour d ’une ceinture aoyen-^&ge, ’uneceinture d jour d ohatons cesreop&rts e eprs otmnmnshsoius o y‘touche ’y on n historiques, sont monuments remparts les toother vu aurlons les que nous pioche temps eouela que pour les roctourer, et avec quelle drudite dis- drudite quelle avec et roctourer, les pour que pied#..* d lours najestueusenent coule qui flmive du coleres les contre digue necessaire 1etaient une s’ils n crAlcnT../ ce point dor^s par le soleil que Dickens put comparer put Dickens que soleil le par dor^s point ce -Oh vousl qul ainss Avignon, b^nlaeez le mistral le b^nlaeez Avignon, ainss qul vousl -Oh -%ioi! le Rhone devastateur?,..le miotrolj qui miotrolj devastateur?,..le le Rhone -%ioi! fou, #1 -Parfaitenent, car c*est au Phone et au et au mistral Phone c*est au car -Parfaitenent, G1eat pour sc garder du mistral et lui casser les casser lui et du mistral scgarder pour G1eat it e@s reaperts, si finenent sarrazins, ouvrages de ouvrages sarrazins, sifinenent reaperts, e@s it S . rah e rnu e or, decorne tours, des crenaux lea arrache m pbyelononle.

Le printemps est capricieux, en Provence. A deg periodea de voluptueuse tiedour, aucct^derent d ’aigres bourreequea,, et un vent plus frold, accouru dee Alpes, interronpit brusqueaont lea promeaaes de I ’age d’or.l

A Marseille, c*est \ peine si 1'on assists k la naiBsance du prinbeapa. II est venu si prenaturenent dans I ’hiver, il s’cs^ fait announcer tant de f^ois avant 1*organiser son arrives officielle, il a envoye tant de messages avant de se presenter lui-dene que lorsqu^on le volt enfln debaraquer, on a 1*impression qu*ll etait U depuie bien longteaps.2

Hero, Jaloux is describing a hot, dry day near Marseilles

..•tine de ces chalcurs nuageusos de nos jeumees de septembre, quand le vent sec petille et fouaille.la poussidre, que les arbres sont enrobes dans de brusques rafales, que des nu&es couleur de fer et de feu ce rabettent em* la terre et qu*on attend avec impatience la prcmibre goutte d 1eau, ronde et large, qui brunira- le sable a no# plods 6b la premiere lezarde fulgurante qui ouvrira le d e l compact sur un autre d e l couleur d ror.0

The famous trial of Tartarin was made all the more bewildering to the northern judges by the effect of the terrific heat boating down upon the courtroom. Daudet speaks quite lengthily of the heat that dey, injecting a bit of exotic color by his description of the sellers of fresh water. A small portion of his description follows!

Le mois d'aout a Taraacon, jo vous dir&i, est le nois de la lourde chaleur. Il y fait chaud c o m e en Algeria, et les precaution# contra l*ardeur du d e l sont les memos que dans nos villes d*Afrique: la rc- traite dans lee rues avant midi, les casernes consignees, les auvents mis a toutes boutiques...4 12

1. Jaloux, Be, Fumees dans la Campaxsie. p. 16B. 2. Jaloux, E., La Chute d'leare. Itoc. 15, 1955, p. 875. 5. Jaloux, E., Ibid.» Nov. 15, p. 272. 4* Deudet, A., Port-Tar tar in. p. t M , -IOG-*

J.-L, tsudoyer88 artlotic character, Clement Beilin, is quite im­ pressed with the Provencal night, and describes it in typical faudoyer manner*

La nuit provenpale n*eat jamais,je crois, tout a fait sombre. Les arbros et les naisonc posaient cur 1c ciel xin dessin en canaleu, noir sur gris, aysteri'eux et relodte.1

Paul Ar^ne adds two new ideas to those already mentioned*

*..c*eot une pluia dir Midi, intermittente et tiede. avee des Gclaircies bleues dgayees de chants d ’oiseaiuc.2

..tie ’Tr o u d 1Argent1, une grotto quron aperjoit de la ville tieme, si troapeusement rapprochie par la trane- parwae* do I'air qu’avec la main vouc croiriez l8atteia- ■dre#® ■■ ■ -

1. Vaudoyer. J.-L.. Clement Beilin, p. 155. X. Irene, P.. Au Bon Solell. p. 272. 5* Ibid.. p. 218* —101—

i

The ensuing group is conposed of niscollcneous reflections rhich, either because of their vagueness or some other reason, seem te lend

themselves more readily then anyvhere else to the expression or por­

trayal of whet may be somewhat generally termed •atmosphere#*

•Atmosphere8 is a word difficult to define, at least as it is ap­

plied here# It includes such abstract things as spirit, sentiment,

and feeling (though it is sometimes used in an almost literal sense),

ii closely related to the geography of the region, and might even bo

thought of as local color.

following observation*

Lorsou*un hoane qui habits au nord de la Loire des­ cend dans le Midi, 11 eprouve immediatement, presque automatiquement, une sensation de bien-etre qui so tra- duit par un optinisne sonnairo et repoeant. See ponseea •t ses sentiments initent la nature non tello,quf olio eot

pas les nuances, II se laisso eblouir par un quo cn teinto plate; Ifeur qui, cur les vpute eglise de village, represents le Paradis,1

tains several of these

passages which can be thought of only as

1, Vaudoyer, J.-L., p. 45. ...1*influence tielicieuse et nefaste do cette ville, qui eat indifferente e: tout, qui ae auffit a ellc-meno, — de cette villa ou il faut devenir un poeto ou un ncniaquee1

This idea ia ited, though expressed differently, in the dec- eription of the

Quelle etait apacieuse et claire, cette vioille

un large eteignoir,

Dana un coin, un petrin a deal oangS par les vers allong- eait son coffre bruni; une bolts 6 sol jolinent cculptee et une panneteris aux colonnettes dolicates aux goads detain, accrochds au nSns mir, senblaient noins dee

mu#### UGB vieux uv rroYcnvup UJL uuuu leur rusticite apoarente, disaient aussi uno longue his- toire de fidelity, de devouenent hunble et patient a leurs naltree. De-ci, de-ltl, pendaient & quelque clou un chapelet d'aulx aux barbes blondes, ou uno trecso dtoignona, ou quelque bouquet de ronarin, qui nottait dans I ’air cette bonne odour de colline, dont so griser-

ingly expressed the atmosphere of Provence In t o m s of colon

La vue s*etendait sur la plains de l 1Arc, toute coupee de collines, qui s^cartnient les unes des autres, c o m e font les p^tales de la rose. La couleur aSae de l ^ s u r peignait ees terres heureuees. Plus pres de nous, k la facon d ’un pronontoire, s'avanqait une eaillie de terrain portant, & son eomet, comae un chasse, une ferae v i e U or qui araait autour d'elle trois ou quatrec grands cypres. -Ohl scoria non beau-pore, exprimer colal Re- garde, il n !y a quo trois tons, da bleu-gris, du bleu-

1« Jeloux, E., Fu t. Ibid., p. 40. -103-

flrenoler ce coin-lh d‘un paysage de S i d l e ou do IIor- vdget Touts I'Sae da la Provence j cat contenue, et la nature enfci^re y collators,^

Here Daudet resumes the very atmosphere of Taraacon in all its exaggerated tens

..*le soloil tarasconnaia et ses prodigieux ef- fets de nirago, si fecdnda en surprises, en iimtttioas, en cocasseries deliranteoj ce joyeux petit peuple, pas gros qufun pois chicho, qui reflate et resume les instincts de tout le Midi frcngais, vivant, reounnt, bavard, exageree, conique, impressionable, 'ost la que les gens do l fexpres guettent an passage ot ce qui fait la popularito de I'endroit,

J.-f*

...cetts couleu^ dore'a qu’ont tous les batiments enciens de Provence■6 and Jaloux has expressed for all these writers their love for Provence—

Mais plus frequeasent que le d e l , la terra me harcelait. Sa vleillo voix rude venait no reclaner jusque dans cet enclose ELle me depeignait ses reveo, see amours, sos voluptec, ses devoirs; d i e prenait mills accents neles et contradictoires, tantot doux, et plus couvent brutaux, elle inplorait, elle reclamait, ello exigealtp OhI vieille terre palenne de Provence, qui as uni dans ton argile les ossenents de tent de dieux disparus ot de heros enSentis, comae je ne sentais ton filsI Comno les innoabr&bles songes que tu as formes pendant des nillencires venaient 1 ’im apr&s 1*autre oeeuper non coeuri Je sortais tout grist? do co preau dormant, et si j fapercevais un lancinnnt besoin de sagesse ou de gloiro,— ou de cette flottante paix qui fait si blsnc le front des mortsl^

1» Jaloux, E., 2, Baudot, A., 5, Samat, J*-T., 4* Jaloux, E,, op.cit., p. f&udoyor reveals his intimacy with Provence, and Provencal farm life, in the following passage**-

Ls. pointe d'ail qui le parfuaait mettait dans 1'air ce relent qui fait peneer aux formes provengales, ou la cuisine est si fralcho, par les grands aprds-midi de juillet, ok I ’eau est glace dans lee gorgoulettes et ou brillent confusemcnt dans 1

Jean Martens character. Dr, Cabassud, gives M s feelings upon moving to Provence in the following words*

Je savals par lea recite lyriquea et chon tenta de mon pbre que le Midi, que lec grands pins parasols se detachant b u t cet asur sans uno tache, quo le miroitenent de oette ner 'etaient I’un des plus beaux spectacles qui fuBcont au nonde, Hais je ne n'attcndais pas a cola, a oette ivresse des chosee, a oe grand bonheur qui ton- bait de la nue. Et je eomprenais la tristease da na Ethre, le faux enjoment de non p&re, lour regret, lour nostalgic, lour accablenent de vivro dens cette pluie et dona oette brume, aprbs avoir v^cu dsns cotte lum- i6re, dans cette chaleur, dans cette caresso, je les coaprmials et le conprenais cue, noi aucsi, bicn que ne la-bas ches cee tristes hyperboreans aux yeux glauquos, je portals ea noi le souvenir vague, profond, de oette joie*2

That he is truly enchanted with this climate is quite clc

especially after he add##

J ,clne, j ‘adore le solellj la lumiere, la cer, la lime, les arbres, lea rochors, et je les adore comae dee dieux avec, oui, m e ivresse, un transport quasi mystiques

J,-L. Vaudoyer pays homage to

1. Jaloux. E., Lq Chi?.tg^d' v« 1* 1935, p. 56,

b ! Ibid, ' '* : * .105-

Los rich neridlonalee.

In the following passage# Arcne mentions numerous things which go to make up the distinctive color of Provence*

Figures-vous uno ds ces potites saisons cubiques# blanohios & la chaux ot entour^es d fun cur de pierres sbehoa# dll los bona Provencaux, qui sont de la nature des cigalea, vont par b$mdes, le diaanche, sc rejouir a 1*ombre d*un pin ou d ’un olivior, ombre aussi claire# d'aussi fine trarao ot aussi percee do trous ensoleillds que le menteeu du philosophe Antisth&ne,.* .,.16 mur blanc, les cigales, 1 ‘hcrbo brulee, 1*ombre noire des artichauts projetant en ligne sur lo sol lours fruits de forme classique pareils nu thyrse de Bacchus et lours larges et belles fsullies contour- nees come des acanthee,.*.eet assoupissant podme de la chalcur et de l letdf avec les ortolans qui chantent# les bids trop curs qui se froissent bruyament et les grands chemins qui poudroient...^

Judging from the detailed description of the history of Avignon sad of the physical remains of that history, Arena is right when in speaking of the country between l 1Isle and Avignon, he says*

Moua somnas decideceni en terra papale.* *5

Something of Uartet’s theme in La Partie de Boulefl— the contagious nature of the Provencal climate and atmosphere— is in the following

passage by Arena*

Pour les Provencaux de la Provence contagnarde, la vr&io Provence, celle du chene-vert et d^olivier, des teabourins et des belles filles, apparatt comae une sorts de terre sacree. Les enfants tout petits en revent, et qulconque y a passe un an ou deux

1* Taudoyer# i ,-L., Clement Beilin, p. 91. f* Arena, P.. Au Bon Soleil. pp. 186-87. 5. Ibid.* p. 242. -106-

But the ceaelusion he Is forced to coke after nil his description v . .. is this! * Btonnant, ce Uidit

As those various sorts of ^reflections" are picked out and thus transcribed in more or less concentrated amounts, the reader is quite apt to find himself sharing Ar&ne's impression* 1

1. Ar^nOf P*. op.cit., pp. 7^57 Z. Ibid*, p. 207* Chapter III

Racial Characteriatica

Perhaps the most striking of all the traits of this particular group of novels is the extent to t?Mch the racial characteristics of

Provence ore reflected. This can be explained by the fact that there are probably feu people in the world whose characteristics, physical or psychological, are more readily adaptable to portrayal than are those of the inhabitants of Provence,

It is well to remember, however, that many of the following quo­ tations were intended by the authors to be exaggerations. It is signif­ icant, nevertheless, to note that the sane ideas are brought out by several different writers, leading the reader to believe that the ex­ aggerations are not as broad as they would seem at first glass*.

Of all these writers who have portrayed the racial characteristics of Provence, Baudot stands firstj at the sane time, it is safe to say

that he has carried the exaggeration to its highest point. Baudot, of

course, had a good reason for thus exaggerating$ he was either trying

to write a humorous story, as 1b the case with his Tartarin stories,

or he was emphasizing the differences between the people of the North

■ '• - " ,• . . ■" and those of the Midi, The ironical plot of his Numa Houmestan is

based on that idea,

Baudot* a host known character is Tartarin, and the Southerners that ho i W best zmd most full}' portrayed— in spite of the exaggeration

— ere the Tarasconnaie. If one were to none what seems to bo the out­ standing trait of the Taracconnais, or of the Provencal, it would pro­ bably bo their imagination*

grotfully remarks to his friend, Bompardi

-C’est 1*imagination, pochoret. „nous nentours par imagination*-1

And one of Jean Heard' a characters exclaims in a tone approach- . . ' ing awe: .■ : . c • , .

-Voilh les gens du ilidil*.,Quellec iaaginatlcmsS8

Tartarin'e thought if echoed by Paul Arhne—

• »«un Meridional du pur Midi, aenteur par exces d*imagination, et eceptiquo, comae tous lea penteurs qui ne croient qu'& leurs propres mensongos.d

Perhaps the most visible of the Provencal's traits are his exub­

erance, hie volubility, his enthusiasm, hie gaity— in a word, the ef­

fervescence which is a corollary of imagination. She following ex­

cerpts are all expressive of those qualities:

H a m m e et vent du Midi, vous etes irresistibles.1 *34 5

...pays deo totes bouillaates, exploeiti-ee.®

D'endroit plus impressionable quo Tarascon, 11 ne s'on eat jamais vu sous le eolell d ’aucun pays.6

1. Daudet, A#, t. Hoard, J#s 3. Arehe, P., P 170, 4. Daudet, A., ^ p. 43. 5. Ibid., p. 71. 6. Daudet, A., p. 349. Cod galtes niridionales, faites de turbulence, de - faalliaritej cette race verbouse, tout on dehors, ea surface.,«

♦♦.car chez cette race exuberente, l‘effet n*est jamais en rapport avec la cause, grossle par des visions, des perceptions disproportionnees♦2

♦ ♦♦aes poigneQB ae m a m , uea aouojLuuea, ue ueu bonnes tapes sur l*epaule qui doublent la veleur des mote, toujoure trop froids au gre d'uns synpathle meri- dionale.5 • , . -

Songez q u U l otait de Tar&scon, le malheureux, et cites si, dans tout lo nartyrologie^ 11 existe un supplies aussi terrible que celui de Saint-Bezuouet, qui eavait quelque chose et ne pouvait rienedire.4

♦ .♦defense absolue de parlor a quiconquo— c ’est ca qui est terrible pour des Tarasconnais...6 *

En dix jours le Habab avait vieilli de vingt ana. Ces violentes natures K^ridlonalos, si elles sont riches en elans, en jet® de flammeo irresistibles# #*#f#i#®#nt eueei pine conplbtenent que les autres.6

...Provence mobile et nerveuse, race de grillons, toujours sur la porto et toujours chantant.7

Les fougues du Midi sont rapides en raison directe do leur violence.8

lit, Daudet tells us, there are sometimes moods or qualities which balance those unique people— or perhaps, cake them all the more incon­ sistent and Interesting^ He mentions, for example,

...un flegne d*indolence et d*insouciance aussi . n frequent choz les natures neridionales que la vivacite.

1. Daudet, A., >, pp. ’S S * ™ * * p- L*» p. 19« 4.tBt: Baudot, A., Tertarin sur los Alpos, p, 170*

6. DaudetJ A., Le, Habab. p. 175. 7. Baudot, A., Huma Bournestan, p. 559# 8. Ibid,. p. 49# 9. Ibid., p. 151* - n o -

Lastly, there are a great cany nlacellcaequo remarks and observa­ tions which, together with the foregoing ones, give the reader a fair idea of what to expect or not to expect In a Provencal*

1*invisible interlocu al porto

-Nous autres Provea^aux..*ne croyons pas vlte aux actions terribles.*.notre d e l est trop bleu, trop gai... mais.une fois partis, nous pouvoae ^galer les plus 4ier- giques.1 *5 67

La race est fiere.,,et bonne enfant; nais d'uno vi- vacite"d’iapressions, d*une intemperance de league...G

...un type asces rare k Tarascon,— I ’envie, la basce •t aechante envie*..?

Malheureusmmt, la race tarasconnaise, plus galante qua sentimentale, ne prend jamais les affaires du coeur au serieux*8

...lo Tarasconnais ea general no s’occupo pas de politique* indolent de nature, indifferent £ tout ce qui ne 1>attaint pas localenent, 11 tient pour 'l*etat do ©hoses*, cosmo 11 dit,9

1. Maitet, J., La Partle de Soules, p. 26. I* Baudot, A„ ^ r W a r a s c o n , p. 199. 8. Jaloux, E., Fusees dans la Cnapa

•••1‘cpouTant© dos courants d*air particuli^re eux Taraeconnais.e,1

♦••son audaco, aa eubtillte Eoridionale...1 2 *5

Except for descriptions of particular individuals, there is little of what might be called the description of physical racial traits.

