François-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand (September 4, 1768 – July 4, 1848) was a French writer, politician, diplomat, and historian who had a major influence on French literature in the 19th century. He came from an old aristocratic family in Brittany and supported the monarchy as a political belief. He worked as the French foreign minister from 1822 to 1824 and served as an ambassador to Sweden, Prussia, the United Kingdom, and the Papal States.

During a time when many intellectuals criticized the Church, Chateaubriand wrote Génie du christianisme (The Genius of Christianity) to support the Catholic faith. His works include his autobiography Mémoires d'Outre-Tombe (Memoirs from Beyond the Grave), which was published after his death between 1849 and 1850. This book is now considered one of the most important works in French literature. In 1811, he became a member of the Académie Française, a French literary society. Historian Peter Gay noted that Chateaubriand believed he was the greatest lover, writer, and philosopher of his time. Gay also said that Chateaubriand had a major influence on French literature during the first half of the 19th century.

Biography

François-René de Chateaubriand was born on September 4, 1768, in Saint-Malo, France. He was the tenth child in his family and grew up at his family’s castle, the château de Combourg, in Brittany. His father, René de Chateaubriand, was a sea captain who later became a ship owner and a trader of enslaved people. His mother’s name was Apolline de Bedée. Chateaubriand’s father was a quiet and serious man, and the young boy often felt lonely. He spent time walking in the countryside and had a close relationship with his sister, Lucile. At one point, he tried to take his own life with a hunting rifle, but the gun did not fire.

In 1788, Arthur Young, an English writer and traveler, visited Combourg and described the château de Combourg as “romantic.”

Chateaubriand was educated in Dol, Rennes, and Dinan. He was unsure whether he wanted to be a naval officer or a priest, but at age 17, he chose a military career and became a second lieutenant in the French Army stationed at Navarre. Within two years, he was promoted to captain. In 1788, he traveled to Paris and met important writers of the time, including Jean-François de La Harpe and André Chénier. When the French Revolution began, Chateaubriand was at first supportive of its goals. However, as the revolution became more violent, he decided to leave Europe in 1791. He was encouraged to travel to North America by Guillaume-Chrétien de Lamoignon de Malesherbes, who also suggested he study plants.

In his book Voyage en Amérique (1826), Chateaubriand wrote that he arrived in Philadelphia on July 10, 1791. He visited New York, Boston, and Lexington before traveling by boat on the Hudson River to Albany. He then followed the Mohawk Trail to Niagara Falls, where he broke his arm and spent a month with a Native American tribe. He described Native American customs, as well as observations about animals, politics, and the economy. He later traveled along the Ohio River, the Mississippi River, Louisiana, and Florida before returning to Philadelphia, where he boarded the ship Molly to return to France.

This experience inspired his novels Les Natchez (written between 1793 and 1799 but published in 1826), Atala (1801), and René (1802). His vivid descriptions of nature in the American South were new for his time and helped start the Romantic movement in France. Some scholars have questioned whether he met George Washington or lived with Native Americans, and they doubt parts of his travel stories, including his journey through the Mississippi Valley, Louisiana, and Florida.

Chateaubriand returned to France in 1792 and joined Royalist forces in Koblenz under Louis Joseph de Bourbon, Prince of Condé. His family pressured him to marry Céleste Buisson de la Vigne, a woman from Saint-Malo, whom he had never met before. He was unfaithful to her and had many love affairs. His military career ended when he was wounded during the Siege of Thionville, a battle between Royalist troops and the French Revolutionary Army. He was taken to Jersey and exiled to England, leaving his wife behind.

During his exile in London, Chateaubriand struggled financially but taught French and did translation work. He also taught in Beccles, Suffolk, where he fell in love with Charlotte Ives, the daughter of a clergyman. Their relationship ended when he revealed he was already married. In England, he read English literature, including Paradise Lost by John Milton, which influenced his writing.

His time in exile made him think about the causes of the French Revolution, which had killed many of his family and friends. These thoughts led to his first book, Essai sur les Révolutions (1797), which was ignored by most readers. A major change in his life was his return to the Catholic faith he had been raised with around 1798.

Chateaubriand returned to France in 1800 after an amnesty for exiled Royalists. He edited the Mercure de France. In 1802, he gained fame with Génie du christianisme (“The Genius of Christianity”), a book defending the Catholic faith. This work helped revive religious interest in France and earned the favor of Napoleon Bonaparte, who wanted to win support from the Catholic Church.

Chateaubriand was appointed secretary to the French legation in Rome by Napoleon. However, he soon quarreled with Cardinal Fesch and was sent to Valais in 1803. He resigned his position in disgust after Napoleon ordered the execution of Louis Antoine, Duke of Enghien, in 1804. After his resignation, Chateaubriand relied on his writing for income. Unexpectedly, he received money from Russian Tsarina Elizabeth Alexeievna, who supported him as a defender of Christianity.

Using his new wealth, Chateaubriand traveled to Greece, Asia Minor, the Ottoman Empire, Egypt, Tunisia, and Spain in 1806. His travel notes later became part of his book Les Martyrs, which told a story about early Christians. He also wrote Itinéraire de Paris à Jérusalem (1811), a record of his journey, and Les aventures du dernier Abencérage (1826), inspired by his time in Spain.

