''Mouchette'' () is a 1937 novel by the French writer

Georges Bernanos Louis Émile Clément Georges Bernanos (; 20 February 1888 – 5 July 1948) was a French author, and a soldier in World War I. A Catholic with monarchist leanings, he was critical of elitist thought and was opposed to what he identified as defea ...

. It tells the story of a 14-year-old peasant girl who is raped and has a number of humiliating encounters. The novel's theme of misery was inspired by Bernanos' experiences from the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

. The book was published in English in 1966, translated by J.C. Whitehouse.

Reception

Harry T. Moore wrote in ''The Saturday Review'' in 1966: "Somewhat less rhetorical than his other work, it is more generally poetic in style, at least in this translation by J.C. Whitehouse. But even here Bernanos indulges his habit of interrupting the narrative to make comments...''Mouchette'' nevertheless comes through as a strong novel, which above all shows that evil is the absence of good (or God)."

Adaptation

The novel was the basis for

Robert Bresson Robert Bresson (; 25 September 1901 – 18 December 1999) was a French film director. Known for his ascetic approach, Bresson contributed notably to the art of cinema; his non-professional actors, Ellipsis (narrative device), ellipses, and s ...

's 1967 film ''

Mouchette ''Mouchette'' () is a 1967 French film directed by Robert Bresson, starring Nadine Nortier and Jean-Claude Guilbert. It is based on the novel of the same name by Georges Bernanos. Bresson explained his choice of the novel saying, "I found neither ...

''.

References

{{Georges Bernanos 1937 French novels French novels adapted into films French-language novels Novels by Georges Bernanos Plon (publisher) books