Angéline de Montbrun
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Title page for Angéline de Montbrun (1886) | |
| Author | Laure Conan |
|---|---|
| Translator | Yves Brunelle |
| Language | French |
| Genre | Psychological fiction |
Publication date | June 1881 – August 1882 |
| Publication place | Canada |
Published in English | 1974 |
Angéline de Montbrun is a novel written by Laure Conan. It was first published in La Revue canadienne in segments from June 1881 to August 1882 and published as a novel in 1884. It is considered one of the first French Canadian novels written by a woman and the first French Canadian psychological book.
The book tells the story of Angéline, a woman living with her father and becoming betrothed to a man named Maurice. When her father dies, and her face is disfigured in an accident, she breaks off her engagement and enters a period of self-isolation. She contemplates her life decisions and resolves at the end of the novel to live happily.
The novel explores themes of French-Canadian identity after the British conquest of Quebec. The novel was positively received by critics at the time of its publication.
The plot concerns a woman named Angéline, who is raised by her father in an isolated village named Valriant. In the novel's first part, Maurice negotiates a marriage contract with Charles, Angéline's father. In the second part of the novel, Charles dies in a shooting accident and a fall disfigures Angéline's face. The engagement ends when Maurice's affection for Angéline decreases and Angéline renounces the world and enters a period of self-isolation. The third part of the novel concerns diary entries and letters in which Angéline recalls moments of her life with her father and Maurice. She expresses regret and agony over her decisions, processing her thoughts through writing. This contrasts with her friend, Mina, a worldly woman who becomes an Ursuline nun. Angéline visits her father's grave and burns her father's letters. She then writes a letter to Maurice, explaining that she will not be sad for the rest of her life.
Characters
- Angéline de Montbrun: the main character who withdraws from society into a self-imposed isolation
- Charles de Montrun: Angéline's father.
- Maurice Darville: Angéline's fiancé
- Mina Darville: Maurice's sister and Angéline's friend
Publication
The book was first published in La Revue canadienne as a serialised novel from June 1881–August 1882.[1] Its positive reception caused Conan to seek someone who would publish the writings as a book. Abbé Paul Bruchési, one of her patrons, recommended that she contact Henri-Raymond Casgrain, who agreed to help promote the work. He praised the book in an article for the Quebec newspaper Le Courrier du Canada, asked his colleagues to write reviews of the work, and convinced Léger Brousseau to publish the book.[2]
Casgrain wrote the preface to the novel and wanted to reveal Conan's real name in his writing. Conan refused, causing the two to cease contacting each other.[2] The book was published in 1884.[1]
The first English edition was published in 1974 and translated by Yves Brunelle.[1] It was the first psychological novel written by a French Canadian and one of the first novels written by a French Canadian woman.[1][3]