Daudet remarks that

...la race est classique dans le sang.0

After describing one man in Tarascon, trho, in spite of his really awe-inspiring face, is meek and gentle, Daudet says*

Cos antitheses sent frequentes a Tarascon ou leo tetes ont trop de coract&re, ronaines, sarrazines, t&tes d fexpression dee nodeles de dessin ddplac^es en des metiers bourgeois et dos moeurs ultra-pacifique s do petite ville.4

Edmond Jaloux speaks of

...une de ces Provencalos qui melont dans lour sang la puretc? groeque et la fiertd’ sarrasine.6

Again, he particularly notices

...un do ces homaes du Midi qui ont le masque •nergiquei dos enciens Roaaina^ tempers par la bonhomie qui nanquait A ces durs conquerants.6

accompanying his playing with *co leger d^hanchement du Provencal, ami

1. Daudet, A., 2. Daudet, A., aa&s.’-p. 8« Ibid., p» 31# 4* Daudet, A*, 5. Jaloux, E., m . 6. Ibid., p. 8. -112-

du rythno ot de la danse."1 ■

One of the most Interesting phases of the rather frequent psych­ ological description is the comparison, or rather, contrast between northern and southern traits* ,

Deudet has his ova way of distinguishing a Northerner from a South­

erner i ■ ■ '' . -

Dans lo Midi, I'homno du Herd se recommit a son attitude tranquil!o, k la concision de son lent parler, tout aussi sdrement que le meridional se trahit dans le Word par son exuberance de pantomime et de debit*2

quite deeply in-

presced hy these people of Masurgues, end especially by their differ*

enee from the sombre inhabitants of Rouen—

Jo les regardais avec ebahisseaent, svec ravisse- mentJ leurs chagrins et leurs dlsastroo eux-memes leur apportaient de la jole. Tandis que loo Rouennais, je me rappolaiss leurs plaisiro euz-memeo ^talent n6lan- coliques.S

psu siapllstes et un % plua charmantes plus chal rejouissances que j1avals le ter- rlble clinat do 1

tion of the Tarasconnaic is to make his readers understand the injustice

of calling these people liarss **•

1. Baudot, A., Nana Roumestan* p, 28a

*• . 5* Martet, J.» DaPartie de Boules. p. 24* 4* Ibid., p* 58# —11 5 —

; II est tempo de s’entendre une fois pour toutes sur eette reputation de menteurs quo leg gens du Hord ont faito aux Mdridionaux. II n*y a pas de menteurs dans le Midi, pas plus qu*& Marseille qu*6 Mimes, qu’tSi Toul­ ouse, qu’d Tarascon, L fho m e du Midi ne meat pas, il se tramp#. II ne dit pas toujours la vdrit^, mals il croit la dire...Son neneonge 1 lui, ce n ’est pas de mensonge, e ’est une esphce do mirage... Oui, du niragel Et pour bien me comprendre, allez- vouo-en dans le Midi, et voua verrca, Vouc verrcz ce diatel# de pays oil le soloil transfigure tout, et fait plus grand que nature. Vo u b verrea cos petites collinea do Provence pas plus hautes que la butte Montmartre et qui vous paraltront gigantesquas, voua verres,.,Ahl le seal menteur du Midi, s’il y en a un, c*est le soloil... Tout co qu'il touche, il s’exagbrel Qu’est-ce que c’etait que Sparto aux temps de ea splendour? tine bour- gado..*ftuteDt-co etait qu’Athenes? Tout au plus une sous prefecture...et pourtant dans l*histoire elles nous apparaiosent comes des villeo 6iormos. Voile co qua la soleil en a fait**** •

Tartar in himself, on trial for all sorts of half-imagined crimes, rises to echo this same ideal

A men tour, monsieur le president, arme de cette elueute&tion cynique, je vous adjure de reconn&ttre que tous les imposteurs ne sdnt pas du Midi. Ahl vous nous appeles menteurs, nous autres de Tarascon. Male nous ne gobbiqs que des gens d»imagination et de paroles d£bord-

ing4iuee. Quelle difference avec voa menteurs du Nord, sans joie ni spontaneity, qui ont toujours, un but, une visSe scSlerate, c o m e le signataire de cette lettrel 0ml, certes, on pent le dire, en fait de mensonge, quapd le Nord s'en mele, le Midi ne pout pas lui tenir pied I'1

In more than one instance, the rivalry betreen tvo neighboring

towns of the Midi (often amounting to actual hatred) is brought out*

1. Baudot, A.. Tartarin de Tarascon. p d . £5-26* 8. Deudet, A., Fort-Tarascon. p. 512. The following is a humorously exaggerated example of the unfriendly- spirit which often exists - the author is referring to Taraecon, la

Provence, and Boaucaire, immediately across the Rhone*

Dopuis des eibclos, eutre leg deux cites voisines, sopard'es seuleaent par le Phono, gronde une haine cui menace de no plus finir...Be fait, d fune ville k 1'autr#, lee c o m u p Ications sont nullos, et le pont qu*on & j e W entre olleo no sort absolument b. rien. Par hostilite' d*abord, ensuite pareeque la violence du mistral et la Imrgeur du fleuyo a cat endroit on rendent le passage trds dengereux,1

Another strong trait of the Provencal is his love for telling high­ ly imaginative, exaggerated stories, often of questionable taste, but always taken in the light, harmless spirit in which they are intended•

The following description of Mam-in1s joy in telling these "galegeades* may help the reader understand just what is meant by this word so often net in Provencal literature:

tolro fait deux coupe doubles: il avait fait rire la belle filler et agect< les gendarmes; uni— dlssimul^ aux yeux des autres auditema le profit de ea journeo, et satisfait son imagination *d*artiste’i deuxl— car il venait d*inventor son histoire detouteo pieces. Et il savait tr&s bien .quo tout pe raoade n*6tait pas dupo de sa fable, et qua tous I ’admiraient da si bien mentir. Il ee moquait un pen de son public, en neme tamp# qua de sa pr^tendue naladresse, h Iqquello mil ne croyait* Et touto cette fagon de rire de soi et des autres en ss dormant un ridicule vrai ou ecule- ment vraioeablable, e’est cels qui constitue la gcuail- lerie provenjjale, la ’galegeadel Qui trompe-t-on ici».• I

1. Baudot, A., Pqrt-?arascqA, pp. 44-45. t. Aicard, J., Kaurln de; IlMgaa, p. 10. - 1 1 5 -

In fact, no other novelist of this group has, as ve have said, dwelt so long and so interestingly on this typical trait of the Pro­ vencal so Jean Aicard has done*

tout.le genie de la Provence eclatait dans touts sa phyoiononie.l

4 P .,.1'ane artiste de tons ces Provencnux,

-Maurln est un artiste... -*oue Gomes un peuple co: oa. **8

Ces Frovenc&ux,..ont le genie de l 1anecdote. Chacun des gostes da ce brave Maurin est un conte et s*arrange c o m e un des fabliaux nalicieux qui enchnntaient nos pires* II y a de !•esprit -nature! dsns ees nouvenents c o m e dans ses mots. Nos galegcalres sont frondeurs a la nanihre la plus frangaise du nonde, mais leur rire est plus sonore quo celui des hunorlstes du Hord.4

Joan Hartet conjectures in a semi-humorous manner about the pos­

sible origin of the Bgalegeaden— ^

-Mais jo ne pus, I'histoire finie...nienpecher de rever un instant, et de oonger, out, que c^tait pout- etre avec ces petites histoires pour rire, si justes de ton, que les gens de ches nous et d faujourd,hui,...so reliaient 1c plus dii-ecteaent aux vieux contours greco. an divin Ulysse... Au sons du memo clapotis de la none nor, sous le meme ciel dans la memo joie sans doute et sans davantage se faire prior, Ulysso, le premier dos Meridionaux, avait raconte ses galejades..*6

1* Aicard, J., 8* Aicard, J., 5. Ibid.* p. 74. 4# Ibid#, pp. 880—El* S. H^tet, J., p. 25. -116-

Ckmpter If

Customs. Lanenda. Fsstivcls. Language. Dress, and Sports

Here x?e find a raaltli of material, and though nuch of it cannot be

Included, a few of the particularly striking passages are indispensable

in a stucty which has for its purpose the selection of material reflect­

ing the region.

In Daudet1s T&rtarin books, and especially in Port-Taraecon. re

learn that Tarascon is a city of ancient origin. Daudet also given the

interesting legend of the fantastic founder of Taraecon from which, he

says, the city took its nonet

...la Tarusque, 1»animal fabuleux qui a donne son nom a la ville de Taraecon. Pour rappeler son histoire b r i W e m m t , e’etait, eette Tarasque, en des temps trbs anciens, tm oemstre redoutable, qui desolait l 1embouchure du Eh^ne. Sainte Martha, venue en Provence aprt?g la nort de J^sus, alia, Vetue de blanc, chercher la bSte au milieu des narais, et 1 1anena en ville, liee seulement d'un ruban bleu, mais donpt^e, captivdo par 1*innocence et la piete de la saint#. Depuis, les Tarasconnais celebrent tous les dix ano une fete ou l 1on promene & trovers les rues un monstre en bois et carton paint, tenant de la tortue, du serpent, et du crocodile, grossilre et burlesque effigie de la Tarasque d*autrefois, veheree maintenant comae une idol#, logee aux frais de l1 Ma t et connue dans tout le pays sous le non de *la neSro-grandl *

It is quite probable that many of the more ignorant peasants lay

great faith in the legend, but Daudet of course is merely including it

1. Daudet, A., Port-Tarascon. pp. 75-75. .117-

In order that it might add color to his story.

There are those who attach a great deal of significance to the

similarity between the words "Tarascon” and •‘Taureau*, and it is in­ deed easy to see the possibilities of such a relation. la Grande Ricy­ clopedia. In fact, state* bluntly that Tarascon owes its name not to 1 "la Tarasque" but rather to "Taureau." The encyclopedia adds that the city actually is of ancient origin, dating back rather vaguely before

the present era*

At any rate, it is definitely known through historical records and

literature that Provence played a considerable role in the history of

France, This, as has been said, is amply substantiated by the number

of imposing ruins throughout the country. And the people of many a

modest little town continue to hold their traditional festivals in honor of some legendary or historic incident or pereonnage.

Baudot, in the following; passage, carries the reader back to

Medieval times—

Ahl le moyen age de Provence, le beau tempo das trouv&res et des cours d*amour.1 2

His character, Pascalon, imprisoned with his "Governor", Tartarin

in the historic chateau which serves as Tarascon*s jail, has plenty of

time to reflect on the bitterness of contemporary life, regretfully

contrasting the coldness of M s lady love to those in the songs sung

hy the Medieval ■tromreree*i

1. La Grande Bncyclopfedie, vol. SO, p. 930. 2. Baudot, A., Ifana Roumestan. p. 90. Le Shone roule du soleil eparpille pnrai cob potites lies d’tm vert pale que le vent ohourlffe* Lo d e l ost tout raye du vol nolr des nartinetsj leurc petlts crla se pour sul vent, pas sent tout ©outre moi ou tonbant de ires' haut, et tout en bag se balance le pent de fil de fer, si long, si nine©, qu*on sfattend toujours s. le voir partlr, envoi© corae un ebapeeu. Sor lea. bords du fleuvc, des m i n e s de vieux chateaux, celui de Beaucaire avec la ville k sea pieda, ccux de ^ Courtezan, de feeqifoiras. Derridre cos groe nurs, ebonies par 1© temps, il se tencit autrefois des *courG d*anour*, oi lea trouvarcs, les fclibres d ’alors, etalent ain^s par des princesses et dos reines qu’ils chcntaicnt...Maid quel ehangement...! depuis cos epoquea lointnines. A present les somptueux nanoirs no eont plus que des trous envahis de roncee) ot les felibres out boau celobrer grandea dames et demoiselles, les demoiselles so moquent joilment d*eux* Une vue meins attristante ost cello du canal de Beau­ caire avec tons see bateaux points en vert, en jam#, serres en tas, ot sur les quais lea taches rouges dee -militaires que je vois pronener du haut de non fcnestron.

As an example of those old trad!tons which have carried over to modern times, the following passage from Baudot is offered!

A la passion de la chasae, la forte race tarasconnaise joint une autre passion* cello des romances. Ce qui se con so m e de romances dans ce petit pays, c'est a n ’y pas eroire. Toutes les vieillories sentimontales qui jaunis- sent dans les plus vieux cartons, on les retrouvo & Taras- con en pleine jeunosse, on plain eclat... Deux ou trois fois par semaine, on se r e m i t les m s ches les mitres et on se °les" chenfce. Ce qu*il y a de singulisr, c ’est que ce sont toujours les memos, et que, depuis si longtemps qu’11s se les chantent, ees braves Tarasconnais n ’ont jamais envie d ’en changer. On so les legue dans les families, de pere en fils, et personae n ’y touche$ c’est sac%4. Jamais acme on ne s’en emprmte... Mai a non! c h a c m garde la sienne et tout le monde est content.

Whether the following little song is original with Aicerd or whether it is one which has survived several centuries does not make

1. Beudet, A., Port-Tm y pp. 275-276. 2. Baudot, A*, pp. 11-12. 1 1 9 -

a great deal of dlffeoreioe, for In any case it reflects the romantic, geulois spirit of the Middle Ages5

la Gellinettes .

Dans le hois, joli boisl h ai tant cueilli, recueilli Quo ns suis endonaie. Ai tant dormi et redonai Que la nuit a ’a surprise -Ohl qui n ,cide a passer le hois Je suis sa douce ami. Vient & passer gal chevalier: -#ol vous le passeriel Me a m t pas au mi tan du bois Qu'un baisor il derohe. -Arriere un peu, beau chevalier, Prendries ma naladie. -Quelle naladie avez-voua, Bosette, belle fills? -Je suis la fillc d ’un lopreux He dans la leprerie. Quand ils eurent passe lo bois Rose se met a rire. -Do quoi riez. Rose n ’amour? Rosette belle fille? -He ris pas de votre beaute Ml de votre sottise. Je ris d*avoir d*avoir passe le bois Comme une honnete fille. -Belle, ai voulez retourner Cent 6cus vous darie. -Mon bon monsieur, quand on la tient, Faut plumor la poulette, Dans le bois, joli boisi1

The famous Maurin was harshly treated for objecting to the cruelty of the following religious ceremony held in a little torn not far from

Toulon—

...la procession de Saint-Martin. — Saint Martini Sant Martin arribet II arrivait on effet. C ’btait, sur son haut picdestal.

1. Aicard, J., p. 8S. un saint Martin de bole, equeetre, et port© au moyen de deux grosses porches horizontales, sur les ^panics de quatre honunes. Vote on chevalier remain, lo grand salat Martin s'appretalt & couper en deux, de con geste immobile, avec son large glaive, son ample manteau bleu; et un jaiuvro grelotteux, entre les jamboo de son cheval, levait les mains vers la loque bienfalsante. Le manteau d’un bleu era avait des frenges d*or. Et la foule suivait, jeunes garqons, vieillards, vieilles fcanes et jeunes filles, on criant sur tous les tons — aSant Martini Sant Martial Vivo Sant Martini” Tout le village oscortait le saint, entoure do con- grfjgonistes en robes blanches, un cierge aux mains, et de queltpies penitents en cagoule. Or, 1'usage veut quo lorsque le saint arrive devent l1eglise, M. le curi, vStu de ses plus beaux ornements, se presente a sa rencontre sous le porche. .filers le saint s'arrSte. Les cantiques eclatent. A ce moment precis, un pauvre de la commune, instruit a*cot effet,— un pauvro pour de bon, charge de representor le mendiant de saint Martin, advance vers le pretre et s,agenouille au seuil de 1*eglise. Aassitdt le aacristaln tend au cure un ▼dteaent que lo pretre doit donner au pauvre de la part de saint Martin. Mais ce vetoaent n*ost jamais un nan- team (les mantoaux, frang^s d*or ou non, content trop cher et n'ltant guere a la node); et, quel qu*il soit, vest® ou gilet, il fnut que le don en edit fortesent legitimff, aux yeux de la foule, par 1* attitude im- plorante et lamentable du pauvre. Co misereux doit done grelotterl C*est son role dans la com^die, qu*il fnsse chaud ou non. II fait chaud souvent, dans ce pays-lh, ax cette epoquo (Bov. 11) et I'on dit partout;,l,eto de la Saint-Mc-rtin.* Cepondant, la foule, toujours un peu cruelle et gouailleuee, ne peraettrait pas que le vetement fut donne^au pauvre quo ne I ’auroit pas norite faute d*avoir grelotte, et fort visiblement. Et pile crie: •Tremouarol (grelottel) Trem­ ble I Frissonnel*1

As these festivals and traditional occasions are for the most part rather closely related to religion, it seems fitting to quote here

Baudot's description of the monastery at Tarascon, of which remind one of the famous

1. Heard, J., Maurjii des Maures. pp. 92-93. ...leur joli convent do Pamperigouste, porche eur uac colllnette tout® grise de thyme et de lavande, in- stalle la depuis des eiecles aux portes de la ville, d*ou l1on apercolt, entre les pins, la dentelle.de ses cloche- tons carillomafct dans les brises claires du matin avec le chant des alouettes, au crepuscule avec le cri melsn- eolque des courlis. x Les Tarasconnais les aimaient beaucoup, leurs Peres- Blancs, doux, b

Another traditional festival still observed is that of Saint—

Tropes*

...le jour de la fete patronale do.... . Saint-Tropes, le 15 juin. Lea bravadeurs de Saint-Tropes portent les uns le costume des aousquetoires, les autros lo costume des dragon# de Louis XIV. Telle est la solennlte de cette fete, olle a un caractdre national, traditional!cte, tellenent vener­ able et score,...^

On sait que 1*histoire r&conte comment le grand saint Tropes, d^eapitl a Pise, fut depose' et couchd' sans tSte dans une embarcation en compagnie d’un chien et d ’un coq— et lan.ee ainsi a- la mer...La Providence le fit aborder eur le rivage auquel 'll a donne son non. Le group# de boia sculpte, ports £ dos d’honmes et repr^sentent le saint, le chien et le coq, dans la bar­ que,— doainait les t§tes innombrables de la foule.

Cette coutume hlstorique, feataisiste et tree res­ pectable, a fjlus de deux siocles et deni d*existence, ce que Kaurin resueait ainsi* *Ca vient des ancetres, bien avast les autMiobiles, du temps d'Herode.* Et rien n ’est plus prbs de la v6rite, pulsque 6 cette tradition est m8l^ le souvwdr de Torpls qui fut ecangon (echanson) de l lempereur Moron; autrement dit, 11 lui versait a boire1.1 2*4

1. Daudet,1 A., Port-Tarascon. pp. 18-19. 2. Alcard, J., L ’llluatre Maurin. p. 219* 5. Ibid., p. 242. 4. Ibid., pp. 224-25. Hals ce que rien, ni parole ni ecriture, no pent rendre, e*ost l 1extraordinaire, I ’lnoul spectacle que present® la vllle do Saint-Tropez durant sa fete annuelle. L*imagination resto inpuissante a ce representor certaines choseo, ei on ne les a pas vuesi inpuissante la menoire, quand on les a vues. It rien n* est' touchant c o m e la veneration ot l fanour de la villa pour son antique tradition. •*-

And,finally, there is the quaint observance of the patron fest­ ival of Garde-Freinet, with the description of tshich Aicard has added another d&sh of color to his adventurous story of Maurin—

...un curi.eux spectacle les attendait a la Garde- Freinet. On y celebrait, pour la fete patronale, le jeu antique dec Bouffeeo. % u e les jeunes gens du pays, ars^s d ’un soufflet, se poursuivaient l*un 1*autre en chantant... Et tondio qu’ils poursuivaient aussi les fillettes aocouniee pour les voir— tout 6 coup surgissaient d*autres jeunes h o m e s en trempe, et deguises en pirates mauresques et negres qui nettaient les premiers en deroute et leur enlevaient les belles fillest^

Here is a description by Daudet of a more m o d e m festival—

Ehfin il arrive le jour, ce jour "faneux dont on parle encore a u j m r d ,hui dans tout le pays de la-bas. Ohl vers trois heures de l taprbs-midlt aprbs un dejeuner sonptueux prSside cette fois par la vioille ndre avec une czunbresine neuve a sa coiffe, lorscue Jcnsoulet, en habit noir ot cravat® blanche, entoure de ses convives, sortit sur le perron et qu’il vit dans ce cadre splendide de nature pempmae, au milieu des drnpeaux, dea arcs, des trophees, ce fouraillement de totes, ce flanboieaent de costumes s,Stageant sur les pentes, au tournant, des elides; ici, groupdes en corboille sur une pelouse, les plus jolies fill®# d1Arles, dont les petites totes mates sortaient delicatement des fichus de dentelles; au-dessous, la faran- dole d® Barbantane, ses huit tambourins en queue, prete a p&rtir, les mains enlacdes, rubans au vent, chapeau sur 12

1. Aicard, J., L'lllustre Maurin. p. 232. 2. Ibid.* p. 415. -MS*

l*or«iIl®# la taiUolo rouge autour des reins $ plus bas, dsas 1& succession des terrassee> les orpheone alignee tout noirs sous leurs casquettes eclcntantes# le porte- bannidre en avent, grave, convaincu, les dents serrecs, tenant haut sa hanpe ouvragee; plus bas encore, sur un vast© rondpolnt transforne en cirque de coribat, des taureaux noirs entraves et les gauchos canarguaio sur

encore de® drapeaux, des cela jusqu’a 1'arc trionphal de i*entree; pule, de vue, de 1 ’autre cote du Rhone, sur " pagnies du train venaient de jeter un pour arriver de la gore en droito ligne a une foule innenso, des village touts® les coteq, s’entasnant sur la route de Giffas dans une nontee de cris et do poussi&re; assis au bord des fosse®,, grinpos sur les oraes, formidable hale vivante du cortdge; aoleil blanc epandu dont un vent fldches dans toutea les directions, au cuivre d*% bourin, a la points d*un trident, a la frenge d*t niere, et le grand Rhone fougueux et libre emportant a la mer le tableau aouvaat de cette fate royals. Eh face de ces aerveilles, oil tout If or de ses coffres resplendissait, le Habab mit un mouvement d*admiration et d'orgueil.