After returning to France in 1806, Chateaubriand criticized Napoleon, comparing him to the Roman emperor Nero and predicting a new Tacitus (a famous Roman writer). Napoleon threatened to punish him but only banished him from Paris. In 1807, Chateaubriand retired to a small estate called Vallée-aux-Loups near Paris, where he finished Les Martyrs (1809) and began writing Mémoires d’Outre-Tombe. He was elected to the Académie française in 1811 but could not speak at the academy until after the return of the French monarchy. His friends during this time included Madame de Staël, Joseph Joubert, and Pierre-Simon Ballanche.

Chateaubriand became an important figure in both politics and literature. He was a strong supporter of the monarchy at first, but his views changed over time.

Influence

Chateaubriand’s descriptions of nature and his study of emotions inspired many Romantic writers in France and other countries. For example, Lord Byron was very influenced by Chateaubriand’s work René. Young Victor Hugo wrote in a notebook, “To be Chateaubriand or nothing.” Even those who disagreed with him found it hard to avoid his influence. Stendhal, who disliked Chateaubriand for political reasons, used his ideas about emotions in his book De l’amour.

Chateaubriand was the first to describe the idea of “vague des passions” (“intimations of passion”), which became common in Romanticism. He wrote, “One inhabits, with a full heart, an empty world” (Génie du Christianisme). His political views and actions often seemed conflicting: he supported both royal families and republicans, depending on which group seemed more at risk. He once said, “I am a Bourbonist out of honour, a monarchist out of reason, and a republican out of taste and temperament.” He was the first in a group of French writers (such as Lamartine, Victor Hugo, André Malraux, and Paul Claudel) who tried to combine writing with political work.

Chateaubriand wrote in Génie du Christianisme, “We are convinced that the great writers have told their own story in their works. One only truly describes one’s own heart by attributing it to another, and the greater part of genius is composed of memories.” This is true of Chateaubriand himself. His works often include personal experiences, whether clearly shown or hidden.

In 1901, George Brandes compared Chateaubriand’s works to those of Rousseau and others. Chateaubriand was also a food enthusiast; the dish known as Chateaubriand steak was likely named after him.

Honors and memberships

In 1806, Chateaubriand was given the title of Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem during a visit to the Holy Land. In 1816, he was chosen as a member of the American Antiquarian Society. A French school located in Rome, Italy, is named in his honor.

Works

• 1797: Essai sur les révolutions (Essay on Revolutions).
• 1801: Atala, ou Les Amours de Deux Sauvages dans le Desert (Atala, or The Loves of Two Savages in the Desert).
• 1802: René.
• 1802: Génie du christianisme (The Genius of Christianity).
• 1809: Les Martyrs (The Martyrs).
• 1811: Itinéraire de Paris à Jérusalem (Journey from Paris to Jerusalem). English translation by Frederic Shoberl, published in 1814. The book describes travels in Greece, Palestine, Egypt, and Barbary during 1806 and 1807.
• 1814: "On Buonaparte and the Bourbons," in Critics of the Enlightenment, edited and translated by Christopher Olaf Blum, 2004. Published by ISI Books, Wilmington, DE. Archived on December 5, 2006, by the Wayback Machine. Pages 3–42.
• 1820: Mémoires sur la vie et la mort du duc de Berry (Memoirs on the Life and Death of the Duke of Berry).
• 1825: Note sur la Grèce (Note on Greece).
• 1826: Les Natchez (The Natchez).
• 1826: Les Aventures du dernier Abencérage (The Adventures of the Last Abencérage).
• 1827: Voyage en Amérique (Travel in America).
• 1831: Études historiques (Historical Studies).
• 1833: Mémoires sur la captivité de Madame la duchesse de Berry (Memoirs on the Captivity of Madame the Duchess of Berry).
• 1844: La Vie de Rancé (The Life of Rancé).
• 1848–50: Mémoires d'Outre-Tombe (Memoirs from Beyond the Tomb). "Progress," in Catholic Political Thought, 1789–1848, edited by Béla Menczer, 1962. Published by University of Notre Dame Press.

• [Opere]. 1.
• Génie du Cristianisme (The Genius of Christianity).
• [Opere]. 2.
• Itinéraire de Paris à Jérusalem et de Jérusalem à Paris (Journey from Paris to Jerusalem and from Jerusalem to Paris).
• Martyrs (The Martyrs).
• Voyage en Amérique (Travel in America).
• Mélanges politiques (Political Essays).
• Polémique (Controversies).
• Études historiques (Historical Studies).
• Analyse raisonnée de l'histoire de la France (Reasoned Analysis of the History of France).
• Paradise lost (Paradise Lost).
• Congrès de Verone (Congress of Verona).
• Mémoires d'outre-tombe. 1 (Memoirs from Beyond the Tomb. Volume 1).
• Mémoires d'outre-tombe. 2 (Memoirs from Beyond the Tomb. Volume 2).
• Mémoires d'outre-tombe. 3 (Memoirs from Beyond the Tomb. Volume 3).
• Mémoires d'outre-tombe. 4 (Memoirs from Beyond the Tomb. Volume 4).
• Mémoires d'outre-tombe. 5 (Memoirs from Beyond the Tomb. Volume 5).
• Mémoires d'outre-tombe. 6 (Memoirs from Beyond the Tomb. Volume 6).
• Dernières années de Chateaubriand (Later Years of Chateaubriand).