Alphonse de Lamartine: Authoring the nation's narrative; poetry, politics, and providence

In 1820, Alphonse de Lamartine steps triumphantly upon the public stage with his first collection of poems, a small work of 24 lyric odes and elegies. By 1822, two years after the initial publication of les Meditations poetiques, this ensemble is in its ninth edition and by 1831, has sold over 35,000 copies. Chateaubriand declares one of Lamartine's odes to be worth the whole of his Genie du Christianisme, and Victor Hugo remarks on the novelty of this small, anonymous collection: "Voila enfin des poemes d'un poete, des poesies qui sont de la poesie!" Little does the nation realize, however, that the advent of les Meditations poetiques marks not only a definitive shift in the landscape of French verse, but also the initiation of a project that will dramatically alter the nation's political infrastructure.;Despite the intensity of its success, Lamartine's poetic career is in fact only part of a larger project based upon language, be it poetic, fictional, historical, dramatic, oratorical, or political, that attempts to persuade the teleological trajectory of the populace. Taken as a whole, Lamartine's public engagement between 1820 and 1848 illustrates a kind of narrative project that he writes for the nation, one that shifts between myriad communicative forms to best address what Lamartine esteems to be the needs -- immediate (political change) and long-term (reconciliation with the divine) -- of the people. For this reason, Lamartine shifts his expression between poetry, oratory, journalism, and history, and while the external form of these methodologies may change, they are seamless in the constant, vital message that dictates the expression of each.;Lamartine's theological beliefs pertaining to the soul, God, and the role of humankind within providential design represent the foundation of the views that guide his narrative project as a whole. This core set of values allows Lamartine to shift between the poetic and the political as each serves his larger purpose, and permits him to address the immediate needs of the nation while preserving the integrity of his long-term goals. The interconnectedness between Lamartine's poetic voice and political engagement enables one to shape and develop the communicative expression of the other, and while one form is more present at certain points in Lamartine's career (poetry versus history or fiction versus oratory), neither is ever absent from contributing to its manifested complement. In other words, Lamartin's poetry will always persuade his politics and vice-versa because despite its diversity of form, his is a project of persuasion, of proselytizing rational action and moral and virtuous comportment.;Yet, despite the fluidity with which Lamartine's narrative project uses both poetry and politics to achieve the same, fundamental goal, most critics choose to isolate these two public roles, praising one and demeaning the other. Consequently, Lamartine is recognized primarily for his poetry and, despite his significant role in bringing about the revolution of 1848 and in establishing a republic, is often disregarded for his political engagement. Critics such as Paul Benichou, Max Milner, and Marius-Francois Guyard perpetuate the myth that Lamartine was destined to be a poet and little more. Such views lose sight of the unique interdependence between Lamartine's different forms of public activism, that is, between his poetic, literary expression and his political action. In response, this dissertation aims to rewrite the myth that suggests Lamartine's contribution to the French canon and socio-political infrastructure of the French nation is only poetic and romantic in nature. As I will argue throughout, it is through the interconnectedness of Lamartine's poetic and political expression, that is, the entirety of his narrative project, that Lamartine aims to steer the nation toward reconciliation with the divine and, in the process, helps France achieve a republic, realize universal suffrage, and abolish not only slavery, but the death penalty as well.