PAR
EDITED WITH NOTES AND VOCABULARY
BY
MURRAY PEABODY BRUSH, Ph.D.
While Professor of French, Johns Hopkins University
D. C. HEATH & CO., PUBLISHERS
BOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO
Copyright, 1903, By D. C. Heath & Co.
| Chapitres: III, III, IV, V, VI VOCABULARY NOTES |
Edmond-François-Valentin About, the author of the accompanying story,was born at Dieuze, in Lorraine, on February 14, 1828. He followed thecourse of the French schools and in time was graduated from the Écolenormale, whence his taste for classical studies led him to the Frenchschool at Athens. In 1853, About returned to Paris and began to writefor the newspapers, especially for the Moniteur, Figaro, and Soir,and shortly after, in 1855, he published La Grèce contemporaine, abright, though hardly just satire on the manners and customs of thepeople he had just left.
In the same year appeared About's first novel, Tolla, and althoughforced to withstand the accusation of plagiarism in this work, thefollowing decade was the most fruitful of our author's life, the periodin which he produced almost all of the novels and stories to which heowes his fame. The chief of these works are: Le Roi des Montagnes,1856; Les Mariages de Paris, 1856; Germaine, 1857; Trente etQuarante, 1858; L'Homme à l'Oreille cassé, 1861; Le Nez d'unNotaire, 1862; Le Cas de M. Guérin, 1862; and Madelon, 1863. LeRoman d'un brave Homme did not appear until 1880. During these yearsAbout also tried the dramatic field, but without success.
In the meantime the emperor, Napoleon the Third, had learned toappreciate this quick and ready pen and was beginning to make large useof it for political purposes. The resulting newspaper articles insupport of the government very soon made their author a favorite atcourt and he was, furthermore, liberally rewarded and encouraged in hiswork.
At this age About had no deep political sympathies, he supported theimperial policy because he was well paid for his writings, but in 1870the mismanagement of the Franco-Prussian war opened his eyes to theshortcomings and deficiencies of the Bonapartist government and hebecame an ardent Republican. He lost no time in giving up his literarywork that he might devote his whole energy to journalism in the endeavorto advance the cause of his party, and in company with Francisque Sarceyhe founded the republican journal, Le XIXe Siècle. Already underthe empire About had been a violent anti-clerical, having published asearly as 1859 La Question romaine, against Romish influence in France,and he now turned his particular attention to combatting the Church ofRome in its relation to the republican government.
In 1884, Edmond About was elected to the Academy, but before he could beformally installed death overtook him, on January 17, 1885.
The characteristics of About's literary style appear as clearly in