Master of the short-short story
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| François Coppée |
Ten Tales is a collection of short stories by French writer François Coppée, published in English translation in an American edition of 1890. The introduction by Brander Matthews explains that Coppée is a master of the Conte, a distinctly French form of fiction which falls somewhere between a brief sketch and a full short story. Though Coppée is not a household name among today’s English-language readers, the quality of these stories makes a strong case that perhaps he should be.
Coppée’s writing lies somewhere between the naturalistic realism of Emile Zola and the more fanciful, allegorical storytelling of Honoré de Balzac, but with a lighter, less pessimistic outlook than either. Though he at times covers some tragic subject matter, he does so from a matter-of-fact perspective without resorting to gratuitous melodrama. A common theme that runs through many of these stories is sacrifice. Characters give up their freedom, their vices, or their lives for the benefit of family, friends, and loved ones. There is a romantic heroism to such renunciations, but Coppée presents them frankly as unidealized instances of the dignity of the common man. These tales speak for the shopkeepers, retired soldiers, petty criminals, and working stiffs of Paris. Coppée’s characters are ordinary individuals who, just like real people, are sometimes thrust into extraordinary circumstances.
One of the strongest stories in the book is simply titled “At Table.” Coppée describes a sumptuous banquet thrown by wealthy nobles, but one guest, dubbed the Dreamer, contemplates the misery that the lower classes had to endure to make such a luxurious repast possible. Though it’s poetic rather than preachy, it could serve as a stirring socialist manifesto. The weakest piece in the book is “The Sabots of Little Wolff,” a brief Christmas fable, predictable and cloying, that doesn’t really fit with the rest of the selections here.
This book is not without its flaws, but most of them are the fault of the translator or editors rather than the author. Do not read the introduction before reading the stories, because Matthews will spoil them all for you. Unfortunately, a few otherwise perfect stories like “The Substitute” and “A Voluntary Death” are spoiled by their own titles. The translation can be awkward at times, employing a fair amount of clunky, antiquated vocabulary that may hinder the understanding of today’s readers. The ebook file that’s available for free on Amazon has one other weird defect. The original printed edition was illustrated, but the ebook version does not contain the illustrations, which is fine. However, someone inserted written descriptions of the illustrations into the text, and they are typographically indistinguishable from Coppée’s prose. So in mid-paragraph you might come across a sentence like “Two geese, strolling across the bottom of the page.” The reader has to learn to overlook such distractions in order to fully enjoy the book.
Coppée’s work deserves a better Kindle file, but these tales are worth the trouble. Anyone enthusiast of A-list French writers like Zola, Balzac, or Flaubert should familiarize themselves with Coppée. These days he may be considered a member of the B-team, but he’s an overachiever that will surprise you.
Stories in this collection
The Captain’s Vices
Two Clowns
A Voluntary Death
A Dramatic Funeral
The Substitute
At Table
An Accident
The Sabots of Little Wolff
The Foster Sister
My Friend Meutrier
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Belles Lettres
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| François Coppée |
This collection of French short fiction is the second book in a ten-volume series published by Charles Scribner’s Sons in 1898, entitled Stories by Foreign Authors. Three of the volumes in the series are devoted to the writers of France; this, being the second, is subtitled French II. Volume number two is even better than its predecessor, and may just be the best book in the entire series.
The tent-pole piece in this collection of five stories is Emile Zola’s “The Attack on the Mill.” Originally published in the 1880 French collection Les Soirées de Médan, this story was intended by Zola to be a sort of manifesto for his new literary school of Naturalism. During the Franco-Prussian War, the peaceful lives of a miller, his daughter, and her fiancé are violently interrupted when their picturesque mill in rural Lorraine suddenly becomes a battleground. The version of the story included here is its original incarnation, a decidedly bleak and unromantic picture of war, and thankfully not the later variation which was altered with a happily-ever-after ending.
I’m not familiar with the author François Coppée and have no idea if he had any association with Zola, but his story “The Substitute” reads like it could very well have been written by the father of Naturalism himself. After a life spent in and out of reform schools and prisons, committing petty crimes and paying for them, Jean François Letruc decides to turn his life around. This excellent story is even better than Zola’s entry, and would be perfect were it not for an ill-chosen title which gives too much of the story away.
And now for something completely different. “The Venus of Ille” by Prosper Mérimée is a horror story. An archaeologist on a sketching trip through the region of Roussillon, in southern France, pays a visit to a local resident who recently unearthed an ancient statue of a woman. The most puzzling aspect of this bronze goddess is that she is depicted not only with remarkable beauty but also with a mysterious vengeful quality. This piece is not as dark and chilling as the stories of Edgar Allen Poe, but bears more resemblance to some of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s tales of the uncanny. The story unfolds slowly, taking its sweet time, but it’s well worth the wait.
In addition to these three great selections, the collection is rounded out by two other solid entries. In “The Sempstress’ Story” by Gustave Droz, the title character recalls how a renowned physician saved the life of her sick child. There’s nothing special or surprising about this one; it’s just a well-told tale. “The Virgin’s God-Child” by Emile Souvestre is set in Douarnanez, a seaside town in Brittany. It resembles the works of Sir Walter Scott, as the author delves into Breton folklore and culture in a manner quite similar to Scott’s treatment of the Scottish highlands. Ultimately the atmosphere becomes more important than the story. Though I’ve had the good fortune to visit Douarnenez and enjoyed Souvestre’s vivid depiction of Brittany, this was my least favorite entry in the book.
Any lover of classic literature, particularly those with an interest in France and its history, will find this collection well worth their time. For those familiar with Zola and other A-list French authors, this book provides a good introduction to four lesser-known French writers who are definitely worthy of attention.
For some reason, neither Amazon nor Project Gutenberg offers ebook files of the French volumes in the Stories by Foreign Authors series, but they can be found for free at Wikisource.
Stories in this collection
The Substitute by François Coppée
The Attack on the Mill by Emile Zola
The Virgin’s God-Child by Emile Souvestre
The Sempstress’ Story by Gustave Droz
The Venus of Ille by Prosper Mérimée
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