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Alfred De Vigny's Chatterton
English (translation)Original French
Paperback
First published February 12, 1835
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About the author
Alfred de Vigny
573 books41 followersAlfred Victor de Vigny (1797-1863) was born in Loches (a town to which he never returned) into an aristocratic family. His father was an aged veteran of the Seven Years' War who died before Vigny's 20th birthday; his mother, twenty years younger, was a strong-willed woman who was inspired by Rousseau and took responsibility herself for Vigny's early education.
As was the case for every noble family, the French Revolution diminished the family's circumstances considerably. After Napoléon's defeat at Waterloo, a Bourbon, Louis XVIII, the brother of Louis XVI, was restored to power. In 1814, Vigny enrolled in one of the privileged aristocratic companies of the Maison du Roi.
Always attracted to letters and versed in French history and in knowledge of the Bible, he began to write poetry. He published his first poem in 1820, published an ambitious narrative poem entitled Eloa in 1824 on the popular romantic theme of the redemption of Satan, and collected his recent works in January 1826 in Poèmes antiques et modernes. Three months later, he published a substantial historical novel, Cinq-Mars; with the success of these two volumes, Vigny seemed to be the rising star of the burgeoning Romantic movement, though this role would soon be usurped by one of Vigny's best friends, Victor Hugo. Prolonging successive leaves from the army, he settled in Paris with his young English bride, Lydia Bunbury, whom he married in Pau in 1825.
An English theater troupe visiting Paris in 1827 having revived French interest in Shakespeare, Vigny worked with Emile Deschamps on a translation of Romeo and Juliet (1827). Increasingly attracted to liberalism, he was more relieved than anguished at the overthrow of Charles X in the July Revolution of 1830. In 1831, he presented his first original play, La Maréchale d'Ancre, a historical drama recounting the events leading up to the reign of King Louis XIII. Frequenting the theater, he met the great actress Marie Dorval, his mistress until 1838. (Vigny's wife had become a near invalid and never learned to speak French fluently; they had no children, and Vigny was also disappointed when his father-in-law's remarriage deprived the couple of an anticipated inheritance.)
In 1835, he produced a drama titled Chatterton, based on the life of Thomas Chatterton, and in which Marie Dorval starred as Kitty Bell. Chatterton is considered to be one of the best of the French romantic dramas and is still performed regularly. The story of Chatterton had inspired one of the three episodes of Vigny's luminous philosophical novel Stello (1832), in which Vigny examines the relation of poetry to society and concludes that the poet, doomed to be regarded with suspicion in every social order, must remain somewhat aloof and apart from the social order. Servitude et grandeur militaires (1835) was a similar tripartite meditation on the condition of the soldier.
Although Alfred de Vigny gained success as a writer, his personal life was not happy. His marriage was a disappointment; his relationship with Marie Dorval was plagued by jealousy; and his literary talent was eclipsed by the achievements of others. He grew embittered. After the death of his mother in 1838 he inherited the property of Maine-Giraud, near Angoulême, where it was said that he had withdrawn to his 'ivory tower' (an expression Sainte-Beuve coined with reference to Vigny). There Vigny wrote some of his most famous poems, including La Mort du loup and La Maison du berger. (Proust regarded La Maison du berger as the greatest French poem of the 19th century.) In 1845, after several unsuccessful attempts to be elected, Vigny became a member of the Académie française.
In later years, Vigny ceased to publish. He continued to write, however, and his Journal is considered by modern scholars to be a great work in its own right. Vigny considered himself a thinker as well as a literary author; he was, for example, one of the first French writers to take a s
As was the case for every noble family, the French Revolution diminished the family's circumstances considerably. After Napoléon's defeat at Waterloo, a Bourbon, Louis XVIII, the brother of Louis XVI, was restored to power. In 1814, Vigny enrolled in one of the privileged aristocratic companies of the Maison du Roi.
Always attracted to letters and versed in French history and in knowledge of the Bible, he began to write poetry. He published his first poem in 1820, published an ambitious narrative poem entitled Eloa in 1824 on the popular romantic theme of the redemption of Satan, and collected his recent works in January 1826 in Poèmes antiques et modernes. Three months later, he published a substantial historical novel, Cinq-Mars; with the success of these two volumes, Vigny seemed to be the rising star of the burgeoning Romantic movement, though this role would soon be usurped by one of Vigny's best friends, Victor Hugo. Prolonging successive leaves from the army, he settled in Paris with his young English bride, Lydia Bunbury, whom he married in Pau in 1825.
