Wendy S Mercer
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263884
- eISBN:
- 9780191734830
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263884.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
This is the first critical biography of Xavier Marmier. The celebrity of Marmier was such that his death made headline news in most major newspapers in France. Marmier earned his reputation by being ...
More
This is the first critical biography of Xavier Marmier. The celebrity of Marmier was such that his death made headline news in most major newspapers in France. Marmier earned his reputation by being a traveller, travel writer, translator, literary critic, comparatist, journalist, novelist, poet, lecturer, linguist, ethnologist, social historian, and latterly as an outspoken member of the Académie Française. His work had a great deal of influence, both direct and indirect, on literary and intellectual developments in France, and also had a significant impact in a number of the countries he visited. Although his name still figures in studies of comparative literature or the history of travel writing, Marmier's innovations have gradually been eclipsed by his successors in various fields, resulting in the neglect of his overall achievements. Marmier's numerous and diverse achievements are assessed in their intellectual and historical context, and within the framework of his colourful and somewhat controversial private life. This book will be of interest to scholars and students of the history of nineteenth-century French literature and intellectual life, the history of literary criticism, travel writing, the introduction of foreign literature to France, and those with an interest in the intellectual, social, and cultural history of the regions Marmier visited.Less
This is the first critical biography of Xavier Marmier. The celebrity of Marmier was such that his death made headline news in most major newspapers in France. Marmier earned his reputation by being a traveller, travel writer, translator, literary critic, comparatist, journalist, novelist, poet, lecturer, linguist, ethnologist, social historian, and latterly as an outspoken member of the Académie Française. His work had a great deal of influence, both direct and indirect, on literary and intellectual developments in France, and also had a significant impact in a number of the countries he visited. Although his name still figures in studies of comparative literature or the history of travel writing, Marmier's innovations have gradually been eclipsed by his successors in various fields, resulting in the neglect of his overall achievements. Marmier's numerous and diverse achievements are assessed in their intellectual and historical context, and within the framework of his colourful and somewhat controversial private life. This book will be of interest to scholars and students of the history of nineteenth-century French literature and intellectual life, the history of literary criticism, travel writing, the introduction of foreign literature to France, and those with an interest in the intellectual, social, and cultural history of the regions Marmier visited.
Wendy S. Mercer
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263884
- eISBN:
- 9780191734830
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263884.003.0010
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
The first section of this chapter describes Xavier Marmier's marriage to Françoise Eugénie Pourchet. The civil ceremony took place in the town hall of Pontarlier on 8 May 1843. Unfortunately, the ...
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The first section of this chapter describes Xavier Marmier's marriage to Françoise Eugénie Pourchet. The civil ceremony took place in the town hall of Pontarlier on 8 May 1843. Unfortunately, the marriage ended in the tragic deaths of both mother and child, shortly after the birth on 17 April 1844 at their Paris home in the rue Saint–Thomas d'Aquin. The child died first during the labour. The second section describes Marmier's journey from the Rhine to the Nile. The third section describes his mission in Algeria. On 22 June 1846, Le Moniteur Universel announced that Marmier would be departing the following day for Port-Vendres, where he would meet up with the Ministre de l'Instruction publique, Salvandy, whom he was to accompany, with Salvandy's family, on a ministerial mission to Algeria.Less
The first section of this chapter describes Xavier Marmier's marriage to Françoise Eugénie Pourchet. The civil ceremony took place in the town hall of Pontarlier on 8 May 1843. Unfortunately, the marriage ended in the tragic deaths of both mother and child, shortly after the birth on 17 April 1844 at their Paris home in the rue Saint–Thomas d'Aquin. The child died first during the labour. The second section describes Marmier's journey from the Rhine to the Nile. The third section describes his mission in Algeria. On 22 June 1846, Le Moniteur Universel announced that Marmier would be departing the following day for Port-Vendres, where he would meet up with the Ministre de l'Instruction publique, Salvandy, whom he was to accompany, with Salvandy's family, on a ministerial mission to Algeria.
Wendy S. Mercer
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263884
- eISBN:
- 9780191734830
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263884.003.0012
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
If the years 1849–50 brought a degree of disappointment in the Americas in the wake of the French revolution of 1848, they also brought a new love into Marmier's life. The first section of this ...
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If the years 1849–50 brought a degree of disappointment in the Americas in the wake of the French revolution of 1848, they also brought a new love into Marmier's life. The first section of this chapter describes his journey from Paris to the Balkans, along with romantic encounters with Mme Panckoucke and Louise-Adelaïde Amélie Viéz-Lefebvre-Gineau (Ebba). Marmier completed his narrative with surveys of the topography, administration, judiciary, statistics, and ethnography of the Balkans, and with a description of the life and customs of the country, including sections on marriage, the position of women, and an analysis of the total annual transactions made by Montenegrins at the Cattaro market. The second section describes his journey to the Baltic. The last section cites Marmier's contributions as a novelist.Less
If the years 1849–50 brought a degree of disappointment in the Americas in the wake of the French revolution of 1848, they also brought a new love into Marmier's life. The first section of this chapter describes his journey from Paris to the Balkans, along with romantic encounters with Mme Panckoucke and Louise-Adelaïde Amélie Viéz-Lefebvre-Gineau (Ebba). Marmier completed his narrative with surveys of the topography, administration, judiciary, statistics, and ethnography of the Balkans, and with a description of the life and customs of the country, including sections on marriage, the position of women, and an analysis of the total annual transactions made by Montenegrins at the Cattaro market. The second section describes his journey to the Baltic. The last section cites Marmier's contributions as a novelist.
Wendy S. Mercer
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263884
- eISBN:
- 9780191734830
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263884.003.0013
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
The year 1870 proved momentous both in terms of French life and history and for Marmier personally. His joy at being elected to the Académie française was set against the grim backdrop of the ...
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The year 1870 proved momentous both in terms of French life and history and for Marmier personally. His joy at being elected to the Académie française was set against the grim backdrop of the Franco–Prussian War, the Siege of Paris, and the bloodbaths at the end of the Commune. Marmier suffered from pneumonia, which kept him in bed for two months. On 19 May, he was elected to fill the seat vacated by Pongerville in the Academy.Less
The year 1870 proved momentous both in terms of French life and history and for Marmier personally. His joy at being elected to the Académie française was set against the grim backdrop of the Franco–Prussian War, the Siege of Paris, and the bloodbaths at the end of the Commune. Marmier suffered from pneumonia, which kept him in bed for two months. On 19 May, he was elected to fill the seat vacated by Pongerville in the Academy.
Wendy S. Mercer
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263884
- eISBN:
- 9780191734830
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263884.003.0014
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
Marmier was now over 70 years old, and the coming decade saw him limiting his activities to the Parisian sphere. He had naturally experienced a decline in his physical vigour, although his mind ...
More
Marmier was now over 70 years old, and the coming decade saw him limiting his activities to the Parisian sphere. He had naturally experienced a decline in his physical vigour, although his mind remained active and his general state of health permitted him to pursue many of his former interests. Marmier maintained a steady flow of publications and settled into a new routine centred principally on his sessions at the Bibliothèque Sainte–Geneviève on Saturdays, and his Thursday meetings at the Académie française, which he attended assiduously right up to the end of his life. He died on 11 October 1892. Almost all the obituaries mentioned his travels, his role in introducing foreign literature to France, his membership of the Académie française, and his personal qualities.Less
Marmier was now over 70 years old, and the coming decade saw him limiting his activities to the Parisian sphere. He had naturally experienced a decline in his physical vigour, although his mind remained active and his general state of health permitted him to pursue many of his former interests. Marmier maintained a steady flow of publications and settled into a new routine centred principally on his sessions at the Bibliothèque Sainte–Geneviève on Saturdays, and his Thursday meetings at the Académie française, which he attended assiduously right up to the end of his life. He died on 11 October 1892. Almost all the obituaries mentioned his travels, his role in introducing foreign literature to France, his membership of the Académie française, and his personal qualities.
Wendy S. Mercer
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263884
- eISBN:
- 9780191734830
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263884.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
Xavier Marmier's vast output, the variety of his achievements, and his celebrity status made him an influential figure in nineteenth-century France. In retrospect, his greatest achievement was ...
More
Xavier Marmier's vast output, the variety of his achievements, and his celebrity status made him an influential figure in nineteenth-century France. In retrospect, his greatest achievement was probably as an initiator in bringing an awareness of foreign literatures and cultures to France; but his contribution is so vast that it is impossible to summarise it succinctly. Although he is now generally neglected, his name still occurs quite frequently, most often in studies of comparative literature analysing the introduction of a particular author or culture to France. Some of his travel narratives are slowly being recognised today as important social documents of the ways in which people lived in particular countries.Less
Xavier Marmier's vast output, the variety of his achievements, and his celebrity status made him an influential figure in nineteenth-century France. In retrospect, his greatest achievement was probably as an initiator in bringing an awareness of foreign literatures and cultures to France; but his contribution is so vast that it is impossible to summarise it succinctly. Although he is now generally neglected, his name still occurs quite frequently, most often in studies of comparative literature analysing the introduction of a particular author or culture to France. Some of his travel narratives are slowly being recognised today as important social documents of the ways in which people lived in particular countries.
