Madame Thérèse / Introduction and notes by Edward Manley

by Erckmann-Chatrian

Much has been written about the wonderfully uniform style of Erckmann and Chatrian. It is true that one can hardly say of any passage in their work, "Erckmann wrote this" or "Chatrian wrote that" merely on the basis of internal evidence.

Many writers have succeeded in securing statements from one or the other of the literary partners, telling how they collaborated. But if one reads all these statements side by side, one is convinced that they had no uniform method of work; that sometimes they worked together in one way and sometimes in another. It would also appear that each was slightly jealous of the other, fearing that he would receive more than his proper share of credit for the work. These facts remain--that Chatrian was better fitted to market their wares and see them through the press than was Erckmann; and that Erckmann wrote and published both before and after his partnership with Chatrian. It may therefore be fairly accurate to say that without Chatrian Erckmann could have produced, without being able to sell the works; while Chatrian without Erckmann could have sold without being able to produce the works.

The stories of Erckmann and Chatrian are noteworthy by reason of the purity of their subject matter. There is nothing in any of them to offend the most fastidious, and their popularity in the family circle is permanent. In the matter of style the authors were not so fortunate. They began with the idea of purifying the French language, and while they may have been successful in fixing some of its forms, they have laid themselves open to criticism by monotonous repetition. But it cannot be said truthfully that their works exhibit any serious faults of style.

Madame Thérèse is one of the Romans Nationaux which lends itself readily to abridgment. It contains elaborate pictures and extensive descriptions of Anstatt life that interrupt the thread of the plot itself. Periodically the story is turned over to the "local color artist"--whichever of the two he may have been--who has carte blanche to paint for us beautiful idyllic pictures of life in the little Alsatian village. But as these pictures are apart from the growth of the cause of liberty--the main theme of the Romans Nationaux--they have frequently been omitted in this edition.

E. M.

MADAME THÉRÈSE

I

Nous vivions dans une paix profonde au village d'Anstatt, [¹] au milieu des Vosges allemandes, [²] mon oncle le docteur Jacob Wagner, sa vieille servante Lisbeth et moi. Depuis la mort de sa soeur Christine, [³] l'oncle Jacob m'avait recueilli chez lui. J'approchais de mes dix ans; j'étais blond, rosé et frais comme un chérubin. On m'appelait le petit Fritzel au village, et chaque soir, en rentrant de ses courses, [⁴] l'oncle Jacob me faisait asseoir [⁵] sur ses genoux pour m'apprendre à lire en français dans l'Histoire naturelle de M. de Buffon. [⁶]

Il me semble encore être [⁷] dans notre chambre basse. Je vois l'oncle Jacob, élancé, le front haut, surmonté de sa belle chevelure blonde dessinant ses larges tempes avec grâce, [⁸] le nez légèrement aquilin, les yeux bleus, le menton arrondi, les lèvres tendres et bonnes.