Description
Book SynopsisThis book focuses on Henry IV of France as he is presented in selected works by Voltaire, Alfred de Vigny, Alexandre Dumas père, and George Sand. The book depicts King Henry from his earliest years until his assassination, and shows how Henry was a dominant figure in life and an overwhelming figure as a memory in the minds of his descendants and his subjects. Special mention is made of the St. Bartholomew's Day's Massacre, the conquest of the throne, the Edict of Nantes, the religious conversions, and the ladies and multiple offspring of King Henry.
This book will be of interest to students of both nineteenth-century French literature and sixteenth-century French history courses, as a text or as a supplement.
Trade Review“Michael Paulson has presented here a wonderful study of the use of an historical figure in literature to convey various ideas regarding monarchy and social order. He presents the reader with a concise historical background on Henry IV and discusses the different forms of presence a character may take: actual, ghostly, memory, in absentia. In each situation, the character is present to one degree or another. It is fascinating to see how the chronology of the author can color the portrayal of a real person in a fictional piece. Although Henry IV is a sixteenth-seventeenth-century king, seen through the eyes of nineteenth-century authors, we get not only a new perspective on the king, but we also get a glimpse into the workings of the nineteenth-century mind.” —Lisa Blair, Durham Technical Community College
Table of ContentsForeword – Acknowledgements – Introduction and Historical Literature – I’m Henry IV, I Am: Henry IV: A Biographical Sketch – The Absent Henry in Early Modern French Literature – Henry IV in the Works of Alfred de Vigny – Henry IV in the Works of George Sand – Les Trois Mousquetaires: Henry IV’s Ghost – Vingt Ans Après: Henry Further Removed, But Not Forgotten – Le Vicomte de Bragelonne, Henry IV, and the End of the Musketeers – Voltaire’s La Henriade or the Rise of Henry IV – La Reine Margot and the Young Henry IV – Les Quarante- Cinq: Henry of Navarre on His Way to Becoming Henry IV – Henry IV, Kings, and Kingship – The Mistresses and Ladies of Henry IV – The Children of Henry IV – Chanson de la Chasse de Henry IV – Bibliography – Index.