(Me of Deudet’s most interesting and colorful descriptions is that of the market-day croud in typical little Aps (invented by the author a® a composite picture of several Provencal villages):

Le grand jour, en Aps, cfest le lundi, le jour du march#. M e n event I’aube, les routes qui conduisent a la ville, ces grand® cheains deserts d*Arles et d’Avignon la poussiore a Inspect tranquille dfune tombee de nelge, slagitcnt au lent grincement des charrettes, aux caquets de® ponies dans leurs claires-voies, aux abois des chiens galopeate, ^ ce ruissellement diverse que fait le passage d’un troupeau, avec la longue roullbre du berger qui se dresse portae par une houle bondissante. Et les cris des bouviera haletant apr£s leurs botos, let eon mat dee coup® de trique sur les flancs rugueux, des

1. Deudet, A., Le Habab. pp. £5-57. a w *

ellhouettee oquegtres arneeg do tridents a taureaux, tout cola o’ongouffre ct tatons sous los portails dont lea crencQux fostonnent lo ciol conctelle, so repond sur le 'Gours* qui cerne la ville ondornio reprcmant a cotte hours son caractore de vieillo cite ronaino at a&rrasine, aux toits irreguliers, aux pointus nouch- arabies au-dessus d teccaliero ebreches et branlants, Ce grouillement...oonfus da gens et de betos sonnolentes s’inatalle sons bruit cntre leg troncs argentes dog gros pl&tanea, daberdW sur la chaussee, jusque dans los coura des naisona, renue des odours chaudos do litl&res, dec a r Mws d ’herbcs et da fruits,sure* Puis au rSveil, la ville so trouvo prise do partout par un narche imease, anino, bruyant, conce si touta la Provence campagnardo, h o m e s et bestinux, fruits et senailles, s’etoit levee, rapprochee dons une inondation nocturne. C*aat alors un ncrvoilleux coup d'oeil de richosse f ruetique, variant seion la saloon. A des places designees par un usage imndnorial, leo oranges, les grenades, lea coings doros, les oorbes, les nylons verts et jaunea 8,empilont aux eventaires, en tas, en noulos, par nilliercj les plches, flguos, raisins s,e^rasent dans leuro paniers d*expedition, a cite des l^gunes en sacs. Los noutons, les petits cabrls, les pores soyeux et roses ont des airs en-- nuy^s au bord dec palissades de leuro pares. Les boeufs accouples eoua le joug marchent devant i’acheteur, les m s e a u x fumants, tirent sur I ’anneau de fer qui les tient aueur. Et plus lain, des chevaux en quantite, des petits chevaux de Canargue, srabes abatardis, bondissent, client leurs criniires brunes, blanches ou rousses, arrivent A leur non *161 Lucifer...Tel 1'Eoterel.nanger I ’avoine dans la sain des gardions, vrais gauchos des pampas bottes jusqu’a mi-jashes. Puis, les volatiles deux par deux, les pieda de leurs,marchandes alignees, avec des batteaents d'ailes a terre. Puis la polssonnerio, les angullies toutes rives sur Is feneoll, les truites de la Sorgue et de la Durance a&lant des icailles luisantes, des agonies coulour d ’arc-en-clel. Enfia, tout au bout, dans une eiche foret d ’hiver, les polios de bois, fourches, rateuax, d*un blanc ecorce et neuf, so drossant cntre les charrues ot les horses. Do l 1autre cote du ’Cours1, centre le renpart, les ▼oitures detelcfos alignent’sur deux .range leurs corceaux, leurs baches, leurs hautec ridelles, leurs roues poudreusesj et dans 1*©space libre, la foule s'agite, circule avec peine, se hele, discute et marchande en divers accents, l*accent provengal, raffing, naniire, qui veut des tours de tete et d*epaule, une minique bardie| celui du Languedoc plus dur, plus lourd, d * articulation presque espagnole. De temgs en temps ce remeus de chapeaux d^ feutre, de coiffes arlesiennes -MS-

Ott conisdines, cette penible circulation do tout un peuple d ’acheteurs et do vendeurc s'dcarte devent lea appela d*une charrette retardataire, evengent au pas, a grand effort. La. villa bourgeoise paralt peu, pleine do dedein pour oet envahissenent campagnard qui fait pourtent son originality et sa fortune. Du matin au coir loo paysans parcourent les rues, s,arretwt ami boutiques, ches les bourreliers. Ids cordonniors, les horlogers, conteaplent les jacquemarte de la naisoh de ville, lea vitrines deo, magaaine, eblouis par les dorurec et les glaces des cafes c o m e lee bouviers de Theorcrite dovant le palais^ dec Ptolem6es. Les uns sortent des pharmacies, charges do paquets, de grandee bouteilles; d*autros, toute uno noce, entreat chez le bijoutior pour choisir, apres un ruse nar- chandage, les boucles zl longs pendants, la chalne do cou de l laecordie. Et ceo japes rudee, coo visages hales et sauvages, cat affniremont avidc font conger a quelque ville de Yendde prise par les chouans, au temps dec grandee guerrea.^-

Daudet tells of an interesting habit of the people of Tarnscont

II y a tout sutour de Tnraecon un cours plante d*arbres qui, dans le dictionnaire local, s’appelle "le tour de ville." Cheque dimanche, l,aprds-aldi, lea Tarae- emmais, g m s de routine malgre leur imagination, font leur tour de ville.&

After describing Tartar in in all M s imagined glory and rorldlinoco

Daudet shows how, ironically enough, the fat little man was nothing more than a provincial with a greater imagination than most of his fellow citizens*

II n ’avalt pas memo fait ce fameux voyage & I£ar-y seille, qua tout bon Provencal ce pale a sa majority.v

1. Baudot, pp. £60-369. 2. Daudet, p. 42. 5. Daudet, p. 21. . -126-

There is ctmeiderable material referring to the various sports of the country. Guidet, almost in con, describes "la passion do la chnase ches lea Tcrcsconnais.* He then continues in humorous explanation*

La chasse est la passion des Tarasconnais, et cela depuls les temps nythologiques, oil la Terasque faisait les cent coups dans les morals de la ville ot ou les Tar- asconnais d'alors orgrnisaient des battues centre elle... Par malheur, le glbier manque, 11 nanque absolunent. A cinq lieues autour do Tarascon, les terriers sent vides, les nids abandoimes. Pas un merle, pas une caille. Qu’est-ce qua les chasseurs font donc?...Xls s ‘en vont en pleine campagne, a deux ou trois lieues do la ville. U s se rounissent par petita groupec do cinq ou six, s'alongent tranquilleaent d 1'ombre dfun puits, d*un vieux m r , d ’un olivier, tirent de lours camiers un bon aorceau de boeuf en daube, des oignons crus, un ’sauciGcot’, quelques oneboie, et comencent un dejeuner interminable, arrose d'un de ces jolis vins du Phone qui font rire et qui font chanter. Aprds quoi, quend on est bien leate, on so i W e , on siffle les ehlens, on crae les fusils, et on so net en chasse. C,est-a-dire que chacun de ces messieurs prend aa casquette, la jette en l 1air de toutee see forces, et la tire au vol du 5, du 6 ou du 2,— colon lea conventions. Celul qui met le plus eouvent dans sa casquette est ^reclame roi de la chasse, et rentre le ooir en triomphateur a Tarascon, la casquette criblee au bout du fusil, au milieu des aboiements ot des fanfares.1

Twenty years after the many of the formerly mild sports and recreation* have been changed as a result ©f the War of 1870. In their place are:

...Dos societes de tir et de gymnastique, costunees, equipSee, ayent toutes lour ausique et l«u* bannie're? des salles d 1arses, box#, baton, chnusson, des courses ^ pied, des luttes k main plate entre personnos du moillcur nondo.2

1. Baudot, A., 8. Baudot, A., -1W*

In Fort^Tarascon. Daudet mentions

...la passion des gens de Taraacon pour les courses de taureamc ot la colere ou les mit la supression de ce genre d,ozarcicee*

Jean Aicard’s views concerning the bullfight, expressed through

Maurin, are quite the opposite of those found in Henry de Montherlant1B

Les Bestlaires (to be discussed under Languedoc). Aicard lashes out

^ircasticslly and bitterly:

Sous le non bien frsngais d'aficionados*, ces jeunes gens avaient trouve necessaire de declarer *jeux nationaux de Provence* les * corridas de muerte* qui sont essentiellement eepagnoles et jamais, au grand jamais, ne ftirent prcvengalee. lie grand, le terrible reproche qu*on pout fairo X la 1 corrida de muerte*, c*est qu*elle excite, sous le non d ’enthousiasne tauromachiquQ, le plus vtlaln senti­ ment du sonde, celui de la crusute qui se satisfait sans peril...2

quettes* described hy Daudet. Then, in L*Illustre Maurin. after des­

cribing & race track at Cogolin, he tell us*

C*est sur ce terrain cue, tons les ans, cnt lieu les courses de chevaux qui attirent une foule de specieteurs venus de Toulon, d*Hydros, de Draguignan, de S&int-R&^ia'el, de Cannes, de Marseille et do maint lieu.8

Aicard, however, merely mentions the game of *boules”, and it

remained for Jeon-Martet to spread the fame of this ancient sport aa 12

1. Daudet, A., Port-Tarascon. p. 18. 2. Aicard, J., L*Illustre Maurin. p. 259. 8.•Ibid.« pp. 257—58• he so interestingly does in La Partis tie Boniest

La jeu de boulcs est,...la sport favori de la Pro- ▼ence. Dn homae...fait preceder son etude d fun court mais coabien interessant chapitre our les origineo du jeu de boules. Il^en ressort, de ce chapitre, quo le jeu de boules et&it dejit connu des Gross, qui le consid^raient conse un exereice h&utement salutaire et le pratiquoient dans leurs gynna8es...Les Roaalns, oux aussi, naturollcnent, jouaient aux boules...1

Tout home, en Provence, vient au nonde avec une boule dans cheque main... II y a, en Franco, bien des f aeons de jouer aux boules...Les Provengaux, et singuliSrencnt les gens do Masurguee, jouent, depute quelquea aimees dc plus et plus ’a pietanique’, e ’est-d-dire, sans bouger les pieda... Jusqu'en 1988, 11 n ‘y avait cu en usage A Mazurgues quf- m e boule* la boule en bois, gamie de clous...II n'y avait qu«une sociSte bouliste...Hais en 1983 une revolution s ’etelt produite par 1*introduction, & liazurgues, d'une nouvelle boule...entidrement metalc...Et, finalement, dc flechisseaent en fl^chissement, une scission se produlsiti il y eut dorfeiavant, & Mazurgues, deux societes boullstw... A Mazurgues, les gens, grands et petits, etaient assez portes par nature 6 prendre toutes choses avec un certain scepticisme. Pour parlor net, on aimait bien ,rigolert ei il n* Stait rien, aucun sujet, hunain ou divin, qui, £ l*occasion, ne f&t expose ax 6tre traite legereaent...LeB boules seules tfehappaient a" cette regie. Avec les boules on ne riait pas... Comae quoi les gone qui ne prennent rien au serieux, quand 11s s'y nettent, ils passant la mecure.2

The popularity of open-air cafes and cafe-concerts is often one

of the first things foreigners notice in France. At the time Arena

wrote the following passage, these two things had evidently been popular

In Provence for only a short time—

Depuis quo la Provence et le Contat ont pris la fi&vre de cafe-concert, depuis qu'on ne pent plus sens* 8

1. Mar tot, «?., La Partie de Boules. p. 62. 8. Ibid., pp. 62-64. cafe-coneert donner de fete a Barbentane ou & Gadagne, Avignon, grace a con conservatoire, et dans Avignon, le caf6 Fevrior, sont devenua centre artistique...Hals

Dans tout le Midi, le caf

Arena is the only writer of this group to nention the work of the

•tisseuees" or "taffetalris."

An interesting legend is the one concerning a grotto near Vaucluaet

Ce Eysterieux ’trou d 1eau* a sa legende; on le croit immense. A vingt lieues de Vaucluse, sur le versant meri­ dional de hure, entre Forcalquier et Sisteron, s’ouvre, A ras du sol, un ablme sans fond, I’Aven de Cruis, dh iadis, melon Nostradamus, les f e m e s adulteres etaient jeteea. II y a quelques vingt ans, disent les gens de Cruis, un P&tre s ’y precipita, et son baton, que 1'on reconnut aux sculptures, s’en alia reesortir & Vaucluse ou des lavand- l&res le trouveirent,0

In this humorous sketch describing the country village of Canteper- drix, Arcno tells of the important place the donkey occupies in the home of every peasant—

Dans Ceateperdrix, qui eat une ville de payaana, cheque peysan a son ane et sa maisonnette. Le paysan loge au premier, et l ‘ane loge au rez-de-chauss^e. A part eela, lour vie eat la mSne. Lev

1. Arena. P.. Au Bon Soldi, pp. R47-48. 2. Ibid., p. 246. 5. Ibid.. p. 240. -ISO-

brairej son chant remplit ltespace imonso, le silence rigne quand il s*ost tu, silence absolu, religieux, que trouble seul sur les coteaux le bruit argentin de la pioche. St c,est longtemps, longteraps apr&s que 1*ortolan cm le coucou haserdent de nouveau leur cri et qu’on entend se reveiller le choeur enrage des cigoles. L ,ano fait partie de la fanille; et c,est un grand orgueil pour tons, quand, aprbs les courses de Saint-Aroi', son maitre lerambne vainqueur, monte a cru, sans bat ni sells, nais secouant fiereaent an son des tambours le bridon triumphal ponponne dans le gout espagnol ou la musette en sparterie que dScorent de petits niroirs et des broderies en laine aux couleurs voyantes. Heureux lea anoo de Ccnteperdrix s*ils connaissaient M e n leurz boiAmrt car, ils sont vralnont pay sans, .peinant 1'ete* se reposant I’hivcr et partageant en tout et toujours les nobles travaux et les robustes joies dc la vie rurale.

Regarding Provencal table delicacies, there are the folioring quotations#

Le 1piston1 est un plat provengal, et (croyons-nous), plus spScialement toulonnais; sorto de soupo non sens analogie avec la *minestrone' italienno. Tons les legumes du potager y figurentf des pates, et quelques bring de basilic. La feuille du basilic, dont la senteur est onere et frslche, donne une saveur particuliere a ce potage compact, nourrissant.%

La Provence est un pays de dolices, qui produit toutes sortes de bonnes chosos. Vine clairs et dores, saucisses et saucissons d'Arlea, melons exquis, pasteques savoureusee, nougats do Kontelinar...5

...les tomatos a la provcngale, riches d'ail...des peehes du Midi, a la chair dure et orangee...1 *4 .

In addition, several of the writers have paid tribute to the

famous "bouillabaisse” of Marseille and vicinity.

1. Arfeae, P., Au Bon Soleil. pp. 167-68. 8. Vaudoyer, J-L., Clement Beilin, pp. 84-85. 5. Baudot, A., Port-Tarascon. p. 84. 4. Vaudoyer, J-L., op.cit.. p.117. - 1 5 1 -

There is an excellent chapter in Baudot*s ffuan Roueestan entitled nAux Produita du liidi”, rrhich compares the miscellany found in a certain store in Paris handling food and other products of the Midi to the famous fair of Bcaucalrei

Entre vieilles gens du Midi, cette foiro de BeauCairo, aujourd*hui tombee, n* existent que de non, eat restec c o m e un lien de fratemite nagonnique. Dans nos provinces nseri- dionalea, elle Stait la feerio do l*annee, la distraction de toutes cos existences racomies: on s*y preparait long- temps & l*avancn, et longtemps apres on en causait. On la proaettait en recompense a la femme, aux enfanta, leur rap- portent toujours, si on ne pouvait les emnener, une dent&lo espagnole, un jouet qu*on trouvait au fond do la mall#. La foiro de Beaucaire, ctetait encore, sous un pretexte do commerce, quinze jours, un mois de la vie litre, exuberant#, inprSvue, d ’un campenent bohenien. On couchait gfe et la ches 1*habitant, dans los magazine, sur les coaptoirs, en plain® rue, sous la toilo tendue des charrottes, ^ la chaude lunidro des etoiles de juillet... Chez les Mefre, on so sentait ^ I’aiee, un peu c o m e en foiro do Beaucaire; et de fait, la boutique ressenblait M e n dans son pittoresque desordre a" un capharnam improvise et for&ln de produita du Midi. Ici, remplis et flechls- santa les sacs de farinette en poudre d*or. les pole chichee gros et durs c o m e des chevrotines, les emtaignes M a n ­ que ttes, teuton ridoes et pousciereuses, ressemblant ^ de petite® faces de vieilles bucheronnes, les jerres d*olives vertes, noirec, confites, a la picholine, les estagnons d ’hulle rousso ^ gout de fruit, les barils de confitures d*Apt faites de Gosses de melons, de cSdrats, de figues, de coings, tout le detritus d ’un marcho tombe dans la mdlasse. L^-haut, sur des rayons, parmi les ealaisone, les conserves aux mille flacons, aux nille bottos de fer- blanc, les friandises speciales a cheque ville, les coques et les berquettee do lltmes, le nougat de Montelimar, les caniseons et les biscottes d ’Aix, enveloppes dorees, dti- quetees, per&phee®. ^ Puis les^primours, un deballage de verger meridional sans ombre, ou les fruits dans des verdures greles ont des facticites de pierreries^ les f e m e s jujubes d ’un beau v e m i s d’acajou neuf a cote des pales azeroles, des figues de twites varietos, des limons doux, dec poivrons verts ou ecarlates, des melons ballonnea, dos gros oignons ) pulpes de flours, les raisins muscats aux grains allonges et transparent® oh tremble la chair c o m e le vin dans uno .-IS&p.

outre, les regimes de bcmenes sebrees de noir et de jsune, dec ecroulementB d loranges, de grenades aux tons aordores, boulets de cuivre rouge h la ndche d'etoupo serrce dans tine petite couronne en cimior. Enfin, par- tout aux mars, mix plafonds, des deux cdtcs de la porte, dans un enchevStrement de palmss brdlees, des chapelets d'aulx et d*oignons, les caroubes sdches, les andouilles fic6ldes, des grappes de mals, tin ruissellenent de coul- eurs chaudes, tout l*6t6, tout le soleil meridional, en Wttes, en sacs, en jarres, rayonnent jusque sur le trottoir d trovers la bu6e des vitres.i

The people of Provence continue.to cling to their picturesque language in spite of the fact that the French of Paris has for centur­ ies been the official language of France* In fact, as Baudot points out in regard to Provencal:

II eat vrai que, pass6 Valence, le people du lldl no connect que ce frangaic-la.

