2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25
French poetry of the 19th century gave the world many talented authors. One of the brightest at that time was Gautier Theophile. A critic of the Romantic school who created dozens of poems and poems that are popular not only in France, but also abroad.
Personal life of the poet
Gauthier Theophile was born on August 31, 1811 in the town of Tarbes on the border with Spain. True, after a short time his family moved to the capital. Gauthier spent almost his entire life in Paris, retaining a longing for the southern climate, which left an imprint on both his temperament and creativity.
In the capital, Gauthier received an excellent education with a humanitarian bias. At first, he was zealously fond of painting, and quite early became a supporter of the romantic trend in art. He considered Victor Hugo his first teacher.
The young poet was well remembered by his contemporaries for his bright outfit. His invariable red vest and long flowing hair became the image for a romantic youth of that time.
First publications
My first compilationGauthier's poems Theophile released in 1830, when he was 19 years old. It was called simply - "Poems". Most of his most famous works belong to the same period (until 1836). These are the poem "Albertus", the novels "Young France", "Mademoiselle de Maupin", "Fortune", "Devil's Tear".
Moreover, if the early poem "Albertus" was written in the classical romantic style, then already in the novel "Young France" the creative individuality of the writer can be clearly seen. First of all, it is simplicity and poetry, which balance the excessive pretentiousness and harshness of the classic romantic style.
The pinnacle of poetic creativity
According to the general recognition of critics, Theophile Gauthier takes a well-deserved place in the pantheon of French poets. The works created by him are compared with precious stones, the poet could work on one poem for more than one month.
First of all, all this refers to the collection "Enamels and Cameos". Gauthier worked on it in the 50-70s of the XIX century. The author devoted every free minute to him almost throughout the last 20 years of his life. Without exception, all the works included in this collection are associated with personal memories and experiences. During Gauthier's life, Theophile released 6 editions of "Enamels and Cameos", each of which was supplemented with new works. If in 1852 it included 18 poems, then in the final version of 1872, which was published in a fewmonths before the death of the poet, there were already 47 lyrical miniatures.
Traveling Journalist
True, poetry could not fully contain Gauthier, so he was engaged in journalism. He treated this work without reverence, often calling it "the curse of his life."
In the magazine "Press" Girardin Gauthier until his death published dramatic feuilletons on the topic of the day. In addition, he wrote books on criticism and the history of literature. So, in the work "Grotesque" in 1844, Gauthier opened to a wide range of readers several poets of the 15th-16th centuries, who were unjustifiably forgotten. Among them are Villon and Cyrano de Bergerac.
At the same time, Gautier was an avid traveler. He visited almost all European countries, including Russia. Later, he dedicated the essays "Journey to Russia" in 1867 and "Treasures of Russian Art" in 1863 to the trip.
Théophile Gautier described his travel impressions in artistic essays. The biography of the author is well traced in them. These are "Journey to Spain", "Italy" and "East". They are distinguished by the accuracy of landscapes, rare for literature of this genre, and the poetic representation of the beauties of nature.
The most famous novel
Despite the strong poetry, most readers know the name Théophile Gauthier for another reason. "Captain Fracasse" is a historical adventure novel published for the first time in 1863. Subsequently it was transferred tomany languages of the world, including Russian, and twice - in 1895 and 1957.
The action takes place during the reign of Louis XIII in France. This is the beginning of the 17th century. The protagonist - a young Baron de Sigonyak - lives in a family estate in Gascony. This is a dilapidated castle, in which only one faithful servant remains with him.
Everything changes when a troupe of itinerant artists is allowed into the castle for the night. The young baron falls in love with the actress Isabella and follows the artists to Paris. On the way, one of the members of the troupe dies, and de Signonac decides on an act unprecedented for a man of his status at that time. To woo Isabella, he enters the stage and begins to play the role of Captain Fracasse. This is a classic character from the Italian commedia dell'arte. Type of adventurer-military.
Further events develop as in an exciting detective story. Isabella seeks to seduce the young Duke de Vallombreuse. Our baron challenges him to a duel, wins, but the duke does not leave his attempts. He organizes the abduction of Isabella from a Parisian hotel, and sends an assassin to de Signonac himself. However, the latter fails.
The ending is more like an Indian melodrama. Isabella languishes in the Duke's castle, who persistently offers her his love. However, at the last moment, thanks to the family ring, it turns out that Isabella and the duke are brother and sister.
The Duke and the Baron reconcile, de Signonac takes the beauty as his wife. At the end, he also discovers a family treasure in the old castle, hidden there by his ancestors.
Gaultier Heritage
Despite his love for poetry and creativity, Theophile Gautier could not devote enough time to them. He managed to create poems only in his free time, and he devoted the rest of his life to journalism and solving material problems. Because of this, many works were imbued with notes of sadness, it is often felt impossible to realize all the plans and ideas.
Théophile Gauthier died in 1872 in Neuilly near Paris. He was 61 years old.
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