Wendy S. Mercer
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263884
- eISBN:
- 9780191734830
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263884.003.0002
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
If the death of Jean–Marie Xavier Marmier in 1892 made headline news in the national press, the date and place of his birth were certainly not common knowledge, and have given rise to biographical ...
More
If the death of Jean–Marie Xavier Marmier in 1892 made headline news in the national press, the date and place of his birth were certainly not common knowledge, and have given rise to biographical errors. The second of six children, he was born to parents descended from long-established Franche-Comté families with strong Catholic and royalist sympathies. The Marmier family was one of the oldest families of Frasne (Haut–Doubs). On a more general level, a number of his reminiscences of Franche-Comté life in the early decades of the century help people to understand the unusual way in which he was later able to form relationships built on respect with others from all social classes.Less
If the death of Jean–Marie Xavier Marmier in 1892 made headline news in the national press, the date and place of his birth were certainly not common knowledge, and have given rise to biographical errors. The second of six children, he was born to parents descended from long-established Franche-Comté families with strong Catholic and royalist sympathies. The Marmier family was one of the oldest families of Frasne (Haut–Doubs). On a more general level, a number of his reminiscences of Franche-Comté life in the early decades of the century help people to understand the unusual way in which he was later able to form relationships built on respect with others from all social classes.
Wendy S. Mercer
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263884
- eISBN:
- 9780191734830
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263884.003.0003
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
Marmier spent some two years in the German-speaking world, with Leipzig as his base, returning only briefly to France in the intervening period. Immersing himself in the language and culture of these ...
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Marmier spent some two years in the German-speaking world, with Leipzig as his base, returning only briefly to France in the intervening period. Immersing himself in the language and culture of these countries, Marmier met a number of the great literary figures of the day including Tieck, Schwab, Uhland, the brothers Grimm, Chamisso, Holtei, and many others. The publications resulting from his work here established his reputation as an exceptional linguist, travel writer, literary critic, and translator. However, it was Marmier's work on Goethe which really sealed his reputation as a literary critic in France. In retrospect, this chapter argues that he must be viewed as the most influential figure in Franco-German literary relations of the era.Less
Marmier spent some two years in the German-speaking world, with Leipzig as his base, returning only briefly to France in the intervening period. Immersing himself in the language and culture of these countries, Marmier met a number of the great literary figures of the day including Tieck, Schwab, Uhland, the brothers Grimm, Chamisso, Holtei, and many others. The publications resulting from his work here established his reputation as an exceptional linguist, travel writer, literary critic, and translator. However, it was Marmier's work on Goethe which really sealed his reputation as a literary critic in France. In retrospect, this chapter argues that he must be viewed as the most influential figure in Franco-German literary relations of the era.
Wendy S. Mercer
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263884
- eISBN:
- 9780191734830
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263884.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
The year 1836 was an important year for Marmier, for it marked his first expedition with the Commission du Nord on board the corvette La Recherche to the Scandinavian countries. To his mind, his ...
More
The year 1836 was an important year for Marmier, for it marked his first expedition with the Commission du Nord on board the corvette La Recherche to the Scandinavian countries. To his mind, his mission was clear: he was to observe the current state of literature and learning in Iceland in order to compare the intellectual relationship between the ancient and the modern – the Iceland of the sagas and the Iceland of the nineteenth century. Marmier was greatly impressed by the hospitality he received everywhere in Iceland, although a major focus of his criticism is the Danish trade monopoly. On Saturday 28 January 1837, Marmier finished the last page of his book on Iceland. His Lettres sur l'Islande is an important historical document in many respects. The descriptions of Icelandic life are still of great interest today as a record of social conditions at the time.Less
The year 1836 was an important year for Marmier, for it marked his first expedition with the Commission du Nord on board the corvette La Recherche to the Scandinavian countries. To his mind, his mission was clear: he was to observe the current state of literature and learning in Iceland in order to compare the intellectual relationship between the ancient and the modern – the Iceland of the sagas and the Iceland of the nineteenth century. Marmier was greatly impressed by the hospitality he received everywhere in Iceland, although a major focus of his criticism is the Danish trade monopoly. On Saturday 28 January 1837, Marmier finished the last page of his book on Iceland. His Lettres sur l'Islande is an important historical document in many respects. The descriptions of Icelandic life are still of great interest today as a record of social conditions at the time.