It is therefore quite natural that there should be frequent re­

flections of this carried over in the Provencal literature rhich is

written in French. Daudet, in referring to the Provencal dialect more

frequently than any of the other novelists of this particular group,

has succeeded in showing the relation between the language and the

characteristics of the people. He calls it

...la langue de cru, ce patois admirable de couleor et do sonority qui vibre corns un dcho latin par-dessus la mer MLeue.

Another time he calls attention to what he terms

...le pittoresque effrontd de lour langue h. deoi­ ls tine.® 12

1. Baudot, A., Iluma Roumestan. pp. 505-508. 2. Ibid*, p. 74. 5. J£bld., p« 15# -135-

In his ameing portrayal of Huma’s Aunt Portal, he tells of her laughable attempt to speak French rather than Provencal—

traduit *P^calr6* par ’Ptfchere1 et s*ia&gino parler plus correctenent. Quand le cocher Minicle (Dominique) venait dire, h la bonne frenquete, tVou baia de civado au chiv- aou? (Je vais donner de 1 ’avoino au cheval), on prenait un air majestueux pour lui repondre: 'Je i^e comprends pno...paries frangais, mon and.' Alors Heaicle sur un ton d'dbolier: 'Je vais bayer de civade g u chivau'... - C o s t bien...Maintenant j'ai comprie.' Et I'autro s'en allait convaincu qu’il avait pari# francais.1

In his description of a festival in Duma's honor, one of the most interesting things is the mixture of tongues to be heard;

...les propoo, les cris d'extase, lea nolvec re­ flexions £ haute voix de ce bon populnire d'Aps, lea unos ki provengal, les autres dans un franepis barbare, frotte d'all, toutes avec cet accent implacable comma le soleil de la-bas, qui dicoupe et set en valour chaqua syllabe, ne fait pas grace d'un point sur un i. 'Diohl qu'es beou%...Dieui qu'il est beau!'^

He points out ahat to foreigners is perhaps the most noticeable

difference in this patois, that is the prominence of the open, nasal at

...a Tarascon toutes les phrases conmencont par 'et autrement', qu'on prononce 'autremain', et finis- sent per 'aumoins', qu'on prononce 'au noualn'.5

Edmond Jaloux refers to Provencal as "le langage vert et truffe

de juron#.**

Jean Aicard brings to the fore some of the more popular expres­

sions in use particularly around the region of Toulon: 1*34

1. Baudot, A., 8. Ibid., p. 12. 3. Baudot, A., Tartarln 4. Jaloux, E., - 1 3 4 -

Cetto expression de ’noum de pas Dion1 est le jurcm dos Provencaux qui ne veulent juror que pour rire...La negation *pas* en effet, dotrult le blas- phbne...’lioua de pas Diou’ est tine galegeade a 1*- adress® du diable. Le diable croit qu*on jure...et 11 so trouve bien &ttrap6|l

Eb Provence, on dit d’un h o m e pres de la nort qu’il est •beeucoup fatigue. * P*

Iloustaphat not do gentilleoso dos Haures pro- vencanx a I ’adresse de leurs enfantslS

‘Gouyounl1— Co not, c*est h vrai dire le fond de la league d 1 amour (du provenjal) c o m e •goddam’ est le fond de la longue de Shakespeare.*

x -Chois? (prononces ’tchois', c o m e ’tch1 dans 1 ’eternuement). 2*45 6 Chois est le dininutif de Francois. Et ce dimin- utif est en Provence tine interpellation populaire et coaique. Ce mot aeul evoque pour les Provengaux tin type plaisant, c o m e Gnafrond pour lea Lyonnais ou Puleinella pour les lapolitains.®

In describing the habitues of a Paris cafe, Daudet gives a brief resume of the types of names to be found in the various parts of the

Midis

...Tout le Midi frzmgais s'epanouissait la dona ses nuances diversesj Midi gascon, Midi provencal, de Bordeaux, de Toulouse, de Marseille, Midi pdrigourdin, auvergnat, ari^geois, ardechois, pyreneen, dcs nons en as, en us, en ae, Sclatants, ronflente et barboros, Etchevorry, Terminorias, Bentaboulech, Laboulbene, doe noma qui ewibiaJUwt jallllr de la gueulo d’une escopette ou partaient com e tin coup de nine, dans une accentuation feroce.b

2. Heard, J.. L 1 Illustre Haurln. p. 169. 5. Ibid., p. 160. 4. Ibid., p. 161. 5. Ibid.. 156-57. 6. Daudet, A., Numa Bournestan, p. 50. ■'-1SS-

Ar^ne gives the liistory of the ^felibres”, the seven poets of

Vaueluse who assembled in May, 1854, at the chatelet ds Fontsegugne in

Coatati Brunet et Paul Giera of Avignon, Anselne Uathieu of Chateau-

neuf-du-Pape, Mistral of Maillane (tlie greatest), Eounanille of Saint

Heay, Tavan of Gatiagne, and lastly, Arene himself. If so Inclined, one

could easily condemn the author for his conceit when ho says;

-H’est-ce pas cue la litanie est charmante? et, repondes, oil trouverez-vous une litterature qui, on si peu d ’annoes, ait produit autant d 1oeuvres vivantes, en~ 1eventea# aceomplies,— disone-le, puisque c*est vrai,— tent do chefe-d

And yet, his apparent conceit is forgiven as being no more than

the expression of his intense feeling of pride and love for Provence

and France, when he adds#

Leo Provengaux,— est-il encore besoin de 1'affirmer? - Bont de In grande France, et en seront toujours! Et parco que nous I ’ninons, et parce que nous l*adorons, cette France b£nie telle que lea sibcles et Bieu I ’ont faite, nous voulons que so souvenant do ses aleux et de eon pass# de gloire, le Breton parlo librement la longue bretonne, le Basque la longue basque, et le Provencal la langue provengale. Et quel mal y a-t-il, voyons? et ou est le danger? Sous lo soleil et la rosie, sous le brouillard et le nuage, sous le givro et la neige, Bieu sbne la grains ot fait 6panBuir la fleur qui convient h touts terre. II en est ainsi du langage. Cost pour cela que toute nation tient k sa langue mkre; e'est pour cela que contre tous et contre tout nous voulons maintenir la n3tre, vraieent faite pour notro ner si bleue, notre ciel limpide et azure, nos pinddes bronzoes et nos olivettes

1. Irene, 1. - 1 S @ -

orgentees. Sous In aalnticndrona. In sculc lengue qui disc comae nous voa2xmzui, comae il noua poind au coeur, nos amours et nos haines> nos tendresees et nos coletes, la beaute de nos filles et la fiertS do nos jouvenceauxS folia In pensoe des felibrcs, Toils! I 1oeuvre cu fellbrige*^

The following quotation by Arena is one of the very fen passages in this group of works to describe the strikingly quaint dress of the

Arlesian women:

lous somnes au pays do Mireille... Ici commence la Provence d*Arles, des Provengaleo, pour nous voir, se montrent but le pas des portesj et lours rires h belles dents, leura yeux trds vifs quo!- que plus eouvent bleu glsuque que noire, surtout le petit mouchoir nutinenent none sur le front, les font ressenbler, dit non ami, & de jolis diables a comes blanches. Mais ce K ’est lt£ que le n4glig6 du matin. Cette aprds-midi, elles auront au complet le galant costume arldsien tout dentelle et velours$ lo jupon fastucux, mais qui laisse voir le petit pled, le fichu plies* decouvront la nuque, et l10menent de tote 5 la foio grZlcieux et fier avoc son ruban plat largenent brodc et sa coiffe 4 jour rerevoe en coquille. He se coiffe pas ainsi, a la Proven^ale, qui veut. C ’est tout un art, presque un secret; les dtrangebres ne e'en nelent(ghdre.'. 'Prendre la coiffe' (e'est le terme) entraine une c^renonio et les fillettes la p r m n m t rarenent avant treice ans.1 2 * ,

Two other brief passages, one from Jaloux and one from Baudot,

conclude the refleotions of the colorful Provengai dress:

Elle y arrive costunde en Provengale, avec le ruban do velours roule autour de son chignon et sa 'chapelle' dtal^e sur les dentelles du corsage.6

...les toilettes locales: chalnes d'or, japes vertes, rouges, arremdies de toumures dnoraes.4

1. Irene, P., Au Bon Solell, pp. 265-66. 2. Ibid., p. 869.

4. Baudet, A., Numa Bougostan, p. 15. I

PART IV

lying just across the Elione from Provence is the ancient province of Languedoc, now broken up to fora the departments of Card, Herault,

Audo, Tam, Losore, the greater part of Haute-Garonno, and part of

Tam-ot-Garonne, Ariegc, Pyrenoee-Oriontalor,, Hauto-Loiro, and Ardeche.

Ferdinand Fabre, in his remarkable description of the geography of the Cayenne Mountains of Languedoc as well as of the life of the priests and peasants of the region, has left a very real and worthwhile contribution to French literature.

With the possible exception of Paul Arena, no novelist included in this study approaches the abundance or realistic excellence of Fabre1s geographical reflections.

Dealing, as he knew, with a region comparatively unknown to liter- ature, he devotes the opening pages of his first novel, Lea Courbeson. to a description of the general setting of the action. These few pages, incidentally, also reflect to a considerable extent the industries, products, and customs of the country—

Los Cevennes meridionalos, qui attendant du col de Narouse au Lozere, encombrent de leurs masses enoraes, ici sous le non des nonts de I ’Espinouso, plus loin sous

y -153—

le non tie monts Garrisuos, tout le nord-ouest du departensnt de 1 ‘H^rault. & t r ® le pic dc Caroux dans les nonta de I ’Espinouse, et le plateau de Larsr.c dans les nonts Garrigueo, ce developpe une succession de hautea collines appellees nonts d*Orb, du non de la rlv- l&re d«Orb qul en carease la base, depuie Notre-Dame i ’Antignaguet jusqu^au haneau de la Trivale. La nature dos nonts d*Orb diffkre abaoluaent de cells des C^rennes proprensnt dites* Abrltcs du vent, d ’un cote par leg mrallies granitiques du Caroux, d e l ’autre par les rea- parts graveleux du Larsac, ces sanelonc, qul so merchant sur les plsds les uno eux autres, sont, k certains on- droits, une nani&re do cerre chaude 0X1 cuisent an soleil les fruits les plus sucris des climate neridionauz. Ainsi, tandis quo 1 ‘Espinousa recouvre ses pentes abruptes da chStaigniers et de litres, quo le Larzac prolongs jusque dans lUveyron ses landss sauvages, clair-sen^es de genets et de chenee verts rabougris, les nonts d'Orb etaient orgueilleusenent aux yeux leura cSteaux o& verdit la vigne, leurs vallees ou curie sent la figue etl* olive, lours petites plaines resserfees, ou se profilent en ligne droite de longues rang&e d’anandiere, du rruriers et de micocouliers. Dans les roplis sinueux des nonts d ’Orb, bourdonnent, comma cutant de ruches d ’abeilles, de nombreux villages, dont tout© la fortune depend de lour plus at coins bonne exposition nu nidi* Les vents glace3 du Caroux sont un veritable fl6au, et pour pen qua quelque haneau s’aviso de toumer son visage au nord, nalheur tl lull S ’il est pose sur les collines bassos, 11 pourra pout-etre encore, grade k son ^loignenent de la grande nontagne, recolter un peu de vin, de frosent, de aiel? sals, si, c o m e Service, par exenple, il s’accroche aux Chainons nemos de I ’Espinouse, il devra so resigner k vivre de seigle, do chdtaignes et surtout du commerce de ses bestiaux. Du resto, Is paysen des parties hautes, sounis a une existence plus dure, plus miserable, en lutte constants avec les elements, ne ros- semble en rien, par sss noeurs, son attitude, son costume, aux paysans des mansions voisins de la plaine. C ’est surtout aux foires de Bedarieux et de Saint-Gervsis, deux cantons de 1 ’Hlrault enclaves dans les Cevennes ntfrldionales, qu’delate ce singulier contrast© de ceract&res* Tandis que

de grains et de fruits, 1 ’habitant des hautes cines se dirigo sur Saint-Gcrvais, morno, d’un pas lourd, le corpsy

‘grisaoudo’, et suivi d ’interminablos troupeaux do noutoiui, - 1 5 9 -

de cherres, de boeufe, belants et imglssanta. A Bedarleux, on tr&fflque, en se gouaillant# de I ’anende, de 1*olive, du niel, dee cocoas, du fronent, productions naturelles d ’un sol aino du eoleil) k Saint-Gervais, on vend du hetail; et lei, Is zaarch^ est plus grave que l5, car ei I ’hoane peut abandonner sans regret lea fruits de 1'arbre qu«il a plante, 11 ne se sSpare pas sans d^chlreaent de la bite qu'il a nourriei entro le patre et son troupeau, n ’oxiste-il pas d'allleurs des sentiments d*affection, d*amour, qui defient touts psychologle? Le botall est la grande Industrie de la partie des monts d'Orb que ravagent les ouragana du Caroux et du Larzac. Les chat&ignes et quelques champs de seigle ne pouvant lui suffire, des longtenps le paysan eongea 1 tirer profit des genets, des cades, des chenos verts, des taillie de cbitaigniers eauvages qui h^rissent, ck et la, les friches etoraellea de 1'Espinouso et des monts Gar- rigues. Touts 1 ‘annee, & travers ces imensos solitudes, du levant au couchant et du nord au nidi, on entend les belenenta des chbvres ot des moutons, les grogneznents courds des truies avec leurs marcassins. Gee nultitudes innombrables de quadrupMes, maigres, affan^s, conduits par un grand patro have, au long baton ferre, en ’gri- saoudo1, aveuglo par sea cheveux qui lui retombent sur les yeux en tire-bouchons, srappcllent dans le pays ’tar- rlnes1 • Rien n'est plus curieux que de voir une »tar- rine1 de pores ou de moutons sortir le matin dec etables avec son berger cn t&to, see •pillards1 (gar^onneta) en flanc et sea chiens-loups en queue. D'abord olio se presse en colonne compacts dans les chemins creux qui m&nent aux vastea landesj puis, ttvreo aux chiens seule- cent, elle s'eparpille dans les gorges escarpioa, au bord des abtmes, dens la plaine infinie, tandis que le berger ot ses 1pillards1, pour trouver le pain noir de lour bissac noins dur, font la chasse a la perdrix rouge, au tourde. au lapin... Le patre est un homes considerable dans les Cayennes, car avant de lui confier la garde d»un grand troupeau, on exige qu«il alt servi au coins cinq ans en qualite de •pillard*, et Bleu salt si lea pentes du Caroux, comes celles de Larzac, aont glissantesl Lea f e m e s sur tout comptent avec les bergers, qu* envirenno toujours pour elle une vague aurSole de sorcellerie. Du reste, soit eim- plesse native, soit instinct d*avarice, il a*est pas un pStre c6venol qui n lait entretenu, a differentes epoquee de sa vie, quelque commerce secret avec Lieu ou le ’Drao* (lo demon), et n ’ait ropu d$eux ’un remade a tout guerir1. Les populations des C&rennes meridionales, particuli^renent celles das monts d’Orb, se souviennent -MO*

encore du fameux berger Parado, de Valquiores, nort depute quelqu.es anneea seulement, lequel jouiecait du double privilbge de relever ces fidlles de la maladie et de leur devoller I ’avenir, Comae les biros ancienc, Parado a dlja toute une llgende en •»*Maxs a yaBipxong cofflEs a ura-LaBOQBag, deux villages pauvres perdus au fond de ravines noires et profondos, on plus de chataigniers quo de figuiers et do cepo de vigne. Pour arriver a cette serr dont nous parlions tout a Vheure, il recto it franchir

haute vallee 4*Orb* aot de 11Aire-Raysond, deux sentiers s'entre- croisent; l*un so dirige,> droite, vers le bourg de Sous- 1*autre, i gauche, se procipito

irangouille et Sanegra. Ces quatres haneaux groupee a quelquos ccntaines de pas l ‘ua de 1'autre, sent sane con- trodit, de tous les villages dec nonto d ‘Orb, les plus favorises par leur position. Assis a l fentree do la plains de Vereille, non loin de la riviere, en plain nidi, ils apparaissent nysterieusenent voiles, derridre une oeinturo transparente d’anendiers, do nuriers, d (oliviers, de frenos, Les paysons des collines basses deo nonts d*Orb eont noins accossiblea A la superstition quo les p&ysans de la nontagne haute, nais ils ont aussi coins do cara#ro et do veritable grandeur. Le soleil ne s’ost pas contents de chauffer leur terre, il a de plus Ipanchl ses rayons sur leur cervoau et en a absorbl les images pletns de poesie qui font de 1*bonne des plateaux ua type 5 la fois si original et si pittoresque. Entre 1*habitant de Service, qui n*a janais couche un provin on terre, et celui de Canplong, qui se grise avec le vin du cru, la distance esfc inconaensurable, quoi'qu'ils coient slparls seulenent par le bloc grantiique de Bataillo... Lo vin de Saint-Xist et du Mas-du-Saulo a de reputa­ tion dans le pays} on a souvent conparl lo niel blanc do Sanlgra a celui do liarbonne, et loo cocons de Frangou- ille filcnt la sole la plus fine, la plus brillante. loi, la terre n ’a pas les teintes noires, Inspect hunide et argileux des zones suplrieuresi elle est rouge&tra* dorle, friable, on la dirait cuite par le soleil. Du rests, le payaan de la haute vallee d ’Orb ost nerveilleuse- nent intelligonti b o m l dans ses desira, il so garde fort d ’effriter son chomp par des cultures trop rlpltees..*1

lo Fabre, F., Les Courbozon. pn. 1-5. -141-

In his charming Hon Oncle Colestin* Fabre describes the valley of the Orb in greater detail*

offredes aspects si varies, s! pittoresques, p r o n t o , entre les Aires et Hefeplan, eon plus merveilleux nor- ceau. Au nerd, comne au nidi# le terrain roceilleux, rougeatre, sec et dur, n la permis qu’une vegetation fort pauvre aux horde do la rlvi&re eherchant ea voie sur I'echino d ‘enonnes blocs granitiqueo enfouis aux profondeurs du sol; ici, les arbres, nonbreux, presses, avec cetta Scores lisse qui announce la santo, eont d*une venue magnifique. Bans p&rler dee oseraies, cette fortune des naturals des Aires, qui de tout temps pro-

fctres ^ perte de vue de I’un et 1*autre cotd’ de l*Orb* les sanies, les bouleaux, les peupliora d*Italic dressent sur tous les points leurs raneaux tendres, leurs asoncel- lements cotonneux, leurs pyramidss de feuillages hautes *% aigues c o m e des dockers. Cartes, la riviere rencontre encore plu# d*un ob­ stacle sur sa route, car nous s o mes aux approches de Oaroux et do I'Eeplnouse, ce noeud et cette dpine des Cdvennes dont les ramifications, les veinules, les fils eapiUaires ont parfote hors de terre de terribloa soubresautsj il s»en faut neanmoina que 1 ‘Orb, gross! ddsoraais do la Hare, rencontre los mdties barrages, lee

partsEtcndu mollement sur une ardne oh des rochos nicacees ellunent sous le soleil de veritables ecrine, il c o d e cldnent, enportant avec des rires joyeux les

penchees sur lui. Channe cupr&ne do ce paysage uniqueI les collineo, gui, aux environs de Latour par example, rossorrent si dtroitenent la vallde, ont fait plusiours pas en arribre, et le gros bourg d'Horepian respire & l 1also au milieu dfune oire elargie. Los maisonnettes blanches, recouvertes de tuiles rouges, ne it plus pressdes, opprineos, otoufdes par la i nenacente} elles s^parpillent librenent.1

contrasting the "sad" try around Lignieros-sur-Graveson to the beautifd country of Airost - 1 4 2 -

Le pays triste et nut DieuI quolle difference avec lea Aires! La-bas, le long de lfOrb, b o deployaient d'abord des oseraies Imensec, au feulllago floconncmc, blanchltre par endroltc, plus loin d«un vert tendre, auoal transparent que l*eau de la rivi&re dont le courcnt ee trouvalt en quelque sorts elargl; puis ri< le vil­ lage, tout fralsiparni ses jardinets herbus; enfln, c feta- lent lea antiques chataigneraies, aux troncs enoraes, aux raneamc Stales, noires d'onbre, de frondaison accmaulces, de pelons murissents, au milieu deaquelles, vers le haut, jailllseait la gigantesque nuraille de 1 hermitage de Salnt-Michel, d ’un blanc de crale, avec des meurtridreo regardant la vallee comae des yeux, lei, sur leg horde • du Graveeon, des rochers partout, des rockers aussl loin que s'Stendait la vue. Lee rares maisonnettes de Lign­ ites, enfouies au milieu dfeboulenents rocheux, parcis- saient k peine, et 11 fallait se caeeer le nez aux portes des habitations pour les voir... z Motre nouvelle paroisse n'avail uu'une rue, obstruee de blocs qui la condamnaiont a d ’lncessants detours* Elle partait du Graveson et renontait le long d»un etroit ruisseau qui s^appelle le Berlou. Yrainent le Berlou etait bien le plus jell, le plus clalret ruisseau du nonde...

