English Comedy and French Tragedy: Marriage and Adultery in the Nineteenth-Century Novel (Daniel Hadas, 06/11/2026, Cafe Americain)
Before the Russians’ late entry into the scene, almost all the great novels of the nineteenth century were written in only two nations: England and France. Each of these two nations then showed a marked preference for one of the two stories: English novels are about the formation of marriages, and French novels are about adultery. By the same token, and in line with the inheritance of ancient literature, the English novel (until Thomas Hardy) is almost always in part comic, and the French novel tragic.
…makes life a comedy. The Rationalist refusal of that truth makes life seem a tragedy.