New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-04-15
CHATEAUBRIAND.
A NEW BIOGRAPHY.


How much of Chateaubriand's work VIII live
Is as vet coniectural. SO far it has for the most
part survived many changes His present Dog
rapher is OF opinion that bis fame Will be perma-
nent, but there are elements In his writlnss "ic"
show that he for age. and not for oil UNIT
lie came at a critical juncturc representing onc
of the reactionary currents against the keNolu
ton His "Gerie du ChristianiSme' appeared
few days before the establishment OF inc Ooh-
cordat, at the most opportunc moment PoS9ipic
For nine wears religion had been oifclaIlN deau III
France The great churches of Paris hau pceh
closed, or degraded to proianc uses. curing 'hi'
dreadful period. when the earth seeilco pi"sS anu
the scavcns iron TO the oppressed and decimated
masses, the consultations of religion had Oeen IT,
fused them. They had been told that the Age Of
Peason had dawned and that freed from childlsh
superstition they were to enjoy peace. enllgh'ch-
ment unity. and happiness. Instead the gulilo'Nle
had been erected into the principal national ll''-
tuition: terror suspicion, tyranny, famine ana Wal
had been the gifts bestowed upon them ana 'hcr0
seemed no better prospect for the future
The reaction against the goddess Revolution was
well under way when the Concordat WIS WV
brated and Chatcaubriand's memorable "ork "p
nearcd In it he confessed that he III" "'o"
n sccptic-and indeed his first book. written Ill
London. where he was n fugitive from the gulllo-
lost nearly all his family and all his property by
.ho po,,o1rtion no had been reduced to the verge
~ starvation and his sufIerings had Drougho
hack his faith One can imagine how such
nosition must have appealed to the scores Oh
Thousands whose situation was his own' ana
espeeialiy how it must have appeared 10 INC
women. naturally dcvOut. who had been so Iol'S
deprived OF all the ministratlons OF Tic Nhu'o"
For such reasons tho book exercised very 2rea.
Influence. and Chateaubrand was the 1aNorie o.
the Church. to which lie had done signal serVlce'
Yet the Genie du Christiansme' was not even
then approved by the more earnest IehgIohiSls
Donald observed, for instance, mat whereas 'ii'
(yburch was a great King at the head of conquer
inc armies. Chateauhrand had represented IL as
. charming Queen surrounded by beautiful maid
ors Cbatcanbriand's own account of his CONVEX
sion. indeed, might well cause a doubt as to the
denth of the change that he had undergone.
have wcpt." he said therefore have believed
The logical sequence here is certainly not easy 10
discover The book, now viewed. Is chlehA
sentimental 1t deals scarcely at all with the
veritics of Christianity. hut dwells upon It's I'M
posing progress through the ages Qu'c pro"
ably thi, was the view most grateful 10 tm''
strange. disturbed era, which passed 50 readily
from the Fictitious simplicity of the Revolution
TO the oscntatious display of the Empire.
"Atala' and Rene" were works of IMAGINATION.
as far as possible from realism. and the theme OF
the latter was the exploitation OF a mofpl'
passion. the peculiar treatment OF when drought
undescrved reprOach upon the author, Tor people
would insist that he related his own experiences
in IT, Certainly Chatcaubrand was IN all hls
hooks but so. to some extent. is every author
t. does not appcar that during his short visit to
The United States he observed the country seri-
ously. All that he saw, at any rate. became
transformed and idealized while passing through
the alembic of his mind, and issued as an opulcnt'
ford. and no doubt often eloquent, prose poetry
As to his final work, the Memories doHuc-
Tonne" while it reveals the man more
intimately than anything else he wrote Is
so disfgured by passion and hate, and the desire
for vengeance upon his enemies that despite
his biographer's vigorous and skilful defence
We are inclined to think even Chateaubrionds
sincerest admirers would prefer that 1t had not
seen the light 1t was, in fact, never intended
for publication during his lifetime, but he had
sold it in consideration of a yearly pension of
90 600 francs, and he had received this annuity
so long that the owners of the manuscript had
become apprehensve rs 10 their profits Ire
work was thirty-ninc years in the hands OF the
author II is of course, fragmentary, full OF
changes in style and intellectual moods.
wonderful performance, let it he admitted but
not by any means pleasant study, and singular In
it's rancorous expression of the writer's dis
likes
With his political career, which cannot he To-
rarded as fortunate, il is unnecessary to deal
here His naughty and uncomprOmising spirit
could not stoop 10 curry favor with Napoleon,
and war between them followed. Chatcaubriand
afsailcd the Emperor with cnNenomcd bitterness
until as a matter of course, he was sienced ana
l,a t.,1l i-
revcnce in n pamphlet on Napoleon and the
Bourbons," which had great effect in paving
tbe way for the Restoration. The fallen Emperor
road if at Fontaincbeau and he not much
onpered AGAINST the author Chatcanbriand HAD
been consistently his enemy, and he expected
hostility from him But the BOTrbons failed to
reward the great writer who had done them such
service. and lie turned against them too, and his
last years were politically regarded, full OF as
agreements By this time, however, he had earned
n moderate fortune had built himself pleasant
house, had made many fricndships-'hc most
notable perhaps being that with Madame Recamier
and but for his troubled and uneasy spirit might
have been happy. lie died at ripe old age,
and left an influence which, according 10 NJ
Iescurc, has continued 70 the present day.
Yet II is not easy to accept this estimate.
Chatcaubriand was in most respects man OF his
rerod. and the period was fall Of artihcality.
Victor Hugo and Lamartine have avowcd their
obligations TO him: but then so has Beranger, and
certainly there is nothing in the lattcrs work to
suggest the least accord beween the two spirits
Tho author of "Atala" belonged to the school
of Bcrnardn de ST. Pierre. lie was holder and
had wider sweep than the latter; but lie was
often less natural 1t is difficult to perceive
that he opened ont any new idea of progress
though it may bc conceded that he put an end
10 the old schools of literature which had become
crys7lllized in Chinese artificasm Per
haps however, it is the peculiar Frcnchneos' O.
Chateaubrand which at once commends him TO
his own peopc and renders 1t less easy for