An English theater troupe visiting Paris in 1827 having revived French interest in Shakespeare, Vigny worked with Emile Deschamps on a translation of Romeo and Juliet (1827). Increasingly attracted to liberalism, he was more relieved than anguished at the overthrow of Charles X in the July Revolution of 1830. In 1831, he presented his first original play, La Maréchale d'Ancre, a historical drama recounting the events leading up to the reign of King Louis XIII. Frequenting the theater, he met the great actress Marie Dorval, his mistress until 1838. (Vigny's wife had become a near invalid and never learned to speak French fluently; they had no children, and Vigny was also disappointed when his father-in-law's remarriage deprived the couple of an anticipated inheritance.)
In 1835, he produced a drama titled Chatterton, based on the life of Thomas Chatterton, and in which Marie Dorval starred as Kitty Bell. Chatterton is considered to be one of the best of the French romantic dramas and is still performed regularly. The story of Chatterton had inspired one of the three episodes of Vigny's luminous philosophical novel Stello (1832), in which Vigny examines the relation of poetry to society and concludes that the poet, doomed to be regarded with suspicion in every social order, must remain somewhat aloof and apart from the social order. Servitude et grandeur militaires (1835) was a similar tripartite meditation on the condition of the soldier.
Although Alfred de Vigny gained success as a writer, his personal life was not happy. His marriage was a disappointment; his relationship with Marie Dorval was plagued by jealousy; and his literary talent was eclipsed by the achievements of others. He grew embittered. After the death of his mother in 1838 he inherited the property of Maine-Giraud, near Angoulême, where it was said that he had withdrawn to his 'ivory tower' (an expression Sainte-Beuve coined with reference to Vigny). There Vigny wrote some of his most famous poems, including La Mort du loup and La Maison du berger. (Proust regarded La Maison du berger as the greatest French poem of the 19th century.) In 1845, after several unsuccessful attempts to be elected, Vigny became a member of the Académie française.
In later years, Vigny ceased to publish. He continued to write, however, and his Journal is considered by modern scholars to be a great work in its own right. Vigny considered himself a thinker as well as a literary author; he was, for example, one of the first French writers to take a s
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 27, 2021
"Padece de una enfermedad exclusivamente moral y casi incurable, a veces contagiosa: enfermedad terrible que se adueña sobre todo de almas jóvenes, ardientes y sin experiencia de la vida, dominadas por el amor a lo justo y a lo bello, y que vienen al mundo para encontrar en él, a cada paso, todas las iniquidades y toda la fealdad de una sociedad mal construida. Esa enfermedad es el odio a la vida y el amor a la muerte"
Yo no entiendo cómo puede haber gente que se queje de que la introducción sea más larga que la obra misma, este libro es un claro ejemplo y vaya que agradezco muchísimo la labor que ha tenido el editor para poder dar una multitud de datos que amenizan más la obra y nos explica muchos puntos claves.
Esta obra de Alfred de Vigny, romántico francés de la época de Hugo y Musset, nos retrata en 3 actos la vida melancólica y trágica del poeta inglés Thomas Chatterton, considerado uno de los prerrománticos ingleses, contemporáneo de Horace Walpole y que fue rescatado por los poetas ingleses posteriores como Keats o Lord Byron. Pasando en vida una situación penosa y siempre angustiado por el dinero.
Esta obra de teatro que, dicho sea de paso, necesitó la intervención del rey Luis Felipe para que sea aceptada por la Comédie Francaise Se aleja de la realidad histórica y confluye en esta por un lado a dos personajes que Vigny ya había esbozado en su obra "Stello" (una obra inclasificable formado por fragmentos de prosa que no guarda coherencia exacta y que fue publicada en "La Revue de Deux Mondes"): por un lado el poeta Chatterton y por otro Kitty Bell una joven repostera muy acomedida y virtuosa. Ésta por un lado fue alterada en mucho al esbozo que planteó Vigny en "Stello".
La obra empieza con el estado de pena que sume a Chatterton, quien vive en la casa de la pareja de esposos John Bell y Kitty Bell, ellos tienen así mismo unos hijos qu ese han encariñado con el joven poeta y que también como su madre sienten pena por él. De otro lado tenemos al Cuáquero, es un viejo creyente muy recto pero también irónico con los poderosos. Él se convierte en el consejero de todos y aunque se lleva mal con el dueño de la casa (debido a la hipocresía, avaricia y frialdad de éste) es aceptado en la casa siempre por su punto de vista sincero y lúcido.
"Los hombres con imaginación siempre están crucificados; el sarcasmo y la miseria son los clavos de su cruz"
Me sorprendió mucho que el interés amoroso de Chatterton por la joven sumisa y abnegada Kitty no se llegue a explotar del todo y el intercambio de palabras entre ellos es bastante flojo en cuanto a cuestiones de amor. Quizás más resalta la soledad, la sensación de incomprensión en el mundo de Chatterton, su práctico desinterés por la vida y por la ayuda de sus amigos quienes con sus rudos modales tratan de ayudarlo económicamente. Por otro lado Kitty siente desde luego una gran compasión pero también una gran culpa por los sentimientos que hay entre ambos.
