Jean Charles Emmanuel Nodier (29 April 1780 – 27 January 1844) was a French author and librarian who introduced a younger generation of

Romanticists Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

to the ''conte fantastique'', gothic literature, and vampire tales. His dream related writings influenced the later works of Gérard de Nerval.

Early years

He was born at Besançon in France, near the border with Switzerland. His father, on the outbreak of the French Revolution, was appointed mayor of Besançon and consequently chief police magistrate, and seems to have become an instrument of the tyranny of the Jacobins without sharing their principles. But his son was for a time an ardent citizen, and is said to have been a

Jacobin Club , logo = JacobinVignette03.jpg , logo_size = 180px , logo_caption = Seal of the Jacobin Club (1792–1794) , motto = "Live free or die"(french: Vivre libre ou mourir) , successor = Pa ...

member at the age of twelve. In 1793 Charles saved the life of a lady guilty of sending money to an ''émigré'', declaring to his father that if she were condemned he would take his own life. He was sent to

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

, where he studied with

Eulogius Schneider Eulogius Schneider (baptized as: Johann Georg; October 20, 1756 – April 1, 1794) was a Franciscan friar, professor in Bonn and Dominican in Strasbourg. Life Johann Georg Schneider was born as the son of a wine grower and his wife in Wipfel ...

, the notorious Jacobin and public prosecutor of Alsace, but a good Greek scholar.

Activism and wanderings

During the

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, ...

his father put him under the care of

Justin Girod-Chantrans Justin Girod-Chantrans (26 September 1750, Besançon – 1 April 1841, Besançon) was a French naturalist known for his pioneering research in the field of phycology. Following studies with the Jesuits, he entered the ''Ecole du Génie mili ...

, with whom he studied English and German. His love of books began very early, and he combined with it a strong interest in nature, which Girod-Chantrans was able to foster. He became librarian in his native town, but his exertions in the cause of suspected persons brought him under suspicion. An inspection of his papers by the police, however, revealed nothing more dangerous than a dissertation on the antennae of insects.

Entomology Entomology () is the science, scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such ...

continued to be a favourite study with him, but he varied it with philology and pure literature and even political writing. For a skit on

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, in 1803, he was imprisoned for some months. He then left Paris, where he had gone after losing his position at Besançon, and for some years lived a very unsettled life at Besançon,

Dole Dole may refer to: Places * Dole, Ceredigion, Wales * Dole, Idrija, Slovenia * Dole, Jura, France ** Arrondissement of Dole * Dole (Kladanj), a village at the entity line of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina-Republika Srpska * Dole, Ljubuški, ...

, and in other places in the Jura. During these wanderings he wrote his novel, ''Le peintre de Salzbourg, journal des émotions d'un coeur souffrant, suivi des Meditations du cloître'' (1803). The hero, Charles, who is a variation of the Werther type, desires the restoration of the monasteries, to afford a refuge from the woes of the world. At Dole, on 31 August 1808, he married Désirée Charve. Nodier was working as a secretary to the elderly

Sir Herbert Croft, 5th Baronet Sir Herbert Croft, 5th Baronet (1 November 1751 – 26 April 1816), English author best known for his novel ''Love and Madness''. Life Croft was born at Dunster Park, Berkshire, son of the son of Herbert Croft and Elizabeth Young. He matriculat ...

and his platonic friend Lady Mary Hamilton. During this time he translated Hamilton's book ''Munster Village'' and helped her write ''La famille du duc de Popoli'' or ''The Duc de Popoli'' which was published in 1810. In December 1812 Nodier moved to Ljubljana, then the capital of the newly established French

Illyrian Provinces The Illyrian Provinces sl, Ilirske province hr, Ilirske provincije sr, Илирске провинције it, Province illirichegerman: Illyrische Provinzen, group=note were an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous province of France d ...

, and was in 1813 the last editor of a multilingual newspaper, the ''Official Telegraph of the Illyrian Provinces'' (''

Télégraphe officiel des Provinces Illyriennes The ''Télégraphe officiel des Provinces Illyriennes'' was a multilingual bi-weekly newspaper published in Laibach from 1810 to 1814, during the period of French rule in the region. History The ''Télégraphe officiel'' was founded in 1810 as p ...

