Author(s)

Bibliographic Information

Adolphe

Benjamin Constant ; translated by Margaret Mauldon ; edited with an introduction and notes by Patrick Coleman

(Oxford world's classics)

Oxford University Press, c2001

Available at  / 4 libraries

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Note

Translated from the French

Includes bibliographical references (p. [xxx]-xxxi)

Description and Table of Contents

Description

'The great question in life is the suffering we cause, and the most ingenious metaphysics do not justify the man who has broken the heart that loved him.' Enjoying all the advantages of noble birth and intellectual ability, but haunted by a sense of the meaninglessness of life, Adolphe seeks distraction in the pursuit of the beautiful, but older and more vulnerable Ellenore. Unaware of the danger 'of appropriating the language of love, and of fostering in yourself or others emotions of the heart that are transitory', Adolphe unexpectedly falls in love, only to chafe under the burden of an illicit relationship that blocks his public career. Unable to commit himself fully to Ellenore, and yet unwilling to face the pain he would cause by leaving her, Adolphe finds himself caught up in a situation that cannot be remedied, and is resolved only with disastrous results. Written in a lucidly analytic yet discreetly emotional style, Adolphe (1816) distills the lessons of Constant's own experiences in love, but it also reflects his anxieties about the prospects for any kind of authentic commitment, political or religious as well as emotional, in a disenchanted world.

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Details

  • NCID
    BA58222715
  • ISBN
    • 9780199554089
  • Country Code
    uk
  • Title Language Code
    eng
  • Text Language Code
    eng
  • Original Language Code
    fre
  • Place of Publication
    Oxford
  • Pages/Volumes
    xxxiv, 86 p.
  • Size
    20 cm
  • Classification
  • Parent Bibliography ID
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