Personalmente, creo que se nota en parte que la obra fue escrita rápida (se menciona en la introducción que el autor hubiera querido que sea de 5 actos) y para un beneficio exterior (ayudar a la actriz Marie Dorval que quedó sin obra). Eso no le quita que sea una interesante obra, que guarda relación con todo aquel movimiento romántico que despertó a Francia y que tendría a "Hernani" de Hugo en el mayor sopetón del teatro francés. Sin embargo no me llegó a encantar esta obra.
"Las pasiones de los poetas apenas existen. No se debe amar a esos individuos; francamente, ellos no aman a nadie: son todos unos egoístas. Su cerebro se nutre a expensas del corazón. No los leas jamás, no los veas; yo he sido el peor de todos ellos"
Yo no entiendo cómo puede haber gente que se queje de que la introducción sea más larga que la obra misma, este libro es un claro ejemplo y vaya que agradezco muchísimo la labor que ha tenido el editor para poder dar una multitud de datos que amenizan más la obra y nos explica muchos puntos claves.
Esta obra de Alfred de Vigny, romántico francés de la época de Hugo y Musset, nos retrata en 3 actos la vida melancólica y trágica del poeta inglés Thomas Chatterton, considerado uno de los prerrománticos ingleses, contemporáneo de Horace Walpole y que fue rescatado por los poetas ingleses posteriores como Keats o Lord Byron. Pasando en vida una situación penosa y siempre angustiado por el dinero.
Esta obra de teatro que, dicho sea de paso, necesitó la intervención del rey Luis Felipe para que sea aceptada por la Comédie Francaise Se aleja de la realidad histórica y confluye en esta por un lado a dos personajes que Vigny ya había esbozado en su obra "Stello" (una obra inclasificable formado por fragmentos de prosa que no guarda coherencia exacta y que fue publicada en "La Revue de Deux Mondes"): por un lado el poeta Chatterton y por otro Kitty Bell una joven repostera muy acomedida y virtuosa. Ésta por un lado fue alterada en mucho al esbozo que planteó Vigny en "Stello".
La obra empieza con el estado de pena que sume a Chatterton, quien vive en la casa de la pareja de esposos John Bell y Kitty Bell, ellos tienen así mismo unos hijos qu ese han encariñado con el joven poeta y que también como su madre sienten pena por él. De otro lado tenemos al Cuáquero, es un viejo creyente muy recto pero también irónico con los poderosos. Él se convierte en el consejero de todos y aunque se lleva mal con el dueño de la casa (debido a la hipocresía, avaricia y frialdad de éste) es aceptado en la casa siempre por su punto de vista sincero y lúcido.
"Los hombres con imaginación siempre están crucificados; el sarcasmo y la miseria son los clavos de su cruz"
Me sorprendió mucho que el interés amoroso de Chatterton por la joven sumisa y abnegada Kitty no se llegue a explotar del todo y el intercambio de palabras entre ellos es bastante flojo en cuanto a cuestiones de amor. Quizás más resalta la soledad, la sensación de incomprensión en el mundo de Chatterton, su práctico desinterés por la vida y por la ayuda de sus amigos quienes con sus rudos modales tratan de ayudarlo económicamente. Por otro lado Kitty siente desde luego una gran compasión pero también una gran culpa por los sentimientos que hay entre ambos.
Personalmente, creo que se nota en parte que la obra fue escrita rápida (se menciona en la introducción que el autor hubiera querido que sea de 5 actos) y para un beneficio exterior (ayudar a la actriz Marie Dorval que quedó sin obra). Eso no le quita que sea una interesante obra, que guarda relación con todo aquel movimiento romántico que despertó a Francia y que tendría a "Hernani" de Hugo en el mayor sopetón del teatro francés. Sin embargo no me llegó a encantar esta obra.
"Las pasiones de los poetas apenas existen. No se debe amar a esos individuos; francamente, ellos no aman a nadie: son todos unos egoístas. Su cerebro se nutre a expensas del corazón. No los leas jamás, no los veas; yo he sido el peor de todos ellos"
June 30, 2025
افسوس! پس دیگر نه میتوانم زنده بمانم نه بمیرم؟
June 21, 2021
"Il n'est plus temps, Kitty ; c'est un mort qui vous parle."
December 6, 2025
Des très beaux passages, mais un peu longuet et pas fan de la figure féminine idéale/Charité/mère...