'') published in French, German and Italian. It was there that Nodier composed, in 1812, the first draft of his novel ''Jean Sbogar''. The story about a love between a brigand and a daughter of a rich merchant was finally published in 1818. After the evacuation of French forces from the

Illyrian provinces The Illyrian Provinces sl, Ilirske province hr, Ilirske provincije sr, Илирске провинције it, Province illirichegerman: Illyrische Provinzen, group=note were an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous province of France d ...

in 1813 he returned to Paris, and the Restauration found him a royalist, though he retained something of republican sentiment. In 1824 he was appointed librarian of the Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, a position that he kept for the rest of his life. He was elected a member of the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

in 1833, also of the Société Entomologique de France when this was formed in 1832, and he was made a member of the Legion of Honour. He died, aged, 63, in Paris. The twenty years at the Arsenal were the most important and fruitful of Nodier's career. He had the advantage of a settled home in which to collect and study rare and unusual books; and he was able to establish a celebrated literary salon, known as Le

Cénacle Cénacle is the name given to a Parisian literary group of varying constituency that began about 1826 to gather around Charles Nodier. The group sought to revive in French literature the old monarchical spirit, the spirit of medieval mystery and ...

, rallying a knot of young literary men to romanticism (the so-called

of 1830), some of whom would achieve great renown themselves.

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

Alfred de Musset Alfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay (; 11 December 1810 – 2 May 1857) was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist.His names are often reversed "Louis Charles Alfred de Musset": see "(Louis Charles) Alfred de Musset" (bio), Biography.com, 2007 ...

and

Sainte-Beuve Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve (; 23 December 1804 – 13 October 1869) was a French literary critic. Early life He was born in Boulogne, educated there, and studied medicine at the Collège Charlemagne in Paris (1824–27). In 1828, he se ...

all acknowledged their obligations to him, and

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer ...

incorporated his recollections of Nodier into his novelette ''La Dame au Collier de Velours''. The group included Alphonse de Lamartine and Gérard de Nerval. Nodier was a passionate admirer of Goethe, Laurence Sterne and Shakespeare, and himself contributed to the literature that was one of the leading traits of the Romantic school.

Works

His best and most characteristic work, which is exquisite in its kind, consists partly of short tales of a more or less fantastic character, partly of nondescript articles, half bibliographic, half narrative, the nearest analogue to which in English is to be found in some of the papers of Thomas De Quincey. The best examples of the latter are to be found in the volume entitled ''Mélanges tirés d'une petite bibliothèque'', published in 1829 and afterwards continued. Of his tales the best are ''Infernaliana'' (1822); ''Smarra, ou les démons de la nuit'' (1821); ''

Trilby, ou le lutin d'Argail ''Trilby; or, The Fairy of Argyll'' (french: Trilby, ou le lutin d’Argail) is an 1822 literary fairy tale novella by French author Charles Nodier (1780–1844). In it, a Scottish household spirit falls in love with the married woman of the ho ...

'' (1822); ''Histoire du roi de Bohême et de ses sept châteaux'' (1830); ''La Fée aux miettes'' (1832); ''Inès de las Sierras'' (1837); ''Les quatre talismans et la légende de soeur Béatrix'' (1838),The source for the opera ''

Béatrice Béatrice is a French feminine given name. Notable people with the name include: * Béatrice Bonifassi (born c. 1971), French-born vocalist * Béatrice Dalle (born 1964), French actress * Béatrice de Camondo (1894–1944), French socialite and a H ...

'' by André Messager together with some fairy stories published in the year of his death, and ''Franciscus Columna'', which appeared after it. The ''Souvenirs de jeunesse'' (1832) are interesting but untrustworthy , and the ''Dictionnaire universel de la langue française'' (1823), which, in the days before Littré, was one of the most useful of its kind, is said to have been not wholly or mainly Nodier's . There was a so-called collection of ''Œuvres complêtes'' published in 12 vols. in 1832, but at that time much of the author's best work had not yet appeared, and it included but a part of what was previously published. Nodier found an indulgent biographer in Prosper Mérimée on the occasion of the younger man's admission to the academy. During the 1820s, after adapting Dr.

John William Polidori John William Polidori (7 September 1795 – 24 August 1821) was a British writer and physician. He is known for his associations with the Romantic movement and credited by some as the creator of the vampire genre of fantasy Fantasy is a ...

's short story " The Vampyre" successfully for the stage in France (''Le Vampire'', 1820), Nodier involved himself in the theatre for a few years. Among these works were ''Bertram ou le Pirate'' (1822), based on a play by

Charles Maturin Charles Robert Maturin, also known as C. R. Maturin (25 September 1780 – 30 October 1824), was an Irish Protestant clergyman (ordained in the Church of Ireland) and a writer of Gothic plays and novels.Chris Morgan, "Maturin, Charles R(obert). ...

in England (''Bertam, or The Castle of St. Aldobrand''), and ''Le Monstre et le Magicien'' (1826), which adapted an English play based on Mary Shelley's novel '' Frankenstein''. Nodier also translated and adapted an Italian play by Carmillo Frederici (''Le Delateur''-''The Informer'') in 1821. Despite the success of these works, he lost interest in the theatre, and by the late eighteen twenties devoted himself entirely to literature, mostly to the conte fantastique. An account of his share in the Romantic movement is to be found in Georg Brandes's ''Main Currents in Nineteenth Century Literature''. Nodier's ''Description raisonnée d'une jolie collection de livres'' (1844), which is a catalogue of the books in his library, contains a life by

Francis Wey Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places *Rural Mu ...

and a complete bibliography of his numerous works. See also Sainte-Beuve, ''Portraits littéraires'', vol. ii.; Prosper Mérimée, ''Portraits historiques et littéraires'' (1874); and A Estignard, ' (1876), containing his letters to his childhood friend and fellow enthusiast in literature, Charles Weiss. A collection of Nodier's dream writings (''De Quelques Phénomènes Du Sommeil'') was published by Le Castor Astral in 1996.

Musical adaptations of Nodier's ''Trilby''

Nodier's 1822 novella ''Trilby, ou le lutin d'Argail'', provided the inspiration for the ballet '' La Sylphide'', 1832, to a scenario devised by Adolphe Nourrit. In 1870, the novella was adapted for another ballet titled '' Trilby'' by the great choreographer

Marius Petipa Marius Ivanovich Petipa (russian: Мариус Иванович Петипа), born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa (11 March 1818), was a French ballet dancer, pedagogue and choreographer. Petipa is one of the most influential ballet masters an ...

, balletmaster of the

Tsar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East Slavs, East and South Slavs, South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''Caesar (title), caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" i ...

's Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg, Russia. The

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

of John Barnett's 1834 opera ''

The Mountain Sylph ''The Mountain Sylph'' is an opera in two acts by John Barnett to a libretto by Thomas James Thackeray, after '' Trilby, ou le lutin d'Argail'' by Charles Nodier. It was first produced in London at the Lyceum Theatre in 1834 with great success. ...

'' is also adapted from ''Trilby'', via the ballet ''La Sylphide''. Père-Lachaise - Division 49 - Nodier 01

Commemoration

There are streets in France named after Charles Nodier, located in Montmartre Paris, Pantin,

Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

and Besançon. The centre of French science and culture in Ljubljana, established in December 1966, was in 1983 named the Charles Nodier French Cultural Centre (now the Charles Nodier French Institute). It is housed on the left bank of the Ljubljanica, between the

Prešeren Square Prešeren Square ( sl, Prešernov trg) is the central square in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is part of the old town's pedestrian zone and a major meeting point where festivals (like the annual Ljubljana Dragon Carnival), concerts, sports ...

and the St. James' Bridge. From 1994 to 2008, the institute regularly published a bulletin titled ''Le Petit Nodier''. Since 1985, a bronze bust of Nodier stands at the court of its building, work of

Jakov Brdar Jakov Brdar (born 22 April 1949) is a Slovene sculptor of Bosnian descent. He is the author of many public statues and sculptures in Ljubljana. In 1998, he received the Prešeren Fund Award for the sculpture group ''Pridiga ptičem'' (Sermon t ...

, according to the plans by the architect

Marjan Ocvirk Marjan may refer to: Places * Marjan, Croatia, Croatia, a hill on the peninsula of the city of Split * Marjan, Albania, a village in the Gorë municipality, Korçë District, Albania * Marjan, Alborz, a village in Iran * Marjan, Fars, a village i ...

. It is a vivid portrait with a sharp look and some traces of the Secession style.

Selected works

Fiction and creative writings

* ''Stella, ou Les Proscrits'' (1802) – (''Stella or The Exiles'') – a juvenile novel which was subsequently abandoned by the author in his several collected works. * ''Le Dernier Chapitre de Mon Roman'' (1803) – (''The Last Chapter of My Novel'') – a short novel. * ''Le Peintre de Salzbourg, Journal des Émotions d'un Cœur Souffrant'' (1803) – (''The Painter of Salzbourg, Journal of a Suffering Heart'') – a novel. * ''Les Tristes, ou mélanges tirés des tablettes d'un suicidé'' (1806) – a collection of death-haunted romantic writings which includes Nodier's first conte fantastique, "Un Heure, ou la Vision"; and the poetic essay "Les Méditations du Cloître", which was inspired by Chateaubriand. * ''Le Chant des Morlaques'' (1814) – (''The Song of the

Morlachs Morlachs ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Morlaci, Морлаци or , ; it, Morlacchi; ro, Morlaci) has been an exonym used for a rural Christian community in Herzegovina, Lika and the Dalmatian Hinterland. The term was initially used for a bilingual Vlach p ...

'') – a short poetic essay that has been included in a collection of Nodier's dream writings. * ''Contes fantastiques'' (1814) – a fantasy short stories collection. * ''Jean Sbogar, Histoire d'un Bandit Illyrien Mysterious'' (1818) – a full-length novel. A gothic political romance mostly set in

Illyria In classical antiquity, Illyria (; grc, Ἰλλυρία, ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; la, Illyria, ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyr ...

. * ''Thérèse Aubert, Roman d'Amour Pendant les Guerres Vendéennes'' (1819) – a love story set in the wake of the French Revolution, it is in the form of a novella. * ''Le Vampire'' (1820) – (''The Vampire'') – an atmospheric full-length theatrical play, freely adapting the story of

. * ''Adèle'' (1820) – written in the form of letters, a love story of novella length. * ''Smarra, ou les Démons de la Nuit, conte fantastique'' (1821) – the author's most celebrated work, a remarkable novella, one of his dream writings, which features a vampire. The word "Smarra" was taken from the Dalmatian word for "Nightmare". * ''Trilby, ou le Lutin d'Argail, conte fantastique'' (1822) – one of Nodier's best known works, an atmospheric adult fairy tale of novella length set in a Scottish landscape. * ''Infernaliana'' (1822) – a book of little tales of ghosts and vampires, some of which were culled from earlier sources. * ''Le Songe d'Or, ou Arlequin et l'Avare, Pantomime Anglais en 11 Tablaux'' (1828) – a pantomime for the theatre which was subsequently adapted into a short story in 1832. * ''Mélanges tirés d'une petite bibliothèque'' (Paris: Crapelet, 1829) * ''Histoire du Roi de Bohême et de ses Sept Châteaux'' (1830) – an experimental full-length novel. * ''De Quelques Phénomènes du Sommeil'' (1831) – (''Of Some Phenomena of Sleep'') – a short journalist piece, one of Nodier's dream writings, also published under the title ''Le Pays des Rêves''. * ''M. de la Mettrie, ou les Superstitions'' (1831) – a short story which has been included in a collection of Nodier's dream writings. * ''Souvenirs de Jeunesse'' (1832) – (''Souvenirs of Youth'') – a collection of novellas comprising "Séraphine", "Clémentine", "Amélie", and "Lucréce et Jeannette". Subsequent editions included "Thérèse". Dedicated to Alphonse de Lamartine. * ''La Fée aux Miettes, conte fantastique'' (1832) – (''The Crumb Fairy'') – a full-length novel. A satirical adult fairy tale set in Scotland, it is one Nodier's most celebrated works. * ''Mademoiselle de Marsan, conte fantastique'' (1832) – a gothic short novel. * ''Jean-François les Bas-Bleus'' (1832) – a short story. * ''Le Dessin de Piranèse'' (1833) – a descriptive essay that develops into one of Nodier's dream writings. A shorter version was published as ''Piranèse'' in 1836. * ''Hurlubleu'' (1833) – a novella. * ''La Combe de l'Homme Mort'' (1833) – a short weird horror story. * ''Trésors des Fèves et Fleurs des Pois'' (1833) – a short story. * ''M.

Cazotte Jacques Cazotte (; 17 October 1719 – 25 September 1792) was a French author. Life Born in Dijon, he was educated by the Jesuits. Cazotte then worked for the French Ministry of the Marine and at the age of 27 he obtained a public office at Ma ...

'' (1834) – a short story. * ''Des Hallucinations et des Songes en Matière Criminal'' (1835) – an essay which has been included in a collection of the author's dream writings. * ''Paul ou le Resemblance'' (1836) – a short story. * ''Inès de Las Sierras'' (1837) – a gothic novella set in a nocturnal storm.

complained to the author about the rationalization of this story in an addendum at its end, and Nodier conceded the point. This is recorded in Dumas' novella ''La Femme au Collier de Velours'', which begins with a personal portrait and some reminiscences of Nodier and the Cėnacle. * ''Les Quatre Talismans, et La Légende de Sœur Beatrix'' (1838) – two 'contes fantastiques,' a short novel and a short novella, the latter composed of Christian imagery. * ''La Neuvaine de la Chandeleur, et Lydie'' (1839) – a novella and a short story. * ''Franciscus Columna'' (1844) – a novella.

Some non-fiction works

* ''Dissertation sur l'Usage des Antennes dans les Insectes'' (1798) – (''A Dissertation on the Use of Antennae in Insects''). * ''Pensées de Shakespeare Extraites de ses Ouvrages'' (1800) – (''Thoughts of Shakespeare Taken from his Works'') – a short essay. * ''Bibliographie Entomologique'' (1801) – (''Entomological Bibliography''). * ''Dictionnaire Raisonné des Onomatopées Françaises'' (1808) – (''Reasoned Dictionary of French Onomatopoeia'') – a dictionary of words derived from the sound associated with the subject (e.g. Cuckoo). A high point of the author's early years which was somewhat expanded in a new edition of the book in 1828. * ''Questions de Littérature Légale'' (1812) * ''Histoire des sociétés secrètes de l'armée : et des conspirations militaires qui ont eu pour objet la déstruction du gouvernement de Bonaparte.'' Paris : Gide fils, 1815. (Eds.) Nodier, Bazin, Didier, Lemare, Lombard; English trans. (2008) Cornerstone Book Publishers. * ''Promenade de Dieppe aux Montagnes de l'Écosse'' (1821) – a book describing Nodier's travels through Britain including Scotland. His experience of the Scottish landscape inspired two of his best known works: ''Trilby'' and ''La Fée aux Miettes'', which were set in Scotland. * ''Essai sur le Gaz Hydrogène et les Divers Modes d'Éclairage Artificiel'' (1823) – (''An Essay on Hydrogen Gas and the Various Methods of Artificial Lighting''). * ''Dictionnaire Universal de la Langue Française'' (1823) – (''Universal Dictionary of the French Language''). * ''Mélanges Tirés d'une Petite Bibliothèque'' (1829) * ''Du Fantastique en Littérature'' (1830) – a full-length study of the weird or fantastic in literature. * ''Bibliographie des Fous: De Quelques Livres Excentriques'' (1835) – (''Bibliography of the Mad: Of Some Eccentric Books''). * ''La Seine et ses Bords'' (1836–1837) – (''The Seine and its banks'') – a full-length description of the river and the geography of its banks. Illustrated by Marville and Foussereau. * ''Description Raisonnée d'une Jolie Collection de Livres'' (1844) – (''Reasoned Description of a Beautiful Collection of Books'').

A contested novel

* ''Lord Ruthwen, ou Les Vampires'' (1820) – a rambling vampire novel based on earlier sources, a description of which is given at the end of the book. The overall theme is in the form of a sequel to Dr.

's short story " The Vampyre", and the material suggests that it may originally have been intended as a play. The title page of the first edition attributed publishing to the author of ''Jean Sbogar'' and authorship to the pseudonym "C. B.", causing historians to speculate that the book was written by a contemporary vaudeville manager named Cyprien Bérard, with whom Nodier was associated. The sources for the stories suggest the knowledge of a librarian and a bibliophile, and the novel misspells the name Ruthven as occurred in the text of ''Promenade de Dieppe aux Montagnes de l'Écosse''. There are features of Nodier's ''Jean Sbogar'' and ''Les Tristes'' in the novel, but the writing is hurried and lacks the quality of Nodier's other fictional works.

References

External links

''Cahiers d'Études Nodiéristes''
scholarly journal devoted to Nodier studies (in French).
"Jean Sbogar, Volume One" (in French)

"Jean Sbogar, Volume Two" (in French)
* *

*

*

* * * * ttps://archive.org/details/promenadefromdi01nodigoog "Promenade from Dieppe to the Mountains of Scotland" (In English)
"Promenade de Dieppe aux Montaignes de l'Ecosse" (In French)

"Dictionnaire Raisoné des Onomatopées Françaises" (Second edition of 1828, in French)

"La Fée aux Miettes" (In French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nodier, Charles 1780 births 1844 deaths 18th-century French writers 18th-century French male writers 19th-century French novelists 19th-century French poets 19th-century French short story writers 19th-century French male writers Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery French lexicographers French fantasy writers French monarchists French librarians French entomologists Members of the Académie Française Writers from Besançon French male novelists French male short story writers Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur French male non-fiction writers 19th-century lexicographers French bibliophiles