The Berlou was not the only consolation to be found in this com­ paratively rocky and barren country. With the Abbe Celestln’o little nephew still talking, Fabre describes some of the historic building# of Lignierest .

La Prieure de Lignibres-sur-Graveson etait un monactere dependant de la grande abbaye de Benedictine de Joncels, & quelque# kilometres dans la montagne.... On devinc si hous nous trouvazaes a I'aloe dans cette mine. Vrainent nous emaeo petir dovant ces corridors interminables, sur les- quel# ouvraient des cellules, duis des cellules, toujour# des cellules. Si ces chanbrettes alignees avaient eu des portes et dec volets! Par malheur, la plupart ^talent des trous noirs bean ts, oh le vent chantait, piauluit, g&issait, hurlait,_parlait...... cette chose unique qui nous aidait & supporter I ’amertuns d fun isolement absolu au desert, o’etait l*eglico de Lignleres-sur-Graveson...ce grand vaiascau gothique developpant sen perspectives de tours, de chapelleo, de contreforfcs le long du Berlou, hiesant son clocher geant

1# Fabre^ F* # SBmSBBEE^^rPB:5b pp. 81-82. - 1 4 5 -

dans la nuo,.. .un nonxiasni eplendlde,... (Lee terraces du Prieure)$ Ces terraeses fetalent . un des charmes de la elngull^re habitation ou nous nous installions pen it peu. Elies s^tendaient, au nidi, sur 1® Berlou, k l*ouest, sur le Graveson... Le clocher de Lignieree-sur-Graveson est une lourdo masse ronde, enbellie d*une riche couronne de creneux 6toc touto esp&ce de decorations flamboyantos, II cat manifests que le haut de cette tour Gnome, que dans sa longueur acconpagne une tourelle elegante par ea gracil- ite n&me a cote de la masse gesnte, est d’une date; plus recsnte que Is has. A la base, le, plein cintrc, les chapitoaux A enroulenenta ou a personnagesj au faite, tout le luxe du style ogival de la decadence, avec ces arcs aplatis en anse de pcnier, seo accolades ou ne so trouve plus la purete de l 1art ancicn, see fenStres s illustrees d*une profusion de details sculptoraux d*ou la beaute ne se d^gage plus..*1

A mesure que l 1on montait la haute tour du Priour^ de Lignihres, cette enorne nagonnerio, lourdo, perc^e de raros ouvertures dans sa partie infPrieure, s’anincis- s&it pour ainsi dire et s’ajourait. A la base, des assises cyclopSennes, un arc gallo-ronain, quelques trous crevant la pierre et la; en haut, tous les caprices de l*art ogival, de longues fenetres a lancettes, des colonnettes A chapiteaux de feuilles fris&ec, des oeil- de-boeuf developpes conns des rosaces, aux mille lacets d*une legerete do dentelle, etires c o m e des flames s'entromelant A 1*infini.2

Going to the neighboring torn of Lodeve on the occasion of S&lnt-

Fulcran's day, I'abba Colestin,his nephexr, and the old hermit see ono more of these cathedrals of Languedoc rhich are such a poner in the region—

choeu du so d ’un

1. Fabre, F«, ▼ol. 1. pp. 8R-92, 2* Ibid., p. 101. - 1 4 4 -

nonunent, Cetto Inprosslon fhcheuso disalpee, on adnlre loo neuf fenetros do l {absido, d (un desain original, d ’un grand, jet, non certea qua le style en soit tr&s pur,— le gothique dans notre Midi garda toujoura quelque chose d*in- complet, de brutal, de hourte, et n'atteignit jamais tX la morvoille-osQ correction, A In supreme elegance, & la svclt- esse a^rienne du Hord,— maio telles quelles, avec leg nala- dresses, lea lourdeurs do noin de 1

The final passage from Fabrefs novels to be quoted in this part­ icular section is his description of the chapel of Saint-Fulcrcn in the cathedral at Lodevet

La chapelle de saint Fulcron, batie vers la fin du quinsiene si&cle par I ’^veque Jean V do Carguilleray, oat Gtroito et pen profonde., Les nenbreuses ranificatione de la voute, lours noulures a fncettes, surtout la fenfire flaxaboyimto ouverte nudes s u b de I'&utol, annoncent la decadence complete de l 1art gothique, presque sa fin, A droite, un enfonceaent creuse dans les oeuvres vivos du gigantesque vaisseau, rec&le, en un bahut qui contient lui-oene une chasss d*argent, les reliques du saint.%

Lise, the little mountaineer girl of Les Tendances rho has cone d o m into lower Languedoc with the "colics", stops at the top of a hill, from which the following view is spread out before her eyes;

C ’etait a gauche, Maldinath, ses reaparts rouges oil commence le vaste plateau; a droite, le cBteau d ’Arneth

1. Fabre, on.cit., p. 197* 2# Ibid»» p» 208# reoouvert de vignes cncoro Intnctos, developpees en etcges penibles a la charrtie, une terre de gorrigues bruises, cul se perdaieat vers Lezignan-la-Cebo en Isroios iimnenses dc fougBres. Lise, de co chornln pro- fond, n«apercevait plus In plaino.' Rlen que des ro- cailles, dos torrents dossdchoc, et partout, h. la moindre parcelle de terrain, des vignes, des vignes* Dans ces petlts abtnes, decores de buicsons et de ver­ dures epalsses, denouralt un silence de nort douce, une haleine de socnell et do fievre.., A nesuro qu$elle aontalt, les nurs soutenant leo terres devenaient plus branlantes et ddcr^pits. De / loin en loin, des granges ddcharmfes, tcrreuaes, trouees de Measures, env&hies d'herboo folles et dtarbust®®i dec curailles affreuces avec le vide dos fenotrec et de la porte, des Sboulenents de rocailles dens les coins, I ’intSrieur enlaidi encore, jucqu’nux toitures crevees, par la trace noire du feu, par la rouille des pluies. Maisons sSculaires qui cenblaient ravagees par des In­ vasions, et bU les payeens n'avalent plus le courage d'abnter lour foyer. Parfois, aupres de cos mines, t o putts doraait, revets d'aubepines et de grenadiers sauvages* OX et la, d* itroitee lusemes, des olivettes. St toujour*, pour darner une sante ^ In solitude, a ce paysage d 1habitations abandonneas, des vignes heurcusee... Le chenin descend!! franchement au fond du ravin; les verdures augmentXrent la solitude ot I ’onbre. Kale le chenin se sauvait, remontait a la hate;... Lise regards, confondue par le rayonnenent de oette caapagne nouvelle. Les collines s'abaiocalent douco- ment, a 1 ’inf ini, vers le ruisseau de Tartuye, vers la riviere de Peyne. On eut dit un autre pays, avec la nagnificenee diverse des cultures, I ’hospitalite’ des f e m e s blanches, des grangcots ou les ouvriers de la ville viennent s,araiser le lundi. Eur le vaste plateau, le d e l plsnait. frissonnent^de luniXre. Leo cigalcs, qui avaient d6ja bu a la roses des ranures, chan talent & I ’uniaBon. Les charrettes, loo group** des vendangeure, roulaient par les chenins, le long des hales. Meae, on travaillait dans certaineo vignes. On voy&it luire, pareilo a des boucliers d'or, les chapeaux de paille des fences qui se penebaient.1

Samat speak* of the region of C&ilar in Cacargue, a region evi­ dently much similar to the savannahs of southeastern United States—

1. Beaume, Q., LesJTenMcea, pp. 189-191. n ae nli oe ie re eiwo h lzsi several in theplazas in liis later of review And a brief gives novel settings# Henry de Montherlant speaks of speaks de Montherlant Henry settings# cities of theMidi* of cities *

oteln,H, e etare p 8. p. Bestiairee. Les H., • Montherlant, 65...88. n. »Canardt Qardian. J.-T*..m Sanat. Ii. p. 204-205« pp. Ibid., .w ro The last two passages are an abrupt change from the preceding the from change abrupt an are passages two Thelast eonsd alr;U rn aspa n1 av&it 11 y on plat pays grand Catlar,;sUn du renoanes des pres et des des "bouquetset pres des saulos.l de la plus noble de toutes; cello d'Arles, aux froids aux d'Arles, cello toutes; de plus noble la colie de Nines, docor^e do phallus, la plus vaste ot vaste plus la phallus, do docor^e de Nines, colie perconno... une e m o c vio sa propre avait plaza cheque arbres poussant a nene entre les gradins, au milieu au gradins, les entre a nene poussant arbres du peuple,..5 du naro- construction une e m o c rouge Bayonne, de cello basiliquef de aspects des oat qui plerre de couloirs aap el eMrele s e oanl vc ses avec eopagnole sipeu de Marseille, cells calaep Pour Alban, cheque plaza avait sa phyeiononie, sa avait plaza cheque Alban, Pour ...les paturagea verts du Languedoc, les pres les du Languedoc, verts ...lespaturagea ..•Nines la violente, cette Hone des Gaulea... des Hone cette la violente, ..•Nines *148.

Chapter II

It is not surprising that the novels dealing vrith Languedoc should be different in subject matter fron those of Provence. That is cone- ehat surprising is that they should differ so greatly in spirit. Any m e of the novels of the first group, if dramatized, would be a conedy.

' ' . ' f. fr.' / : At least four of the six which comprise the latter group would, with similar dramatisation, become tragedies. There the former group has, as a rule, treated the pleasing or hunoroua aspects of the racial pec­ uliarities, the latter group has, in the majority, chosen to dwell rather on the unpleasant or at least more serious aspects.

To determine just how much of this contrast is duo to exaggeration or difference in viewpoint, and just how much is actually true is not the purpose of this study. At any rate, it should prove interesting, as has been said once before, to note these points of contrast and comparison*

that the traits revealed are all of the disagreeable or offensive type*

Les paysenc sont rusls et railleurs.1 '' ' ' — ' Le paysan, quoad il eat powers, ne I’est jamais a deaij oa nature grossi&re, son intelligence incults

1« Fabre, F., Les Courbeson, p. 92. - 1 4 8 -

1* pouseent Incessaraeat a exagarer see vices...le paysan pasde aoyen ternc deao les passions, parco qu,il cst tout d ’.uno pibco...Quand 11: ^ se venger, 11 ee venge imediatonentj 11 ne blesce pas son adversalre, 11 le tue*1

Ce n ’est pas le desir de soigner une sente excel- lente qui# da’s le jour doa Marts, pousse le campagnard c&venol a- passer sa vie dans loo odchoiro, c*ost l f avarice.2

dm paysan de tons les pays, quo le travail do la terre

***C8ttu corajLUj.3.i#Q DruBque b t , 5.aj.xe.qxeuee^ sous laquelle le paysan dlcsiaule si blen les lasilssts, #om-

Une chose deplaicante ches les Meridionaux, c*ost leur nanie d*lnfllger des surnoms.5

...trap c6venol pour ne pas accorder a la question d 1argent la prenibre place..

...la Basque nene do la douleur no pouvait tenir cur ces faces petrlfiees par la plus absorbante des passional la brutale,3* Is. la fef^roce m e s cupidity.'5 miniditWL?

-Dans ce monde, conne on dit, chacun pour sol at Dleu pour tous...Notre cveque eat Breton, et 11 nanque de cette souplesse de carnctere, privilege exclusif des populations aeridionales,8

All the foregoing passages are taken fron novels of Ferdinand

Fabrej this following remark, however, has been substantiated by a

1. Fabre, ., P. 145. 8. Ibid., 5. Fabre, p. 11, vol. 2. 4* Fabre, p. 106. 5. Fabre, p. 23. 6. Fabre, vol* 1. p. 21 7. Fabre, S. IMd., ■lallMf. Baudot! by cited) (already Gbeerratlon show toward the law— the toward show out, reveal more pleasing traits: pleasing more reveal out, of the voluble people of Tarascon— is brought out in the following the in out is brought Tarascon— of people voluble the of ing when t?e reflect that they are practically the next-door neighbor# next-door the t?e ing when practically are they that reflect ar, T— " T — F .Fabre, • Baudot, A., •Baudot, •CMBeaune, .J W Samat, H Samat often" speaks of the lack of respect the people of Canargue of often"thepeople Samat respect of lack the speaks of The tiro following observation#, contrary to thoso thus far brought far thus thoso tiroto The contrary observation#, following The reticence of the "gardians* of Coaargue— -all the none strik­ -all the none of Coaargue— "gardians* the of reticence The village.. village.. V , lo Midi do la Prance, quo cos querellos de village & village de cos querellos quo Prance, la do lo Midi tons s’arretalent et le salualent... le et s’arretalent tons $Kmr blen affirner leur peu de respect pour 1*autorite pour respect de peu leur affirner blen $Kmr la faisaient lui Conorgoals petita les gendarmerie, Provencal et en caraque tons les juronc qu'lls savaienj; qu'lls juronc les tons caraque en et en jurcnt Provencal en ume o t doa le avail qu'il d&s gonbette do ’Staitbrigadier le c quand rospectueuse...cals tude de la loio2 de la vral paysan, que tout effort est superflu do contrarier do superflu est effort tout que paysan, vral Midi cSvenol, le Midi deo pierres, qui tient plus de plus tient qui pierres, deo le Midi cSvenol, Midi 'san u el$iloe ad nssalrs ensea allures, ses en garde et $Iiclio l de que I'Espagne ce qui doit fctre?...5doit ce qui de Concho.^ de paroles, la ' prudenta reserve et lo bon sens pratique sens lobon et reserve la 'prudenta paroles, innetpu erbe pu frybe dans effroyable, plus terrible, plus n'est Rien Loreque le maire passalt, c'Stait lo nano atti­ nano lo c'Stait passalt, le maire Loreque bromine, eon llsant en passalt cure le Lbrsque aud d et,n ryi-lps a od en fond, au pas, croyait-il no du rests, Garuud, Meridional comae tout l1entourage do Huna, male du male do Huna, l1entourage tout comae Meridional maRuetn p 108. p. ,Hmaa_Rounestan, 148- n p 88-39, pp,

- 1 5 0 r

eeleotitol

Car, Igs gens de chcs nous, pr.roe qu’ils out I’habituda de vivre souls, n’ainent point a extorior- isor leurs pensies, Ils gardent pour cux lours Iddce Igs plus dhere#et n'eprouvent nucun bssoin do les fairs partagor, Bien.eouvent les gardiems, au crepuscule, voient le d e l sUrradier, Ils contenplent la feerie des tons qui illuainent le couchant, toiirnent leurs chevaux vers I ’astre et restent 1&, ^ regarder sans pronouncer un not. Car, pourquoi diraient-ils quelque chose? U s regardent le s o ldi descendre et ee taisent comae on se tait & l*<£jlise pendant I'offertoire. Si, un moment, leurs yeux se croisent, ils echangcnt un long regard silencieux puis hochent la tete d*un air de dire* 1 Comte ci est’.nagnifique1 ou *ce que e'est quo de ttOUBljL Quand I ’astre a conpletonent disparu au sien des eaux ou derriere les narais, ils font volter lours chevaux et regagnent au pas leur travail sans parler davontageA

Henry de Montherlant compares the enthusiasn of the Spnnirii "gar* dians” for their

Tons cos bonnes, pour qui ces spectacles etalent familiers, n ’etalent pas biases sur oux, et cheque soir ils les contenplaient avec un anour jeuno. Pour «ix, comae pour les honnos de Camargue, la poeoie de la terra natole n'etait jamais us4e.2

This final observation is more general in scope, being applicable

nere racial traits—

1 ‘inferiority de la femme qu’tme fois marie, sur de son bonheur, 11 s’y installe on naltro, en pacha. acceptcnt I ’anour c o c b q un homage, et trouvant que c'est d^ja M e n beau,1

This quotation gives an idea of the solidarity of the French middle elaae, as expressed by one of the characters of hes Fendanzcs— .