September 14, 2017
I adored this play. I really felt a deep connection with Chatterton and the way he thinks and sees the world. I love the social commentary this book brings up. The Quaker was certainly the most spunky and admirable character I've read about in awhile. Super short, thus quick to read, and contains great messages and hardships about writing, love, family life, religion, and society.
May 1, 2022
weirdly anticlimactic
November 11, 2025
Cette pièce de théâtre nous présente l'opposition du businessman plein de succès sans foi ni loi, au poète maudit, plein d'humanité mais désavouée de la société. Cette pièce fait écho à une société de plus en plus violente qui voudrait écraser les libres d'esprit pour imposer une humanité cupide et sans coeur, sans fraternité, sans amour.
Miss Bell, qui ne se retrouve plus dans ce mari vénal, tobe petit à petit sous le charme du jeune poète. Mais la tragédie de Vigny nous présente une victoire du plus faible sur le plus fort.
Miss Bell, qui ne se retrouve plus dans ce mari vénal, tobe petit à petit sous le charme du jeune poète. Mais la tragédie de Vigny nous présente une victoire du plus faible sur le plus fort.
May 9, 2019
Absolutely amazing! If you want to learn more about the English poet Chatterton, this play is perfect! The begining part is also interesting if you want to read about Vigny's opinion on the Romantic poet and Romanticism in general!
March 1, 2009
should be called "two people die in a quaker's arms."
April 26, 2020
L'histoire tragique du pauvre Thomas Chatterton, parangon du poète maudit, incompris des profanes ; j'y vois en outre une critique d'un monde qui dénigre l'art, aussi bien le XVIIIe siècle de Chatterton, que celui durant lequel Vigny a écrit cette pièce. Un monde pauvre, sans couleur, sans saveur, où l'argent est roi. Qu'en est-il de notre époque ? Ce n'est pas très différent, je le crains...
December 15, 2021
Chatterton est l'histoire d'un jeune poète, qui ne cadre pas avec le monde. La société le rejette, et il meurt. Ce 'drame de la pensée' est intéressant, mais l'amour de Chatterton et [je ne dirai pas qui] apparaît comme un peu forcé et très antiféministe, que le rendre le drame un peu cringe.
August 31, 2021
يبدو أن إحدى سمات العبقرية الجنون، نص مسرحي رائع
January 17, 2022
Wait why is this so sad. Chatteron x Kitty forever.
January 21, 2025
RIP Chatterton you would’ve loved Franz Kafka
January 27, 2025
imagine struggling through this only for it to be mid
April 9, 2025
Je tremblais à la fin de ma lecture je pense pouvoir dire que ça m'a touché et que j'ai apprécié
August 31, 2025
so dramatic le Chatterton, une vrai diva
November 9, 2025
no story just vibes I fear
February 3, 2012
L'invention du poète maudit vient de Chatterton. Ce personnage tourmenté et malheureux, avec une âme romantique. Une assez bonne pièce qui décrit le tourment du poète. Toutefois, je trouve que le conflit intérieur de Chatterton serait peut-être mieux représenté dans un roman que sur la scène dans une pièce de théâtre.
Pas mal.
Pas mal.
January 21, 2011
Loved this play so much from when I first read it in French as an undergrad. Any writer or starving artist can relate to this one. I swear some day I'm going to translate it. French Romanticism at its best.
September 9, 2011
L'amour suffira-t-il à sauver du désespoir, un poète désargenté et déconsidéré ?
September 1, 2016
Une bonne pièce de théâtre que j'ai apprécié, l'histoire est assez entraînante, et courte ce qui lui évite de tomber dans l'ennui. La fin est bonne, j'ai aimé.
June 27, 2016
Read this book as part of a course with Patrick Thériault at the University of Toronto
November 16, 2025
I tried, but the plot didn't grab me.
April 10, 2017
De Vigny's best known play, this is based very loosely on the life of the minor English poet Thomas Chatterton, who committed suicide in 1770 at the age of seventeen. The thesis of the play is that (Romantic) poets are of great importance to the world and should be subsidized because their poetic talent makes it impossible for them to make a living at any other occupation. He also confuses the issue by combining it with a love story. The play was controversial at the time because of its apparent defense of suicide. While too declamatory for modern tastes, it is much more restrained than his contemporaries such as Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas, and concentrates on the psychology of the characters rather than on melodramatic events and spectacular effects. His satire of the industrialist husband is somewhat humorous, although vitiated by a few anti-Semitic lines (oddly, since Vigny's circle of friends at that time were mostly Jewish; but they were Christian converts, so perhaps he is only intending the religion and not the ethnic group.) The situation is not really self-consistent or convincing, but after all it is Romanticism and not Realism. This was the work that represented Vigny in the survey course I took in college, so it is a re-read after about 45 years. The edition I read was in the Classiques Larousse series, so it had all the notes and so forth that one expects from that series.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews