LITERATURE 



295 



standard work on jurisprudence. Beaumar- 

 chai> wrote the well-known " Barber of Seville," 

 and among the few lyric poets of the time Lebrun 

 and Chenier stand worthy of mention. Rouget 

 de Lisle, in the "Marseillaise," gave the finest 

 lyric known in the language. 



Chateaubriand fillet! many diplomatic places 

 under the Bourbon rule, but was not free from 

 exile, during which time he published his first 

 book (in 1797), the " Essay on Revolutions." He 

 found the subject for his "Atala" while among 

 the Indians in America. Madame de Stael spent 

 the years of the French Revolution in England 

 and Switzerland, and while there wrote essays, 

 dramas, and political pamphlets. She is best 

 known by her later romance, "Corinne," and her 

 " De L'Alle Mange." The last brought German 

 literature to the notice of French readers. 

 Beranger is named the first song-writer of France 

 and his songs and ballads are known in all 

 homes. These three writers seem to stand be- 

 tween the days of Voltaire and Rousseau and 

 the beginning of modern French literature. 



Volumes of ballads and romance in verse, 

 written by Victor Hugo and Alphonse de Lamar- 

 tine, belong to later poetry, and with these 

 authors Alfred de Musset claims place. Among 

 dramatists are Gozlan, Delavigne, and Sardou, 

 with others win > I >ear equally distinguished names. 



French historical and political writers influ- 

 ence the world, and of these the best known 

 may be Lamartine, Thiers, Michelet, Guizot, 

 and De Tocqueville Cousin and Comte have 

 offered new views in philosophy, and the name 

 Renan is known among all interested in theo- 

 logical questions. Many of these writers hold, 

 also, a place in oratory which has risen to a 

 high position in France. 



The influence of later French romance shows 

 in the modern literature of all countries, and 

 Balzac (died, 1850) has been considered one of 

 its pioneers. Eugene Sue delights in subjects 

 that call for exciting adventure, and his books, 

 "Wandering Jew" and "Mysteries of Paris," 

 have been much read. Alexander Dumas, well 

 known by his "Monte Christo" and almost 

 numberless semi-historical romances, was master 

 in his line, and Victor Hugo would stand as a 

 brilliant writer on the merits of his wonderful 

 "Les Miserables" alone. This and various 

 other of his romances have been translated and 

 widely read in different languages. Madame 

 Dudevant, known by her readers as George 

 Sand, was a strikingly original writer of 

 fiction, and her "Consuelo," "Indiana," and 

 "Andre" show a harmony of treatment and 

 simplicity of language that mark them as mas- 

 terpieces. 



ENGLISH LITERATI'RE 