-Sous ne somea que des proprietaires do la moy- enne classe. Mala nous ne craignons pas les inonda- ti

juey pauvree^ ejULes aus&i* ru u u a iea u plus qu>on n ’avalt espdri. La joic s«6panchait au soleil. Memo les pauvres, d proportion rocoltaient plus que les riches, coa pauvres et rudcs payoans qui -pendant trente ou quarante anuses ont convoit*) un nor- ceau de terre, et qui enfin le poss&dent et lo soignent c o m e leur |ae, en avares pleins d* ambition, ouhliemc de la sort,3

Quelle difference avec I'autoritS mllitairc do la Grcnge-des-Prisl Ici, regnait la bonhomie du pay- sen qui aine la terre pour lui et pour lea autres, 1'amitie du cmnarode qui, so aouvenant dos temps do mie&re, psrtage aveo sea donestlques le plaisir du labour et des rosultntg,1 234 *

(toe of the few observations regarding the physical traits of the people of Languedoc is that which describes the appearance of the gypsies who live in the vicinity of Eaintea-Hcriet

Et dens la race du natif dos Sainton coulait le vieux sang gitans ea face dtait jaune, aux pomaettes saillantesj son nex etait le bee d*un oiseau de proie.6

1. Deudet, A., luma Bounestan. pp. 49-60. 2. Beauee, 0,, Les Vendanges, p.196. 3. Ibid., p. 278. 4* Ibid,, p. 206. 6. Montherlant, H., Lea Bestialres. p. 284, - 1 5 2 -

Practlcally the only reference to sport in regard to Languedoc is that made by Henry de Montherlant in Lee Bostiaires:

- " - - , Bapuis toujours, dans noire Prance meridionale, le t&ureau est un animal sacre,1

Bans le Midi taurin, la passion des taureaux a des racines plus profondss qu’en Esp&gne nemo.2

Ea Espagne, scuf donsde.nodsetos courses de vil­ lages, oh. on vise 5. I ’dcononie, et dene les etablisse- monts pen sorieux, comae celui-ci, tout taureau qui a paru dans l*ar&ne est tue. Ainoi le veut In prudence: une bete qui cherche l 1 ho m e au lieu du leurre est p^rilleuoe a I'exces, Ainsi le veut le cpectateur: avec une telle bete, I ’homrae, perpStuellenent domino, no cherche qu’A se defentire et il n'y a plus do bel art qui soit possible. Dans noire pays d ’Oc, au con- traire, la capdea, adaptation f rentalse de la course espagnole, est donn^e avec des taureaux francais, croises espagnole, ayant deja servi,^

The following passage, describing the annual fair at the little

Cevenol village of Horepian, reflects several aspects of the life of

the region. Fabre has portrayed in striking manner the "surexcitation

g«aeralefl caused by the coming of Spring to the rude Cevennes—

G*est dans le cournnt du mois de nni quo leo grands troupeaux de chovres ot do noutona qui, en octobre, etalent descendus vers la plaine, chesses par la neige et les vents terriblos des hauteurs, re- montent vers la montagne redevenue hospitoli&re. II faut voir, des les premieres tiSdeurs du printemps, cos bandes innoabr&bles defiler & travers nos vcllees etroites, toutes luisantes de gazone et d Tarbustea neufs. Dn patre de haute taille, vetu de la 'grisaoudo*, sorts de dalmatique en tolie ecrue, tient la tSte do la •tarrine1, pour employer le langago du pays, nontrent la route; des chiens-loupc, race herissee, hargneuse, *5

1, Honterlant, H., Los Bestlairos, p, 55. B. Ibid.. p«8« 5. Ibid., p. 95. feroce, courant stir les fiance de la colonne, la naln- tiennent en bon ordrej deo aido-borgors, dor, ^pill&rds1, - autre not cevenol, ferment la narche, prescant los train- ards, laapant dec pierrea aux chevres gourcandos, dont la longue et I'oeil gulgnent toujours quelque bourgeon* A I ’Esplnouee, cette rocaille sombre des Cevennes, 1*arrives des *tarrimes' est le signal d'un redoublement d'activite et de vie* C o m e la. nature andormle sous les frimas, I'home, tap! en I'interieur des metalrles, avalt 3omeill4 durent des jours et des jours. Mala v o i d I ’heure venue du reveil, du travail, de la lutte achamee pour le pain quotidien. La montagne, du rests, ee fait superbei les chataigniers, qu'on eut pu croiro marts, re- vivent,se decorent, s'etalent; les cours d'ecu, qu’on n'ontendait plus, jasent, parlent, galopentj 11 a*est pas jusqu'aux rochers, attristea dans I'anesntissement si poignant do I'hiver, qui n ’^clatent en souriree dans cette renaissance univeraelle du sol. Et les bergeries ddsortes hier, quelle eniraation &ujourd*huil A la volx des mont- agnards qui se perdait sans rSveillor d ’^cho, mille voix chevrotantes repondent maintenant, en haut, en has, par- tout* Quelle joiet les bates sent revenuesl O'est dans le feu de cette surexcitation generate quo les menagkres, creatures vaillantes, vienncnt a la foire d*Herapian pour y loner qui des pastoures, qui des porchers, qui des faucheurs. L'home, trop occupd, s'exteminsnt sur los monts, la f e m e est partie toute seule pour le bourg, proprotte, blanche, son panier d'osier an bras, presses, affairee...1

An sortir du pent, tr^s etroit, la route devient plus largoj mais ce jour-la elle etalt enconbree jusqu'au milieu . de la chaussoe. Par ce beau temps, los paysans de I'Espin- ouse, debarrassSes enfin de la neige, qui durent des nois les retient prisonniers dans cette region, la plus fcpredes Cevennes, etalent doscendue a la foire, eux, lours femmes, lours enfant®, leurs bestiaux. Herepian, d 1ordinaire silencieux dans la verdure vivace do ses pres, au con­ fluent des deux jolies rivieres de la Mare et de l ’Orb, etalt envahi* deborde^ noy^ dans des nultltudos conpactes^ d'ob. e'echappaient, au milieu des jurons sonores des h o m e s et des bavardages des femmes, lea grognenonts, tantot cs- sourdis, tantot stridents, des pores mordus par les chiens, les braiements prolong^ des enes, les heniasements haut months des chevaux, les beleaento trembles des chevres et des nou&ons, les appels des coqs, lea harpions lies pour la vento, les glousseaents r^signos&s'poules enengees et

1* Fabro, F., vol. 1. pp, 52-53. laissant pendre lo col hors des bcrreaux.1

Tho next scene is altogether different) it depicts the pleasure of

yards is over for one more day. Beaune has given us norc than a cere account of a joyous dance) he has expressed the spirit and color of the , > ,. dance, and the hard-earned joy of these poor people rho, unlike those of the rich valley#, taste such pleasure irfrequently#

Deux de cea jernes Pi^aontaia qui vagabondent a travers la Provence et le Languedoc, s’etalent arrotea au portail do la Grange, l*un portent un violon, l 1autre

x On les nit cur un bane, ot sans prenabule, 11s en- tomerent des polkas. xAlors, les rustres oe degourdirent en dsmses forceniee, a coups do pied, a coups de gueule, le front leve au eiel... z Tons ensemble s'arreterent, accables, s’accroupirent sur le sable. On fit manger les enfents, dont lo plus jeune queta des sous dans son chapeau. Ensulto, 11s jcurrent des romances, des musiques lentes, dmues, dont les paysane, avec une tendresso pleuso, se p6ndtraient, la figure entre les mains. Peu d.peu, ils se aouvenaient sonnailes des troupcaux solitude des sites sau- vages) oU les glaa, les glas m^lancoliques rdpandus sur les rocs et les gouffres appellant vers I'dternite; ou les divine Angolus, avec leur jolie parole d ’espoir et de re­ pos, penchent les ernes vers les labours) ou coulent les eclats du tonnerre qui cheque foie menace les hameaux et les feraeaf oU se poursuivent les blanches cascades des torrents, les oris du vent qui excite 1*ardour tunultueuse des oiseaux de prole. Ils 'ecoutsient les musiques nalves de tout ravio, les

Here is en interesting sidelight of the custom of tho country

which explains the diminutives by which people of even mature years 12

1. Fabre, F., op.cit., pp. 49—50. 2. Beaumo, G., Leg 7endanges, pp. 160^61. -155-

aro frequently knovmt

* Conbescurette’ l .. .Dans nos families do Midi, le non patronimique eat habltuellenent toume en dininutlf pour designer lea alnes. Lo p&re s'appelle-t-11 Conbescure, I'alnee des fllles s’appallera ^Conboacurette' ou ,Cttretts,# et *Combescourou' ou ‘Courou1 1 ‘aljie des gargons, Aveo l*age, ces d^sinances enfantines a’effacent d 1ordinairej il arrive pourtant quelquefois qu'elles persistent k , travera les ann6es, particulierenent ches lea vieillea filleo, et alors c'cst une chose touchante d*entendre donner lo non de lour proaikre enfanco k dea peraonnes en cheveux blanc, courbees sur un baton, allant k pas trenblnnts et nenua.l

The description of the huablo cottage of Canard1a father is one ©f the few of contemporary architecture to be found in any of these novels*

The interior of the boose, with all its accoutrements bo typical of the industry and life of the country, is far different fron that of a house almost anywhere else in the Midi—

Tout etait calne dans la cabane au toit pointu. Le long dea nuro baa et blanchis & la chaux ou a'ouvraient, do droite ct do gauche, deux petitec fenetrea, couraient en ^tagbres doe planches rustiquea. . Le simple menage du gardiant quelquo verres, des aasiettes, quatre ecuelles y ^talent propreaent ranges* Aux ferietres il y avait dec rideaux d ’indlenne rouge k flcurettes, do cotte memo indienno dont etalent faita le eotnrre-pied du hres, celui du lit dnna le fond de la pibce, et le rideau qui arretait le soleil a la porte d*entree, Au-docsus de la cheminee, qui tenait a olio ceule, plus de la mottle de la fagodo, deux fusils 6talent ac- crochis au-desaous d

1* Fabre, F *, op.cit*, p* 221* depuis des annees disparues. Au nilieu tronait, rouge et verte, et plus large que lea autres, la cocarde du m i t r o de la nanado» Dana le coin, entre la chealnee ot le nur, a d* autres comes, le Bala£r6 pendaitt ses *sedens', sea ‘saquetons1, lea ‘mourlllons1 de saule pour lea cnoubles et lea entravea pour 1#@ junenta. Ge coin-la, c’est la donalno du naltre. ' La, aont les grandee bottes pour I ’hlver, le fouet a moncho court et a longue lani&re, le caveqpn de fer aux rSnes de crln treaae pour les poulalna indoclles, les batons de bouvlne rapportos de loin, souvenirs d 1 abrive.dea et do fates joyeueea, un trident do rechange, une hache a couper le bois et a preparer les buiacons d ’epines qui ferment le bouvau et le pi&ge d loutres quo l 1on place dans la roubine, et tone les nllle riens rustiquea et aalfs qui font la richeaso d fun h o m e dans notre pays sauvage. De cheque cote, pres des fenetres, a 1'endrdit ou le toit de cliauae descend si baa qu’il seable reposer sur le sol, il y a le pGtrin, la panetiero, et les boites a sel et d farine.l

Saaat has not only treated the actual uork and daily life of the

"gardiann de taureaux”, but has frequently revealed little glimpses of their eiuitoesi ■ - .

Lorsque le Canard eut sa selle a lui, il.fut vrai- aent un honne..,Cletait cello de son grand-pdre # i , selon l lusage proven^al, etait aussi eon parrain....

-Les f e m e s de chez nous, dit lo Canard, quoad elles ont une foia mis la coiffe ot la chapelle d 15 ans, elles ne les quittent plus de lour vie...5

Car, cn Cemargue, les f e m e s oavent que les h o m e s font toujouro pour le miens; aussi elles ne diocutent pas.* *4

5 ; . " "Dans tout le Midi, la religion est un spectacle,” says Fabre in

L* Abbe_Tigrflne, and in his abundant examples, of which a few will be

le Samat, J.-T., 'Canard Gardlan. pp. 15-15, 2. Ibid,, p, 56, 5, Ibid., p. 875. 4 « > p* ^74 * . 5.’ Fabre, F., Abbe Tigrane, p. 180, included, he has certainly proved it*

Pour les populations rierldionales, particuliere- nent pour celles do nos montagnes, la religion est un spectacle, et c'est un spectacle joyoux. L'histoire, le crucifix h la main, a eu beau, aveo Simon do Montfort et saint Dominique, 'ravage? gens, terras, et chateaux1, selon lea mots d'un chroniqueur, tous lea attentats, toutes les aventures, sont passes our nos tetcc, et nous soranes deneurls des h o m e s de bon sens pour caudire des assassins, et des h o m e s de gai savoir pour rire des con- vertisseurs. Hullo contree porte une plus forte empreinto des batailles livrees pour la conscience libro que noire contree ot£venole$ en aucun endroit du nonde, le fer et le feu ne furent. employes avec plus do rage pour conquerir la e r & W r e humaine £ Dieu, et nulle part on n ’y a moins r&ssi. Cfest le chatinent des entreprises criminolles d faller juste centre le but qu’elles se proposaient. Nos montagnardo sont rcstes ce que les Romains les ont connus, energiques, sobres, railleurs. Certes, nous avons des processions a tout bout de champ et les corporations, les congregations devotes abondent. Hals une chose renarquable, c'est de constater conbien des reunions nanquent du re- cueillement, de la tenue qui lour coramniquerait un carac- tore religieux. On prio peuVotre, nais assureaent on so divertit# A Bcdarieux, petite ville de dix nille anos a peine, sans parler des confreries du Salnt-Eosaire, de Saintc- Fhilomene, de SainWoseph, de la Bonno-Hort, on coaptait, 11 y a pen d*armies encore, quantity de soci^tes lalques sous la presidenco du curodoyent Penitents bleus, Peni­ tents blancs. Association pieuse des Arnes, Association non moins pieuse des Cadets. II fallalt voir, quoad une fete faisait sortir ces divers groupos de leurs ealles respectives pour s'acheminer vers les chapelles eparpillees sur nos pics, quels drapeaux Hornes, rouges, jaunes, bleus! quelles bsnni&res bossu^os de broderics ^paissea repr^sentant le saint patron ou la sainte patronne do la confr^rie, au milieu d'un ciel dtoil^I...quellos croix en argent, aux longs a mches peinturlures, ^crasant les

particuli^rec, souvent quels delate de rire, parfois quels rades coups ass&nesl Toujours le spectacle. Hate parmi ces associations turbulenteo, batailleuses, jalou80B...une, fort ancienne cello-la, se distingue par des caractWee particuliers. C'est la confrSrio des Erlres libres de Saint-Froncois. Tandis que les Penitents blancs, les Penitents bleus ne sont a^toriseo k endosser leur costume, 'le sac', qu'aux funerailloa d'un confrere cu dans des ceremonies dliermineos, les Fibres libreo de Saint-Eroncoisi par une toldrance de 1‘autorite dioces- aine, quo les occurs de notro Midi, deoeures palen dons laxpcnpe catholique, expliqucnt, jouiesent du privilege do ne<'depouiller jamais 1"habit ecclesiaotique dont on les a une fois gratifies. Les processions servant de pretexts k de gcrgantualesques plque-nigues,...il n ’est pas do Crete, et les Cevennes en sont hferlssees comae une sole est herissee do dents, qui no soit enbellie de son eraitage et de son ermite, lequel est affilie a la confr6rie des Frercc de Eaint-Francois. Co Frerc...n,a aucune sorts de caraot^re eacre. 11 estlalque, absolu- ncnt lalque.,.On est si ‘libre* en cette benolte ooo- frerieU.ePuis c’est un ordro oendiant, cet ordre nlri- fiquel.we - . •, -V ^ - \ - Ces voyages, & bride tres lache, a trovers une con- tree pittoresque, parai des populations gouailleuses, oinables, indulgentes, gSnereuseo, ont un irresistible *ttrait:pour nos ermites cWenols. Malheureuoement, cette sorte de vagabondage, oh les libations k verre pleurzmt, les caquets sales, remplacent trop souvent les meditations pieuses et les oraisons jnculatoires, oh le saint honoe libre traverse plus d'auberges que d^gliscs, le deprave vito et met cn lambeaux s& vocation..

▲ page or so farther on, Fabre mentions the "Santi-Belli", then, gives the following explanation of the term:

(les Santi-Belli)% Que sont les «Santi-Bellit? Ces fetes parpdtuelles qui, d certaines dates fixes, poussent nos montagnards & aller s'&battre sur I ’herbe, a 1 1abri de quelque haute muraille, reste d ’un chateau- fort de la guerre des Albigeois, aujourd'hui convert! en chapelle, ces fetes perpetuellea ont donne naissance a une Industrie des plus singuli&res; l fIndustrie des m^d- ailles, des statuettes de saintes et de saints. Ce com­ merce, fort lucratif aux Cevennes, malgrd lee jalousies des Frbreo libreo do Saint-Frangois, trks Spres au gain, y est demeure le nonopole presque cxclusif des Italians. De robustes gaillerds, hardis, bien d^coupl^s pour la plupart, venus dec environs de Livoume. do Genes, de Turin, parcourent nos foires ee melent a nos processions, penktrent dsns nos prosbytkros, dans nos eglisec, et vendent do veritables cargaisons de menus objetc pieux. — "Lo b beaux saintsl lea beaux saintesl Sent! bellil bellit" entend-on crierm milieu de nos sahetuaires, que

i. Fabre, f ., K,n.Aisle giiMaUfl, voi. i, b >. ep.-sa. -159-

cob otrengers tlrcat lour non. Rarenent, sauf pour leg habitues qui g*obstinent h parcourir le nene rayon, on salt c o m e n t ils s*appellent. Ce sont dee * Santi-Belli1, Cola suffit.

A much aiapler, yet equally interesting religion is that of Camard* who, in this respect at least, represents only a type—

Lea nuages s^en vont allis au loin et le Canard renonte en solle, l & e son trident "et salue d'un 'brinde* le temple antique, berceau de sa race. Comne il I'aismit, sa vieille eglise, cet antique sanctu&ire dh depuis que le bapt^ne exietait toua les siens avaient ete baptises et ou see fils le seraient un Jour# Peu pr&tiquant, parce que, souvent, il n»en avait pas le temps et parce que cela est l 1affaire des fences, il conservait c o m e tous ceux de Comargue pour 1'eglise qui doaine le pays d‘un respect et un attachenent filial# Il n 1analysedt pas les raisons do cette devotioa. Il connaiseait sa religion parce que sa a & e la lui ereit apprise. Il croyait en Bleu parce que son p&re et son grand-pdre y avaient cru avent lui. Il cn^connaioaait l*hietoire par cellos que sa cbre ou son pore ou le pape, aux soirs d r i v e r lui avaient racontees, entrecoupees do nobis et de cantiquos, au coin de la cheminee, pendant que le vent hurlait sur le toit de chaume, et que le Cande se chauffait frileusenent jusqu'a roussir ses polls emeles# ^ Il aavait quo lui et les siens etalent catholiques, qu

Les gens de 1*autre cote du Vldourle avaient la none croyance que lui; male ils n ‘obbissaient pas au pape. Ils

etalent d ,un| autre marque, voila, d'une

1. Fabre, 1, p. 66. R.Saeat, J.-T. a w # . -160-

The following is a description of the appearance and dress of the

La quantite d'enfanto qui s’eapilaicnt dans ces nauvaises guiabardes, sous la toils detointe et rapi&ee qui les couvrait, etait surprensnte. Le Canard songeait en les regardant k ces fouraillenents de potits poissons qu’on voit, au printeaps, dans les roubinea. Les chadros1 avaient tons le teint tres fonce, des cheveus noire et ebouriff^sj dependant la pcau des garcons A a i t rougeatre tandia qua cells des filles etait citron.... Sana doute, c ’^tait pour cela que les vieux, les grands- pdres appelaient les gitans des palens. ...Les fCannes, qui evaient des jupons anples, des grands ch&les, des colliers faits de pieces d*or cnfilees sur des ficelles, criaient npr&s les enfants, se dis- putaient entre elles et faisaient dens d'enornes po'bles k frire, sur un feu allune entre deux briques, une cuisine qui sentait bon...Biles partaient par troupes de deux ou trois, svec des panders plejns de dentelles, pour escayer de les vendre aux polerins."1'

It is surprising to remark in a writer so dignified and serious as

Fbbr# the frank enthusiasms of a gourmet. The two passages which follow reveal this trait, however, and give us as veil an insight into the delicacies of this rude mountain country— - - ' 5 '' La vigne, qui,des bords de la eer, de proche en proche k gagnd* les nmelons, puis les collincs, puis les escnrpeaents do la rude chatne cevenole, h l»epoque oti so pacsent les scenes de ce rccit (1846), n'avait pas encore envahi sans portage nos pittoresques nonts dtQrb.e* 4 Lorsque son oncle Celestin quitta les Aires pour venir prendre possession do sa nouvelle paroisse dons le canton de Lunas, la devastation qui depeupla si lamont- ablenent les nonts d r0rb, n ’avait pas encore commence, et, si le vin nanquait quelquefois, I ’huile abondait en nos regions. • Quelle huile, douce. Byant la savour l^ge'ro du fruitt et puis quelle couleur nerveilleusel Be l ’or vert, de I’or pale,- de I ’or bruni, Quelles oronges delicieucec en octobre, quelles-aubergines croustillantes, accozmodees

1, Samat, J.-T., oo.cit.. p. SO. -161-

dane cette M i l e Incoaparable!^ Metre gouvomante: av< un talent reaarquable pour frlro a point les auberglneo. Elio lea eoupait par nenueo tranches conno elle eut fait fieo ponces do terre, les laissait s’Sgoutter entro deux linges sfln d ‘en expriaer la demigre hunidltG, puls les jetait dans la poele rivenent. La difficult^ d'anener & M e n co plat fabulcux glsait tout entl^re dans le cholx du nonent oh 11 convenalt de pr&cipiter les rondelles d 1aubergines dans l 1Mi l e bouillante. Si on nanquait eette seconds unique, tout btait perdu, et l 1on devait reconneneer,1

Jiht "les oreillettes sucrecsl Le bexxrre, soit fraia, solt fondu ot sale dans des pots, a depuis quelques anne’es envahls nos cuisines ceve- nolee. Vers 1846, cncoro quo la destruction do nos oliviers antiques eut commence dans la haute c o m e dans la basse vallSe de I ’Orb,. l*huilo r&gnait en oaStresse des- potlque ehes nous. Le s&indoux de no# cochons, conserve cn des vessiee suspendues o k pautrelles du plafond, aussi blnno et floconneux qua la neige de I'Espinouse, lui etait certes prefers pour dos sauces deteralnSes, pour la con­ fection des lourdes tcrottetades1, ces Edifices de pBte' h&rimsd# de tours, de cloch^rs, de cr6naux, qui defendant cal un canard aux olives, oii tel autre volatile endormi " dans lea profemdeurs du monument; aais I ’huile serveit xa tout®# les autres patisseries do manage, aux oreillettes particulierecent. Ayes un chaudron plein d'huile sur le feu; en un6 sebile de buis dolayes:.une poign6e de ferine do pur froment dons des oeufs; batten le tout fortecent en laissant toaber tsntot uno prise de sel, tent&t une prise de seste de eitroo; puis, & l*aide do Garments sacs, activez le feu sous la crccaillero de fa^on, a ee que les flames vivos enbrasBent tout le pourtour du chaudronnet* L ’huile, qui prend des reflets do c&tal en fusion, fume et bout; Profit- es des preaidres bouillon# et jetez une cuilloreo de pate hardicont. Ohl le charcant bruit, les jolis gr£sillements, les raviseentes fusees de vapour! La p&te, que vous eves versSe de manihre A I'Sparpiller, so tord, se gcmfle, ce boureoufle, affecte tout# esphee de formes tounaent^es, avec des creux, des video, dec robords, des Chillies in- pr^mes, qui lui commniquent l(cpparence tr%s coapliqueo d’uae oreille d ’homme ou d'uno oreille d«animal. Do lit, le non d 1oreillettes’ qu'dn donne a cette friandise dans ms ctintrSese® • ■ ■

1. Fabre, F., !4on Onele C&lestlnT vol. 1, pp. 155-155. Chapter III

Though only a few of the industries and products of Languedoc are treated in the four novels included in this part of the study# this particular. subject . - ..is perhaps ...... the cost interesting-of-f'1; ^ i all the reflec- tions of the region.

Foremost among those industries portrayed is the harvesting of grapes, described in Leg Vendanges of Georges Beaune. There are liter­ ally chapters which could be advantageously quoted from this novel j such a procedure is of course impossible here. It is almost equally impossible, however, if justice is to be done to the novel and to the subject, not to include perhaps as much as several pages. Beaune's portrayal of the "metier*, of the region and of the people constitute an admirable contribution to the realistic novel of France, yet, in its simple and touching love story, the novel is romantic.

The first pages of the story describe in careful and colorful de­ tail the bands of pickers (hcolles#), as they cone down into the fer­ tile valleys of Bas-Languedoc to harvest the grapes—

Leo charrettos, ce dimanche d'aout, dcscondaient des Cevennos. Bn ardent soleil cmbrasca.it la terre. A 1' approche de la ville, la route o'ecoulait doucenent, sinueuse et blanche. Sur les collines, au bond do la riviere, %a et la, des chateaux, des petita bois, des jar dins clairs et jolis, des fem e s coscues oh des chiens aboyateai* , . , Les charrettes, renplies de nonde, devalaient en un roulis ds bateaus a travere la pouosieret par groupee de cinqueou six, elles reunissaient un village du pays pauvre, nontenant les seals vellides, hozmr.es, 'femmes, garcons trapus et brans eax gros yeux disslmules sous Is chapeau de feutre. Tout ce peuplo, parti dans la nuit s’6tait avunco vers I'aurore, vers le soleilqui doit 6tre si beau pres do la ner,.en co coin de Bae-Languedoc oh les recoltes, parfois, valent des heritages. Le somceil et le fatigue accablaient mSaa les hommes. Mais le jour eclatant lee obligeait 1 ouvrir les paupi&res, le jour et 1*appari­ tion de plus en plus opulente des vignobles. Los mains atiachoes aux ridelles, secou6s par le cahot des omiSres, ils soulev&ient la tats, s1eapliscaient le coeur et les yeux du spectacle de ces verdures, <3U pendant trois moia allait resplendir pour eux la fete de 1*argent, M j h la plupart otaient venus d Pozenas. Ceux qul savaient le nieux parlor expliquaient le paysage. La route vc sans arbres, nue au soleil, avoc ea pous- si&re d ’xme ^paisseur de oendres. La plaine s*Stale pen i peu, dons le moutonnement lumineux des ceps, decoroe de loin en loin d 1olivettes grises# Des villages Spars, des haneaux, so rsposent, blancs coiar.e du linge qui seche au soleil sur le graviorj puis, la rividre qui vient des montagnes, sous des arbres noirs et des broussaillesj pulp, I ’Herault qu’on devine Ih-bas, aux fatales prolong^es en ru- bano, de Vautre cote de la ville,au milieu des cultures que, plusieurs fois par an, il feconde de scs eaux d*orage. lie reg&rdaient. Devant eux, k gauche, lo terroir d ’Am e t h et celui de Maldinath avec sea ravins et ses gorges br&L^esj d droite, les Ruffes, Gaotelsec domine par des pins, le terroir d'argile, En face, les bourgs d 1Atmos et de Castelnau-de- Guers, separes par la haute colline oh subsisto encore, au sonnet, parmi des arbres greles ot des buisoons, 1 ’ernitage do Eaint-Antoine, Au milieu de la plaine, l rabrupt pro- montoire du haaeau de Caunas, lequel depend de la petite ville, Partout, entre lea coteaux, la plains large conne un ci#«L* - Les montagnards riaient, sens trop savoir, radieux de cos doaaines qui les attend&ient, Ils allaient s'offrir aux voidanges, posseder pendant trois mois les vignes de co Bas-Languedoc. Des endroits les tentalent de preference, un d&teau, un creux de la plaine, et peut-etre le hacard lee pl&cerait loin de la torre qui leur semblait le paradis. Ils avancaient toujours ensemble, par groupos, par oharretSos d !un meae village* Des les premieres portes, sur la route, les gens de la ville accouraient pour aosister au long defile de la -164-

Bontagno. Mora, lee charrotiers, exuberants de gloriole, excltda par lo bruit, s’enaoncorent S coups de fouet, et les chevaux ravivaient leur allure, lea fezines parlaient haut, les homes, bras croiees, aciniraient les solides maiaons a pluaieurs Stages que des fleurs ou des plnntes grimpantes paraient aux fenetres. Au lieu de traverser la ville, les nontagnards prireat par les faubourgs qui yont au Planol, la grande place du pays, sorts de forum ou se rencontrent, toutas les classes, les riches et les pauvres, du a’entretient la vie du dehors, dsns la poussibro et le soleil. L^, sous 1'ombre des platanes, les charrettes s'arint­ erest...... fous, h o m e s et femes, s’accroupirent a memo le sol, les mains sous le fichu ou sous la blouse, etonnes qu’on ns. leur fit point de m l . Les propri^taires du pays, d'ap- parence narquoise, la canne dernidre le dos, rodaillaient, preparaient leur choix, gromel&ient des chiffres, des estimations de bouchers sur uno foire, Les enfants, mi tour des charrettes, se posaient en attitudes conquerantes, galop- aient d6j& sur le Planol. Ensuite, tous ensemble, les nontagnards nirent lours scullers, s'en all&rent d la fontaine se rafraichir et boire. A Saint-Jean, la grand’messe sonnait a pleine volee. L^glise, au bout do la rue sinueuse, l 1 antique eglise, du haut de son clocher noir surmonte du coq do fer rouge . ot blanc, surveille les quartiero si dissemblables de la

^ lour cage de pierres, heurtant 1*horizon c o m e les parols d«un imense corps de bronze, appelant vers le d e l avec un 6lan de tumulte grave et do gaiete a la fois. Aux trois dornicrs coups de la cosse, les montagnards en cohue penetrerent par la petite porto, se reunirent autour deo piliers, d genoux, sur les dalles. On les considerait curieusenent. On les ainait, parce qu'ils rapportaient la belle saison, les mois de liesse chmqwtro, de recolte, de repaille dans les verdures. On aimait leur retour c o m e celui des hirondclles, au prin- teraps, quand la terre se ranime d*allegre8se et d'espoir. Et toujours, d cesure, lea charrettes arrivaient au Planol, dechargeaient leur. peuple.l

At noon, the long , line of txagono cornea to a halt r/hile the moun­ taineers eat their lunch!

1. VP* l"** Mala tenant tons les veudengeurs dejeunaiont d ’un bout & 1*autre du Planol, le long de la route, sous lea platanesj les enfants couraient h. la fontcine chercher do I’eau dans des litres. lift nzmgeaient sana parlor. C*otait un vrai pauplo vonu de loin, do regions presque barbares, apportant aux plain## opulentes voislnes de la ner eon ame simple, ses moeurs de nis&re et d'hunilite, qui n'excluent pas une cer­ tains malice d‘animal patient et dos calculs avidesj un peuple tout@-£ois inconscient de sa force.1

In tho"afternoon, the Thole city of Saint-Jean comes out to the square to see the pickers; among the crowd of mere onlookers, however, are the over-seers and owners of the large vineyards, who are anxious to procure the services of the strongest and healthiest appearing

"colies."

L ’apres-aidi, toute la ville de nouveau deborda sur le Planol. On voulait voir les vendangeurs. C*Gtait l 1anima­ tion, la joie du Bas-Languedoc, dont les habitudes Stalent rompues au noins un jour, egayees par la descents xinanime de ces nontagnards qui venaient dans la plains s’ouvrir l1ame et s’enrichir. On estimait la valeur de ces otres, qu'on allait lecher pendant deux mois a trovers les ceps, comma des betes bienfaisantes. On mesurait lour stature *8 vieux Gaulois & la nine farouche, aux yeux clairs d*en­ fant. Leurs nacholres surtout etaient enomes, & macher de la pierre, les dents aussi pointues que des clous. Cbevelue, noirs de grand soleil et de grand air, ces rus- tres, pareils aux taureaux qui se laissent conduire par des enfants, montrent dans la vie, sous le d e l qui scable n*- entretenir la peuvrete que pour eux, la candeur des plantee, la resistance au labeur des botes domeutlques.

The mountaineers let themselves be led around and ordered about . . like docile beasts of burden, happy to bo back in the land of plenty—

A present. U s etaient tous ravis, heureux de retrouv- er le bon gite de l 1on passe ou, bicn nourri, on avait gagne

1. Beaune, G., op.cit.. pp. 14-15. t.Ibid., pp. 16-17,

' * ...... " " \ \ - 1 6 6 - B#. occuper desnasses de travailleurs a - - -

Aupremier dejeuner, celui de huitheures, les h o m e s Gas gea@, pas plus qua les plonteo, no craignaient Deja, Deja, le travail comengait. Partout les paysans, p. p. 55, pp. 66-67. otleur chapeau de paille rayonnant dans la clarte, les s1 etaient enlaidies. s1 Les f e m e s riaient, plaisantaient tures so resseablaient toutes; les f e mes avec leur tablier leshomes; ceux-ci, plus lourds, un peuiSchevoutes, entourant laveste les Epaules, riaientbdatenent. Ces crea­ et leset f e m e s reunirent se pele-mele surlisi&re le talus, des alavignes qui, souduin privecs defeuillages, et, balanceset, par le fardeauun en rythme douxdes epaules, traaaportaient sur le bord du chenin les conportes pleinea. Dejaune odeur via de repandait.se cieeauxrapid##, naintenaient se ligne; en les homes, pieds nus, pared, la cendre chaude dos piedsnus, cultures, pared, enfonc- aientlos raisins dans les baquete ^coups de nassuo, la chaleur. Les fenmes, avec le bruit sec de leurs gorgees de raisins...2 elle versait, une fois ploine, dfrns les versait,anplecelle unecomportes fois ploine, dfrns vaient deux& deuxjusqu'& la charrette, aunoyen de longs leviers aussi r|alatants que du fer, les conportes poshes de loin cnloin aunilieu des laoillons, nolle que toutseuivaitde front, en parfaite ligne do bataille. Lea gars robustes, leurs bras oeches par le hale, soule- accroupis, depouillaient lesvignes a coups de oerpes ou dm oiseaux* Chequevendangeuae avaitune corbeillequ* et et de ferine, dejoulr du perresseuxcrepuscule qui, cn ce pays de plains, unea tiedeur de chanbre, tandisque dej&dans lesmontagnes le froid tonbe et la nuitfris- tant d*argent} heureux.de sentir 1»opulence d antique ’une demeure habituee si plus qu’a leur fain, de rospirer labonne odeur datable que les domestiquesno pretaientnulle attention aux nouveauxvenus. Ils etaient oatiafaits d*avoirnange auae, G., op.,_.cit., p. auae, G., op.,_.cit., Beginning their workat sun-up, theirfirst meal conesat eight Next, we see thembeginning theirwork in the vineyards—

Cv2 tO o* clock— o* are pressed— are Ii. p. 70—71. pp. • Ibid., M 56-58. pp. op.cit.. H Q.,. Beaune, Beaune next takes the reader into the buildings where the grapes the where the buildings into reader the takes next Beaune hocaos &vec leur pantelon matin. entre-baillee par le souffle nouveau de ceiie terre, par la tildeur du tildeur la par terre, ceiie de nouveau souffle le par 6psis,leura humbles faces iir, ufn udmie su e rrs le bruit arbres, sousles domaine, du au fond rivi&re, des charrois sur la grand1route poudreuse, le grondement le poudreuse, grand1route sur la charrois des dee trains qul, de temps temps de qul, trains dee oets peqee ie tpe an e os ainsi rocs,les parni tuples mine, en presque modestes, er asn u ebetaorpu uju, toutes jour,du peur avoir semblent qui naisono leurs A nort, la par dininures parfois retrouvait qu*on families nsfln.u inlsitrsat lsdovi. Ils dnouvait. les intdressait, les rien un sifflant. en un plaisir d ’eme. Le repas termini, ils s'aliangbrent ils termini, repas Le ’eme.d plaisir un que des troupeaux epuis^u et malades# epuis^u troupeaux des que ogaetalu asd iSee esltd, tisolitude, de et misSre de pays leur lours a songeaient avec sensuality, dsns ce bien-etre de fortune, et memo avec et memo fortune,de bien-etre ce dsns sensuality, avec la face.1 la sur les mein# 1*autre, de pres l*un heures, neuf jusqu'k pandu dans la cour les comues et les comportes, on les on comportes, les et comues les cour la dans pandu mares bleues. Trois fouloirs,.paroils fouloirs,.paroils Trois bleues. mares avait nettoyees & grande eau, qui soulllait le sable de sable le soulllait eau, qui grande & nettoyees avait re- on avalt Le matin, cuves. les et foudres lea aient homines velus, rotia par la canicule, un bonnet de coton de bonnet un homines canicule, la par rotia velus, large sol, leur le sur couches etalent antiques, geonts conduit penetrant dans la bouche dea cuves. Et des Et cuves. dea bouche la dans penetrant conduit olin elusjme us e ofln ’unolutto d soufflent en nues, jambes leurs de foulaient le raisin, le chantant on pressaient genou, du au~dessus dogatae ri asl runl e ue. Puis cuves. des nolr trou le dans se bruit ’orage, avec eau d ddgorgeait tel qu'une sale, vin le Et obstinee, ofuerrcatlsprl, es el ebi, re- de bois, pelle sa de parols, les raclait fouleur lo retroussees culottes lea nus, bras les oreilles, les sur jetait par brassies ou aveo la fourche les tas de grappea de tas les fourche la aveo ou brassies par jetait le gosier, 11 crachait souvent. Et lo parfum do la re- la do parfum lo Et souvent. crachait 11 gosier, le cent fois rSp^tries, la p&te jutmuoe oh, pour se nettoyer pour oh, jutmuoe p&te la rSp^tries, fois cent et les abeilles, eaplicsait la Grange.2 la eaplicsait abeilles, les et mouchee les attirait qui fumeuse fermentation une colte, e otgad agaetsn eie, ragaillardis lesiner, sens mangeaient montagnards Les l eadin *1 a la regardaient de Ils monotonie La *horizon. as malgrfi ils mangeaient Mais, do nature, n^lancolie leur e og alet, aced lentree,conten- l de gauche a bailments, longs Les but la poitrla»,«— ioutes avec leura cheveux k da autre, travereoient la la vollee travereoient autre, ’ d ombre..# bare et leur chemise bleue h des bi&res de desbi&res

-1SS-

There is a great deal of description of the work besides this al­ ready Mentioned, bat this much has given several phases of the "netier”# and must suffice* . .

Toward the end of the "vendanges", the snail, peasant land-o m e n , who up to tlxis time have hired themselves out, begin to liarvest their own crops—

Juaqu^ei# les petits vignerons so rcncontr&ient pen dans la canpagne. II ne comencent guBre quo fin eeptembre, pour bien laisser aurir le fruit, rachetant ainsi la quantite par la qualite. D*aillcurs, 1 ‘occa­ sion, en aofit, so presento do gagner un pou d*argent, •t la plupart ne ponsent a lour torro qu’apres avoir vendang^ ehos les riches*1

These last tro passages sum up the activity and the importance of this joyous seasons

• ••les vendanges sont ime saison cxcoptionnelle; e ’est une fete du pays...Les femmes les plus cossues vont^avec lours chapeaux de paille coupor dos raisins, se neler dans la cenpagne au peuple des doneatiques.

...en villo, on ne s ’occupait guere des boutiques. On ne songeait qu’d la terre, aux vendanges, k 1 ' A e m e l ciel bleu qui depuis deux mois sc deployait en un dais d»azur pour la benediction du pays. Dos chnrrettes, des chariots, des pressoirs par les rues. Des homes, des femes, qul s’embrassalent, riaient au travail, lee pled# nus, et les cuves odorantes fernentaient.* *5

Abruptly changing scene, we return to the mountains described by

Fabre. There, the raising of livestock is one of the few profitable

industries, end goats and sheep the only live-stock that can prosper—

1. Be&ume, G., on.cit.. pp. 11P.-113. t. Ibid., p. 155* 5. Ibid., p. 249. - 1 6 3 -

Notre controe rocallleuse est pen favorable aux prairies, et les boeufs, lec vacheo qui, on d ’autres endroits dos Cevennes ndridionaloc, d^courrent de gras paturages ou oe noyer jusqulau frnion ne pourraient vivre aux penchants gravcleux de I ’Esccndorgue, hericses de emigres frigoules, de touffes pousoi&reuses de lavande et de ronnrln. Aussi, sur nos cotenux polos, prenibreo marches dos monte Garrigues, rencontre-t-on sculement de longs troupeaux de chevres et do noutons. Nos sentiers rudes, onconbrbs de pierrailles arides, ou le genet epin- eux allune sea etolles d ‘or, oh les chataignier sauvage, cetto richesco intima du sol, jotte de temps ax autre dec flots de verdure pour falre nieux centir la desolation des steppes environnantec, nos sentiers, vdritables lits de torrents dessdehes, conviennent au nouton patient, sobre, infatlgnble, b la chevre surtout, bardie du jarret pour qui une folliole verte ee balancsnt a la pente des abtnos est uno prole facile, dont la dent cruelle attaint tout ce quo I ’oeil a guignoe1

One of the most colorful portrayals in the entiro group of novels

is that of the life and work of the "gardions de tauroaux" of Camargue.

Jean-Toussaint Samat has described in picturesque detail this phase of

the life of the Midi. As the groups of herders gather with their herds

to start out in their search for fresh pasture, they present an in­

teresting picture of types and faces—

La veille du depart, de terns lee coins de Provence et du Languedoc, vinrent les amis du pelot sur leurs petite chevaux de bouvine. y II y avait lb d*anciens gardians qui sletalent re­ tires du metier, male en gardaient toujours la passion... II y avait les amis du pelot, des gentilshomaes de vleille race provencale, qui debarquaient des breaks de- vant la cabtme, fraia et pomponnds. Ils dieparaissaient dsns la maison et en ressortaient, ayant panie les lourds pantalons de peau de taupe b la gardiane, revetu les chemises de couleurs vivos et coiffe dos grands feutros gris b larges bords...

