Read this when
Adolphe
Can't love them, can't leave them, keep 'waiting for the right time'? Adolphe did that in 1816. It did not go well. 😬
Who it's for
Adolphe narrates his own paralysis with painful lucidity: he pursued Ellénore out of vanity, she gave up her position and children for him, and now he can neither love her nor leave her.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Benjamin Constant's short novel, first published in 1816. Adolphe, a young introvert, sets out to seduce Ellénore, the older mistress of the Comte de P***, and the two become isolated from society together. When Ellénore leaves the Comte and her children to be with him, Adolphe feels bound to her by obligation, unable to love her fully or to leave.
Where to find it
Public domain in the US in its 1816 French original and older English translations, which can be found free online. Modern translation in print (Oxford World's Classics, Margaret Mauldon) and via libr.
Before you start
Heads up: A partner's decline and death.
Age: Ages 16+
However mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names.Henry David Thoreau, Walden, “Conclusion”
