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Benjamin Constant
Benjamin Constant (Henri Benjamin Constant de Rebecque) , 1767-1830, French-Swiss political writer and novelist, b. Lausanne. His affair (1794-1811) with Germaine de Staël turned him to political interests. He accompanied her to Paris in 1795 and served (1799-1801) as a tribune under the first consul, Napoleon. When Mme de Stäel was expelled (1802), however, he went into exile with her, spending the following 12 years in Switzerland and Germany. In 1813 he published a pamphlet attacking Napoleon and urging constitutional government and civil liberties. On Napoleon's return from Elba, however, Constant accepted office under him. After Napoleon's final defeat at Waterloo and the restoration of the Bourbons, Constant continued his political pamphleteering, calling for a constitutional monarchy. He served (1819-22, 1824-30) in the chamber of deputies. Constant gained a great reputation as a liberal publicist, and his funeral (shortly after the July Revolution, 1830, which he had supported) was the occasion for great demonstrations. His most important work, the introspective and semiautobiographical novel, Adolphe (1816, tr. 1959), is highly regarded for its style. Parts of his correspondence and journals have been published, the latter as Le Journal intime (1887-89) and Le Cahier rouge [the red notebook] (1907). The discovery of an unfinished novel, Cécile (1951; tr. 1953), has contributed to a new appreciation of Constant's literary merit.
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"Benjamin Constant." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Benjamin Constant." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-ConstantB.html "Benjamin Constant." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-ConstantB.html |
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Constant (de Rebecque), (Henri) Benjamin
Constant (de Rebecque), (Henri) Benjamin (1761–1830) French political writer, b. Switzerland. A member of Napoleon's tribunate (1799–1802), he went into exile in 1803. After the Bourbon restoration he was leader of the liberal opposition (1819–22, 1824–30). His chief work was the psychological novel Adolphe (1816), a fictionalized account of his relationship with Madame de Staël.
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"Constant (de Rebecque), (Henri) Benjamin." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Constant (de Rebecque), (Henri) Benjamin." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-ConstantdeRebecquHnrBnjmn.html "Constant (de Rebecque), (Henri) Benjamin." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-ConstantdeRebecquHnrBnjmn.html |
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Henri Benjamin Constant de Rebecque
Henri Benjamin Constant de Rebecque see Constant, Benjamin . |
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Cite this article
"Henri Benjamin Constant de Rebecque." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Henri Benjamin Constant de Rebecque." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-Constant-de.html "Henri Benjamin Constant de Rebecque." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-Constant-de.html |
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