Durham E-Theses The ctional representation of the Napoleonic wars in selected nineteenth century authors Mayhew, Jerey How to cite: Mayhew, Jerey (1973) The ctional representation of the Napoleonic wars in selected nineteenth century authors, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/10206/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 THE FICTIONAL REPRESENTATION OE THE NAPOLEONIC WARS IN SELECTED NINETEENTH-CENTURY AUTHORS Thesis presented for the degree of M.A. in the University of Durham by Jeffrey Mayhev B.A. (Dunelm) August, _1.9_7.3___ _ The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. ABSTRACT OF THESIS THE FICTIONAL REPRESENTATION OF THE NAPOLEONIC WARS IN SELECTED JJTWTCTT^TJTH-CENTURY AUTHORS Presented for the degree of M.A. in the University of Durham by Jeffrey. Mavhew. B.A. (Dunelm). An introduction delineates the scope of the thesis and summarises its findings in a comparative survey of the texts utilised in the study. Five chapters cover five selected authors who are represented by one or two of their works. The first chapter considers Erckmann-Chatrian's Waterloo with particular attention to its form as a first person account and as a work specifically imbued with anti-war sen• timents. Firstly the political climate prior to the Waterloo campaigns as described in Waterloo is analysed and then the description of the actual campaigns. The second chapter traces the development of Stendhal's political ideas and of his attitude towards Napoleon, largely through his non-fictional writing. It then examines the Napoleonic legend, and the mal du si;ecle as portrayed in Le Rouge et le Noir and the Italian campaigns and Waterloo as described in La Chartreuse de Parme. Chapter three considers Balzac's political ideas and his attitude towards Napoleon and then presents an analysis of Le Colonel Chabert. including a close study of the battle of Eylau, and a survey of the Napoleonic element in Le Me^decin de canrpagne. The fourth chapter traces Hardy's interest in history and the genesis and development of the ideas which resulted in The Trunrpet- Ma.ior and The Dvhasts. The first is' considered in its en• tirety and the second for its presentation of the battle of Waterloo. Lastly chapter five examines Tolstoy's interest in the period and in particular his ideas on history as expressed in the Epilogue to War and Peace. An examination of Tolstoy's presentation of the battle of Borodino concludes the chapter. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I owe a debt of gratitude to my supervisor, Louis Allen, to my wife, and to my parents. CONTENTS Introduction ,i Notes to Introduction ix Chapter I 1 Erckmann-Chatrian, Waterloo Chapter II 54 Stendhal, Le Rouge et le Noir & La Chartreuse de Parme ' Notes to Chapter II 93 Chapter III 96 Balzac,' Le Colonel Chabert & Le MeMecin de campagne Notes to Chapter III 141 Chapter IV 144 Thomas Hardy, The Trumpet-Maior & The Dvnasts Notes to Chapter IV " " • ' 217 Chapter V 223 Tolstoy, "War and Peace Notes to Chapter V 293 Bibliography 298 i INTRODUCTION This study does not seek to prove or demonstrate any preconceptions, literary or historical, nor does it seek to examine in a general way the whole scope of the historical novel, a task which has been admirably undertaken, both on the widest front and, more specifically, for English (1 ) Literature. ' Here a particular area of history, that period, the Napoleonic Wars, which is arguably the most significant in the development of the historical novel, is considered through its presentation in various works of fiction throughout the nineteenth century. Thus we are not exclusively preoccupied with the historical novel as such; I the classical definition of the form would certainly exclude much of the fiction considered here. A central purpose is a close examination of the technique of battle description and this forms an important part of each chapter and concerns five of the eight works used. Closely allied to this is the discussion of the problem of presenting history in fiction and the degree of success achieved by the various authors. However it was isoon found to be of great interest and impor• tance to be able to ascertain, to some degree, the extent and nature of each author's interest in the Napoleonic period and the Wars and to see how this is reflected in their literary works. This occasioned consideration of the Wars as a whole and also required some mention of the Napoleonic legend. To this end Le Rouge et le Noir, Le MexLecin de campagne and The Trumpet-Ma .nor are included, which, whilst they do not contain any extensive battle description, they add a great deal to this more general consideration of each of the chosen authors. The final choice of works in this selective study places the emphasis on the importance of the period for France but includes the two other major protagonists, England and Russia. However a major consideration was the intrinsic merit of each work and its use within the context of the study rather than a deliberate selection from these three nationalities. An attempt to encompass to any greater extent the geographical area involved was abandoned by the exclusion of Galdos1 Trafalgar and Grabbe1s Napoleon oder die hundert Tage for reasons of length and, with the latter, to avoid using another work in translation. Although there is no one postu.Xation central to this study certain common factors necessarily emerge and are con• sidered both within the chapters and in this introduction which is largely a comparative summary of major aspects brought to light in the subsequent chapters. The basic, important elements in successful literary fiction are seen to be an awareness of the historical process, an ability to present convincingly a given period of history, and the ability to relate the given historical period both inwardly to the lives of those involved and outwardly to the broad pattern of history. The battle descriptions, whilst involving all these elements, show how a personalised account intensifies the description and provide' the major link between the works in their anti-war aspect. ' Erckmann-Chatrian demonstrate their historical sensi• tivity in a detailed, composite picture, albeit from a limited standpoint, of the political background, prior to the Hundred Days, to the resurgence of the Napoleonic Wars. The battles of the Waterloo campaigns are thoroughly and convincingly described and, if lacking in consummate artistry, the novel Waterloo provides an efficient picture of humble citizens caught up in great events of history. The essential interplay between the credible historical background and the lives of the fictional characters is adequately demonstrated and it does not seem to matter that world-historical figures are rarely and briefly glimpsed. In fact too great a depen• dence on the presence of such characters seems to damage the illusion of reality, as it does, for example in War and Peace. The Dynasts^which also extensively portrays world-historical characters, is in any case never entirely real, its presen• tation of the past remains for the most part artificial and wooden. Although some consciousness of world-historical figures is doubtless necessary to historical fiction this should only be in order to enhance the historical background by making it truly historical as opposed to a theatrical backdrop: When life is seen in the context of history we have a novel; when the novel's characters live in the same world with historical persons, we have a historical novel. (2) (3) As Lukacs points out,v ' the total absence of historical figures, to !>.be successful, entails the ability to vividly portray that period of time which the leading figures would otherwise represent and embody for posterity. Luka'cs refers specifically to Erckmann-Chatrian when he makes this comment. In Waterloo Erckmann-Chatrian appear fairly successful on this count showing that Avrom Fleishmani*>s foregoing comment over- stresses the importance of the presence of historical figures. The essential is the intensity of the historical nature of the account, the extent to which the characters are shown to be living at a particular period of time. Lukacs describes the ideal situation: Just as the 'world-historical individual' as a central character stands in the way of a concrete historical and human portrayal of actual popular movements, so, as a minor character, he assists the writer in conducting them to their concrete historical summits. (4) The more serious defect in Waterloo,vhich, as the one naturalist work, affects none of the other works in this study, is its limited viewpoint. The authors confine their attention to the people and include not only no world-his• torical figures but no characters outside this narrow, if potentially rich, field. Despite the fact that the major events of the world intensely affect the mass of the people, and this is particularly so during the Napoleonic Wars, some attention to what Lukacs terms 'above' and to 'external' history adds intelligibility and raisonod'gtre to the lives of those below: The mistrust for everything that happens 'above' becomes an abstract mistrust, it freezes in this abstraction and im• poverishes the historical reality depicted.