ATALA
By François Auguste de Chateaubriand
Illustrated by GUSTAVE DORÉ
FULL-SIZE -- Medium-Size
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION.
Among the illustrious names which adorn the annals of France, that ofFrançois Auguste de Chateaubriand, the author of “Atala,” “Les Martyrs,” “The Last of the Abencerages,” and many other brilliant and renownedworks, occupies a proud pre-eminence. But his fame rests not merely uponhis literary achievements. His services as a statesman and the record andexample of his private life-even his sufferings and misfortunes-haveserved to enhance his reputation and endear his memory, both among his owncountrymen, and among just, noble and patriotic minds in other lands. Hewas great both by his character and abilities; and, while his celebrity isundiminished by the lapse of time, his works are still read and will longcontinue to be read and admired, even through all changes in the mannersand sentiments of mankind. Fashions and modes in literature and art, as insociety, come and go; new institutions arise, demanding new methods andmodifying cherished customs; and men’s thoughts enlarge and widen withimproved conditions, as with the inevitable progress of the age. But themaster mind ever asserts its power. He who has once truly stirred thehuman heart in its purest depths speaks not alone to his own generation,but appeals to all other hearts and belongs to all his race. His goodgifts are the birthright of the world. The rank of Chateaubriand has beenfixed by the united judgment of his associates and his successors; andsince time has allayed the fierce passions which raged in France duringhis lifetime, his character is more and more deeply respected and admired.His sincerity of purpose and enlightened understanding, his grandeur andnobility of thought, his energy of action and loftiness of aim, preservefor him ever his exalted position, made brilliant by the fires of geniusand perpetuated by the force of truth.
Chateaubriand was born at St. Malo in September, 1768, and died in Paris,after an active and most eventful career, on the fourth of July, 1848. Theearlier portion of his life was passed in the quiet of his home atCombourg. At the termination of his collegiate training at Dole andRennes, he entered the army, in which he soon gained promotion. At aboutthe age of nineteen he was presented at court, became acquainted with thefashionable world, and was received and welcomed into the choicestliterary circles of P