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| ATALA - BY CHATEAUBRIAND-that strange bundle of contradictions, who was always leading some forlorn hope, and always in opposition to the very parties which he had helped to put in power-visited America in 1791, and there, while roaming through the vast and primitive forests which have since given place to towns and cultivated fields, conceived the idea of his Indian story, " Atala." The work first appeared serially in the columns of the Mercure, in the year 1800; it was afterwards frequently reprinted, and now ranks as an acknow- ledged French classic. The author, in his Preface to the first separate edition of this tale, says:-", Atala' was written in the desert, beneath the huts of the savages. I do not know whether the public will like the story, which quits all beaten tracks, and represents a nature and manners altogether foreign to Europe. There is no adventure in 'Atala.' It is a sort of poem, half-descriptive, half-dramatic; it consists entirely in the portraiture of two lovers walking and talking together in the solitudes, and in the picture of the trials of love in the midst of the calm of the desert. I have endeavoured to give to this work the most antique forms: it is divided into Prologue, Recital, and Epilogue. The principal parts of the story have each a denomination, such as ' The Hunters,' 'The Labourers,' &c.; and it was thus that, in the early ages of Greece, the rhapsodists sang, under different titles, fragments of the 'Iliad' and of the 'Odyssey.'' Anything less "antique" in spirit and manner than Chateaubriand's Indian romance-anything more thoroughly French, rhetorical, and self-consciously would be difficult to. conceive. One great fault of the work is that it is a mere masquerade of fancy characters, the real nationality of whom is plainly visible through their thin disguise. Beneath the paint and feathers of the Red Indian, the sentimental Parisian is everywhere apparent. Of Chactas, the chief character in "Atala," Chateaubriand observes He is a savage more than half-civilised, since he knows not only the living but also the dead languages of Europe. He can therefore express himself in a mixed style, suitable to the line upon which he stands, between society and nature. This circumstance has given me some advantages, by permitting Chactas to speak as a savage in the description of manners, and as a European in the dramatic portions of the narrative. Without that, the work must have been abandoned : if I had always made use of the Indian style, 'Atala' would have been Hebrew for the reader." Chateaubriand seems here to betray a consciousness of the unreality of his work, and to venture on an excuse. The truth is, however, that your genuine Frenchman, though he may travel the whole circuit of the globe, never gets quit of France. |
DESCRIPTION: A Beautiful 1870 Wood Engraving after the painting of Gustave Doré. Paul Gustave Dore (1832-1883), famous French illustrator, engraver, painter, and sculptor. He is best known for his highly imaginative and dramatic illustrations. At first he did his own engraving on wood, but as his success grew, his later work was done in collaboration with numerous engravers. His lively illustrations for some 120 books, including Paradise Lost, the Divine Comedy (1861), Don Quixote (1862), the Bible (1866), Balzac's Droll Tales, the works of Rabelais, the Fables of La Fontaine, and other classics, are still admired. He particularly excelled in weird, fantastic scenes. Less popular today are his works in painting and sculpture. This quality engraving originates from an 1870 art publication with a collection of plates, giving some idea of the variety as well as the power of Doré's genius. |
| PUBLISHED DATE |
1870 LONDON, PARIS, NEW YORK |
| PUBLISHER |
CASSELL PETTER & GALPIN |
| ARTIST |
GUSTAVE DORE |
| ENGRAVERS |
Morel |
| OVERALL SIZE: approx |
10 1/4 INCHES x 14 1/4 INCHES |
| CONDITION |
Excellent condition. The image is clean, clear and sharp with beautiful depth and detail. Blank on Reverse side. On heavy stock. Includes the Descriptive Tissue.This beautiful rare item would look great matted and framed. An art supply store can provide you with a selection of frames for old art treasures. |
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