1. Fabre. . Mon Oncie Cole'stln.'vol. 1. po. 125-26. -IfO*

II y £valt ceux du Languedoc# do graves protostants au teint hale, aux cheveux coupe's ras, a la face nale et bux traits accentuSs. Da tous, ils etalent les plus passionnes, ejoutant d leur enthousiasno la ponderatlon, la foi et la gravite de leur race austbre, Ils parlaient pen nals toujours a bon escient et dsns les coups dura des abrivades, on etait sur de voir leure grands chapeaux noirs au plus fort de la bousculade* On ne les voyait pas de tout 1 ’hiver, nais au jour dit, ils s’acheninaient de leurs nas lolntains du has Languedoc Ehodanien de Gallarguee, 4tAinarguea, de Mas- eilargues, d ’Uchaud, de Mesoargues, de Lunel et de Lunel- Vieil, de touts la riche region qui s’etend au bord du Vidoarle#.* Venaient bussi les jounes gene de (famille', fils dee maisons seigneuriales ou de la grande bourgeoisie du pays, qui etudiaient le droit ou falsaient de la banque a Mimes ot & Montpellier, ou cultivaient les lettres en Alx ou en Avignon* Ils chevauchaient par groupes ea riant et en ohentant. Leurs poneys de taureaux, achates, fort cher aux gardlans profeeaionnels, hennissaient en arrivant sur le paturage..* ■ tofin, il y avait le polot...c'etait lui le propriet- alre, et le soul maftre do cette troupe sombre de taureaux, de vaehes, et de veaux qu*on avait rassesables dans lo clos devent la cabane.** Sur le troussequin do ea selle, a^etal- ait sa coUronne contale, la meae qui marquait a la cuisse les taureaux ot les chevaux do la manade. 0 1 etait lui le maxtre de la *marque* A laquelle tous tenaient en honneur d’appartenir. Ses couleurs rouges et vorteo so trouvaient repetees partout, sur les saquetons, dans les cravates des cavaliers, dans les noeuds de rubens qui omaient les tetieros des ehevame*1.

Each year, the “gordians’1 are forced to migrate over all Camargue in order to obtain pasturage for their herds—

Du pays d1Arles a la mer, de Houries aux montagnes dos Geveimes, chaque et£, il condulonit ses boeufs sous le soleil terrible qui faisait funer lea croupes ruissol- antes de sueur, par toutes les fetes de la belle saloon. Uhiver, il le passait avec son farouche troupeau, ooit en pays Cailaren, soit, lorequ*!! n Ty avait plus rien

1. Smaat, J-T., Jj pp, 58-61, a manger, en Languedoc, dans Xes patis sans fin de la Cmaargue. , , Dans I’imense terre qul encercle leg deux bras du Rhone, dans cette plain© si monotone, pour ceux.que ne la voient qu'en passant, et, pourtant si differente d'ellc- nemo chaquo foie ou nous la contsnplons, lesjaanaties de tauroaux roulent lea vagues brunos de leurs echines. Des deux cotes, elle debordent. Passant le petit Rhone et le grand Rhone, elles e'en vont en pays de Grau, vers 1 ‘orient jusqu* aux Alpilles et aux collines qui d#- fendent I'etcng de Berre du mistral, dona lea constlores et dans les deserts de cailloux ronds. C'eat la que, jadis, lea goants revoltos contre le pouvoir de I ’Olynpe furont ecrases sous une pluio de piorres. Lea sabots des boeufs do combat foulent la formidable tombo. ,..Au couchant ce aont les vignobles et le pays de Languedoc, les jolia villages enfouis dans la verdure au bord do nombreux ruiseeaux oh il y a juste aasez d'eau pour abreuver lea chevaux qui los traversentt

Though to the outsider this life might seen one of romance and pleasure, Gamut shows that it has its unpleasant side as well*

...le pauvre ^ere, lui, tons lea jours, qu'il jslut ou qu'il ventat tres fort, etait dans la sanaouire a gender les boeufs. ." z Lorsquo le temps etnit beau, c*etait une tacho de­ licious e, male souvent la pluie ou le vent etaient si forts, qu’il fallait marcher h I'abri de aon chcval pour se protSger. Et vrainent, cea jours-la, le metier le gardian manquait de channe. Et encore pas tonjcurst Certain# jours, par grog temps do mistral, on trouvait un bon coin bien abritc, au pied d ’un t&naric ou'au rovers d'un levandon. Alors, on se couchalt, bien tasse contre I'abri pour quo le vent n ’eut pao de prise sur vous et on restait comma ca tout lo jour,2

Finally, he seems almost to regret the modernising influence of new customs, new inventions, and all the other things which have changed the old traditions of the gordians* life*

1. Samat, J.-T., op^it., pp.78-80. 8. Ibid., p. 46. *172--

On ne connaissalt pac encore les chars, cos grands wagons grotesques qui, traines par trols chevaux, s*en vtmi livrer les betes de combat a l 1entree du bouvau, comae l*on apporte les moutons h 1*abattoir. Du jour oh cos grandes boltes cur roues out ete en usage dans notro pays, c,est la moitie de la tradition qui a disparu. Les gardians ne so donnent plus do peino pour dresser lours chevaux et ne nont plus devenus autre chose que de sinples borgero, dent les moutons sont au peu plus gros que les autres. . r Lours chevaux, aussi, ont perdu de lours qualitea ave® des croisements qu’on exiges les officiero de la remonte dTArles afin de ’gagner do la taillo* et de faire dic- parsatre la robe blanche des Camargues purs. Maintencnt, on a des deni-snngs bais ou alezens dans nob maraisl On oublie qu'a1 terre de Camargue, il faut un cheval de Camargue et pas d’autrei Grosse tete, gros ventre, poll blanc, noa rose, le tout sur de petits sabots ronds ne necessitant pas de fers, font plus dans nos morals et par notro cousti&re que toue les fpr^s-du-sang* que l*on demands d nos eleveurs.1

Henri de Montherlant refers to the “gardians" of Camargue in his

Las Bestlairesi

Leo gardians de Camargue etaient groupes en m e con- frorie Aux Saintes-Maries-do-la-Mor, des jeux taurine avalent ete prSsiddb par Mgr. Riviere, pr'olat que son visage romaim rend digne de la pourpro remain0.2

Samat includes en interesting side-light— the arrival of the f l y ­ ing boats at Saintes-Maries end'the selling of the fish:

...Les bsrques venaient d ’arriver... Oh voyait, par-dessus la jetee, les hautes voiles blanches qui frissonnaient au vent, Iteoute larguee. Igo marchands de poissons, deja prevenus, orrivaient par la rue calladee et s,arreterent sur la petite place formes par le renfoncenent des naisons ott ils attendirent la peche pour 1*acheter. Au sonnet de la digue, au bout de la ranpo par la- quello on tire le bateau de sauvetege, un pecheur ap- parut. II portait une large corbeille sur la tete. A 12

1. Samat, J-T., op.cit.. pp. 75-74. 2. Montherlant, H«, Lea Beatlaires. p. 202. -175-

sa w e lec marchands, qul jusque-1^ s’etalent entretcnus cordlaleaent, se turent. IIs se regarddrent d ’un cell f severe et attcndlrent dans une attitude digne et reservcci folia la polsson. Le sutler va connsneer. II n*y a plus d1&el». Centres pecheurs portant deo corbollles plolnes a craquer surgirent derrlbre le premier et, tons, ils Tin- rent sur la petite place, les pantalons retrousses jus- qutanx genoux, les plods bus, le poing gauche sur la hanche, le droit m&intenant la corbeille en place pour qu*elle no vacillat pas. On 4 tm, ils poserent les eorbeilles sur le sol et attendlront sans soufflor mot. Les norchands firent un pas en avant, regardemat lea eorbeilles. Dix, douse, vlngt banasteo plolnes do maquereaux. Les prlx eoront has. Un des pecheurs avanca une corbeille, la vente allait comneno«r. ' Mvarol, qul achbte pour une nnicon do Paris et q u l expedie par le train, risque un prlx. II le fit sans parler, mals 11 porta les mains sur sa poitrino et ouvrit troia doigts a la main gauche, deux doigto a la main droite, cola veut dirot Trois sous les deux maquoreexau Les pecheurs ne bougerent pas. Accroupis derriero lours eorbeilles, ils gard&rent une rSaerw prudent*. Chinchilin, qul foumit 4 un narchand d ’Arles, se balan^ait d’un pied sur 1 ’autre en faisant cvec sea leVres et ses machoires des mouvemeats de mastication. II regardait Ftivarol du coin de l ,oeil puis les pechwrs, puis les poissone, enfin 11 fronts ses souroils, remonta son pan talon et les mains dans les entoumures de son gilet, ouvrit deux doigts de la main gauche et un seul de la droite; deux sous la pi4ce. Brefounie, le patron de la barque "la Samaritaine", avait devent Ini trois grosses banasteo: une de maquer- eeux, deux de ces petits requins qu'wt eppelle "les chats de nor." II avanga las poolers de naquero&ux, cola signifiait qu*il aoceptait les prlx. Les sutres pecheurs autour 4® Ini hausserent les epaules, maugresnt centre Brefounie qui gachait les prlx. -Coabiesi? fit Qiinchilin. -Septantel Ait Brefounie. ^ Le narchand. prit la corbeille du pecheur et la plaga derri&rs Ini* Le marche etait coneln* Les autres marchsnds, Rivarol, Bouasnqnet, Bouel- quouf repeterent le geste do Chinchilin. Les pecheurs rsaterent innoblies derriero lours marchandiees. Ils n faccoptaient pas. Ils sortirent lour blague tabac, roulerent des -174-

cigarettes dfun air detache, et attendlrent. ^Enfin Rivorol se di.clda, II rej eta son chapeau en airiere; cela voulait dire: Je prends tout! ot ouvrit coepletcnent an main gauche et deux doigts a la droite: elnf souq les. deux» Les pechours se regard^rent, attendlrent un instant, eep^rant que Bouelquouf allait dire trois sous la pidee, aais pas plus Ini que lea autres no boug&ront. Les pedwurs pousoerent alore lours paniers de Mquereaux en avantj le marche etait accepts* Puis Tint le tour des autres paniers contenant divers poiesons* Les enchhres nuottes recommencerent a nouveau. Tan tot un p&cheur presse dfon finir poussait son panler en event, tantot enpoignant la lourdo corbeille par les anses, 11 reeuait eon poiaaon afln do nontrer coraiont 11 etait beau. Les paniers de chats pessarent du cote den vrnidour@, h i fur et \ mesuro qu1ils avan§alent lours^paniers, les pechours y prenaient quelquespoissons abimes ou neurtrls et les nettaient de cote, c*6talt ceux quails coneervaient pour lour nourriture.^

In Les Courbegon. Fabre shows how inportant to the life of the poor peasants are the abundant chestnuts which grow wild in the Ceven- nes. In a description of the *sechoire* (the roasting ovms), which is too long to be included here, he tells of the custom of having some old man tell the marvellous legends of the country to the Interested and naive workers—

femdis que les horsnos treosent doc panniers, que les femmes tricotent dee filets pour les pecheurs de la rivi&re d,Orb, ou broient le chanvro a^grand renfort de batteases, qaelque vieillard, figure venerable perdue dans Is funee, racont® des Mstoires merveilleuses aux assistants 4hahis« Quelquefoic la saint© Vierge ou I'Empereur sont les sujets de ces cantos na'ifsj cals, le plus aouvent, les revenanta, les loups-garous, le Drac, defrayent ces rSeits pleins de poesie, de caractore.

1. Samat, J.-T., op.clt.. pp. 168-171. -ITt.

d’originclito. La vie se continue ainsi j usque vers la Noel. A cotte ^poque on £teint le feu; la fmetre du aechoir, au-dessous de la porte, s’ouvre, et les ch&taignes, dessecheos, mais encore envoloppees d*une gousse roussatre tr&o-aprc au gout, sont bnttuos dans dee sacs par quatre bras robustes eur de hautes picrres plattes ou exit des billots de ch'ene. Quand les chat- • aignes aortent du sac des batteuro, depouilleeo de tout# pelliculc, jaunes c o m e l*or et durcs connc le roc, ellos sont vendues, sous le non de chataignona, $ des charretiers voyageurs qui, tous les cns, font expr&e leur tournee dans les Cevenncs neridionales.^

1. Fabre, F.. Los Courbeson. p. 105. - 1 T O -

CQKCLUSIOH

BSjr its intimate description of a country and its people, the re­

gional novel, perhaps as much as any other form of literature, tends not only to promote culture, but also to bring about the understanding

which is so necessary for international sympathy#

This is certainly true of the novels reflecting Provence and Langue­

doc. For those novels, with their detailed and colorful portrayal of

the natural and social aspects of these too old provinces, are so in­

teresting that they at least arouse the reader*s curiosity to the point

where he will want to read further. Though the portrayal is not always

favorable to the subjects treated, the novelists have done the import­

ant thing of making the reader understand the background end all the

other factors which are responsible for the existing condition#.

The reflections found in the novels which make up this study have

revealed a great deal of Interesting and instructive material. They

show Provence to be a region with altitudes ranging from sea-level to

several thousand feet, and a correspondingly wide range of temperature—

those cities along the Mediterranean enjoying a climate apparently quite

like that of Florida or southern California, while the little wnmtaln

villages farther inland experience comparatively severe winters. The

picturesque ruins throughout the whole of the Midi, several of which

are described, are conclusive evidence of its turbulent, romantic past.

The significant role that Avignon has played in the history of the Catholic Church is clearly, if but incidentally, brought out. The people, with their imagination, volubility, enthusiasm, hospitality, and gaity, show the influence of Italy, an influence also quite marked in the Provencal language*

Languedoc, as reflected in the latter group of novels, presents striking contrasts to Provence* Except for comparatively small sec­ tions, the entire region is rugged and mountainous, with a consequent harshness of climate not so characteristic of Provence, Perhaps be­ cause of a more bitter struggle for existence, the peasant of Languedoc reveals a temperament very different from that of M s imaginative, light-hearted cousin across the Rhone. This difference in temperament is noticeable even in the sports of the two regions, one of which, how­ ever— the bullfight— amounts to a veritable institution for both*

Another thing apparently common to both provinces is revealed by Fabre, when he says* "Dans tout 1® Midi, la religion est un spectacle.n At

least two of the principal industries of Languedoc are describedi namely, the production of grapes and the raising of livestock, and

several others are mentioned. Finally, racial characteristics, the

customs and language of Languedoc are influenced by Spain rather than

by Italy.

Without these reflections, the novels would lose much of their

significance, interest, and individuality; largely because of them,

these novels dealing with Provence and Languedoc, and the regional

novel as a whole, constitute a very real and worthwhile contribution

to the literature not only of France, but of the entire world. - ir e -

BmicxBim

Hovels

Alcerd, Jeans Maurin dea Maures, The Century Co., Hew York, 1950v

L tXlluetre Haurin, Nelson, Editeurs, Paris.

Arena, Fault Au Bon Soleil. Qwrpentier, Editeurs, Paris, 1881.

Beaune, Georges* is V __ Fontomolng et Cio, Paris. Wouvelle iitioa. Couronni par 1'Acadeaie Franoaiae.)

Daudet, Alphonse* Henry, H. II. & Co., N.Y., 1926.

Tartnrin sur les Aloes. C. Marpmi et E. Flnmarion, Paris, 1086. '

Port-Tarascon. E. Flaanarion (Collection Quill s u m ), Paris.

Nona Eounestan. Nelson, Mitmsrs, Paris.

Le Habab, Qinn and Co., Boston, 1895.

Fubro, Ferdinands Les Courbeaon. Bibl. Ch&rpentier, Paris, 1898*

L^Abba Tigrane. Bibl. Charpentier, Paris, 1984.

tfon Onclo CA.estin. Bibli Charpentier, Paris, 1988.

Jaloux, Edmond*

*1# Q m t e dtIcarew, Revue dec Bous Mondes. tone SO, 4dse lirraison, haitifcne p^riodo. Nos. 21-24, 1955. 179-

lartet, Jean* La Partie de Boules, La Petite Illustration. L 1Illus­ tration, Paris, 23 mars a 13 avril, 1935,

Montherlant, Henry de* Leg Bestiaires, Editions Bernard Grasset, Paris, 1926,

Samat, Jean-foussaint* Les Editions de France, Paris, 1924.

Vaudoyer, Jcan-Louis* Librairie Plon., Paris, 1952.

Librairie Plon., Plon-Nourrit et Cie., Paris, 1925,

Reference Materiel

Albelat, Antoines Souvenirs de la Vie Lltteralre. Les Editions Q. Cree @t Cie., Paris, 1924,

Barracand, Leons •Georges Beaune”, Revue Politicue et Llttercire. vol. 17, eer. 4, 1902.

Clauzel, Raymonds •Georges Beaune”, Gi___ vol. 51, 1904. Administration, Paris.

Doueic, Bene* Portraits d'Scrivains. vols. 1 and 2. Librairie Acad^mique, Porrin et Cie., Paris, 1924.

Buhanel, Georges* Les Poetes et la Poesie, Mercure de France, Paris, 1912-14.

Enpaytaz, Frederic* Essal _sur Mpntlierlcnt. Editions le Rouge et 1® loir, Paris, 1928.

Fay, Elliot G.i Introduction to

France, Aaatole* La Vio Llttsrairo, vol. S, Cnlnann-Levy, Editears, Paris, 1907. - 180-

Irvin, Leon P.s Introduction to Tartarin de Terascon, Henry Holt & Co., 1926.

James, Henry* Partial Portraits, Macmillan & Co., London, 1911.

Laablin, Henris Preface to Essai sur Montherlant.

Laaande, Andres

Litteraire (Revue Bleue) et ne la Revue Scientifioue.

Lemaitre, Julest Les Contenroorains. vols. 2, 7, and 8. Soeiete Fran- gaise d ’lr.primcrie et de Librairio, Paris, 1918.

Martineau, Henri* •Jean-Louis Vaudover". La Minerve Francaise, Ier aodt, 1920, (vol. 6).

Xaurrae, Charles* Introduction to La Chevre d*0r, Librdrie Plan, Paris.

Pater, Walter* Essays fron the "Guardian”, Macmillan & Co., London, 1910.

Prcviel, Araands "On Marseillais Pessimists— Edmond Jaloux”, Du Roman- tismo tl la Pridro, Librairio Acaddedque. Perrin et Cie., Paris, 1927.

St&nsbury, Milton* French novelists of Today

Stevens, Winifreds French Novelists of Today, 2nd series, John Lane, tho Bodley Heed, London, 1915,

Wells, Benj* J.s Introduciitm to Le Hahab. Ginn and Co., Boston, 1695. Encyclopedias

The Americana. Americana Corp., Het? York and Chicago, 1918.

Encyclopedia Brittanica. Encyclopedia Brittcnica Co., London, 1929.

La Grande Ehcvclopedie. 8. Lamirault et Cie., Editeure, Paris.

Lq Bonveau Larouase Illustre. Lihrairie Larousso, Paris.

H e l e o n tB Encyclopedia. Thomas Nelson & Sons, Mew York, 1911.

Meg Interoatixmal. Dodd, Mead & Co., Mew York, 1905.

Miscellaneous

Out Etes-Youg?, C. Delegrayw, Paris, 1924*

Time. Time, Inc., Chicago, Jan. 27, 1956.

Iho^s Wio in Europe. European Publications LHd., 1* C.

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