Chapter 12

"SENSIBILITY." MINOR AND LATER NOVELISTS. THE FRENCH NOVEL, _c._ 1800 428

"Sensibility"--A glance at Miss Austen--The thing essentially French--Its history--Mme. de Tencin and _Le Comte de Comminge_--Mme. Riccoboni and _Le Marquis de Cressy_--Her other work: _Milady Catesby_--Mme. de Beaumont: _Lettres du Marquis de Roselle_--Mme. de Souza--Xavier de Maistre--His illustrations of the lighter side of Sensibility--A sign of decadence--Benjamin Constant: _Adolphe_--Mme. de Duras's "postscript"--_Sensibilite_ and _engouement_--Some final words on the matter--Its importance here--Restif de la Bretonne--Pigault-Lebrun: the difference of his positive and relative importance--His life and the reasons for giving it--His general characteristics--_L'Enfant du Carnaval_ and _Les Barons de Felsheim_--_Angelique et Jeanneton_--_Mon Oncle Thomas_--_Jerome_--The redeeming points of these--Others: _Adelaide de Meran and Tableaux de Societe_--_L'Officieux_--Further examples--Last words on him--The French novel in 1800.

CHRONOLOGICAL CONSPECTUS OF THE PRINCIPAL WORKS OF FRENCH FICTION NOTICED IN THIS VOLUME 475

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTES 479

INDEX 483