Wendy S. Mercer
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263884
- eISBN:
- 9780191734830
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263884.003.0005
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
The year 1837 marked a new departure for Marmier to the Scandinavian countries: an extended journey over the next eighteen months took him to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Lapland. This visit ...
More
The year 1837 marked a new departure for Marmier to the Scandinavian countries: an extended journey over the next eighteen months took him to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Lapland. This visit brought him into contact with a number of important figures from all spheres of society, notably the literary and the political, but also the scientific, the artistic, and the world of learning. It resulted in an outstanding series of publications, marking Marmier as the most influential Franco-Scandinavian intermediary of the era. In addition to the above, this chapter describes the contents of the Histoire de la littérature scandinave, dealing much with Danish literature.Less
The year 1837 marked a new departure for Marmier to the Scandinavian countries: an extended journey over the next eighteen months took him to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Lapland. This visit brought him into contact with a number of important figures from all spheres of society, notably the literary and the political, but also the scientific, the artistic, and the world of learning. It resulted in an outstanding series of publications, marking Marmier as the most influential Franco-Scandinavian intermediary of the era. In addition to the above, this chapter describes the contents of the Histoire de la littérature scandinave, dealing much with Danish literature.
Wendy S. Mercer
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263884
- eISBN:
- 9780191734830
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263884.003.0006
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
Marmier's residence in Denmark from May to December 1837 was broken by a two-month visit to Sweden and Norway in June and July. In the course of this preliminary short stay, he made fleeting visits ...
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Marmier's residence in Denmark from May to December 1837 was broken by a two-month visit to Sweden and Norway in June and July. In the course of this preliminary short stay, he made fleeting visits to Lund, Växsjö, Uppsala, Stockholm, Dannemora, Falun, and Christiania. Marmier returned to Sweden early in January 1838, where he worked principally in Stockholm and Uppsala before travelling on to Trondheim via Christiania in May to join La Recherche for its next expedition. The first visit was spent predominantly in finding his feet and in establishing contacts, while the second involved more intensive study and consolidation. Marmier visited Sweden again briefly in 1839 on his return from Lapland, and again in 1842 on his way to Russia.Less
Marmier's residence in Denmark from May to December 1837 was broken by a two-month visit to Sweden and Norway in June and July. In the course of this preliminary short stay, he made fleeting visits to Lund, Växsjö, Uppsala, Stockholm, Dannemora, Falun, and Christiania. Marmier returned to Sweden early in January 1838, where he worked principally in Stockholm and Uppsala before travelling on to Trondheim via Christiania in May to join La Recherche for its next expedition. The first visit was spent predominantly in finding his feet and in establishing contacts, while the second involved more intensive study and consolidation. Marmier visited Sweden again briefly in 1839 on his return from Lapland, and again in 1842 on his way to Russia.
Wendy S. Mercer
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263884
- eISBN:
- 9780191734830
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263884.003.0007
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
The departure of Marmier and Gyldenstolpe from Stockholm to join La Recherche at Trondheim marked the beginning of the 1838 expedition of the Commission du Nord, and Marmier was appointed to write ...
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The departure of Marmier and Gyldenstolpe from Stockholm to join La Recherche at Trondheim marked the beginning of the 1838 expedition of the Commission du Nord, and Marmier was appointed to write the official report. This part of his journey is described in some detail in the Relation du voyage of the official publication, which is full of historical data about the sites described, details of local customs, folklore, climate, population, political organisation, public institutions, statistics, different modes of transport, local curiosities, monuments, and various other information. This chapter notes the apparent ease with which Marmier seems to make the transition from life in presumably fairly luxurious and sophisticated circles at court, or intellectual circles in Uppsala, to contact with some of the least privileged in that society. He seems to have made friends on his travels at all social levels; he recorded those contacts in his official reports.Less
The departure of Marmier and Gyldenstolpe from Stockholm to join La Recherche at Trondheim marked the beginning of the 1838 expedition of the Commission du Nord, and Marmier was appointed to write the official report. This part of his journey is described in some detail in the Relation du voyage of the official publication, which is full of historical data about the sites described, details of local customs, folklore, climate, population, political organisation, public institutions, statistics, different modes of transport, local curiosities, monuments, and various other information. This chapter notes the apparent ease with which Marmier seems to make the transition from life in presumably fairly luxurious and sophisticated circles at court, or intellectual circles in Uppsala, to contact with some of the least privileged in that society. He seems to have made friends on his travels at all social levels; he recorded those contacts in his official reports.