Customer Reviews

Chateau d'Argol

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2 star:		(1)
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Julien Gracq's *Chateau d'Argol*, the author's first published work, appeared in 1939. In a lecture to Yale University students a few years later, Andre Breton, the leader of the Surrealist movement, cited the work as an example that summarized "the extent of Surrealism's conquest". By this, Breton was no doubt referring to two of Surrealism's great pre-modern sources of inspiration, the Gothic novel and Romanticism. From Breton, this was no scant praise. No doubt, however, that those who, like one reviewer below, have "studied Surrealism for six months" know better than Breton himself!

*Chateau d'Argol* is a tale of three friends, and of a disturbing menage-a-trois turned violent. In good Romantic/Gothic fashion, the changes in the richly described landscapes mirror the turbulent alterations in the characters' inner states. The setting is a lonely castle in an area of Brittany that is simultaneously real and imaginary, in that Gracq unites disparate elements of the Breton landscape and situates them in a locale of his memory-based imaginings.

The philosophy of Hegel also figures prominently in this story of doubles and opposites, of dialectical antitheses and syntheses. In addition, the author creates a strange mood of detachment through his use of third-person narrative throughout (there is not a word of dialogue in the book) that contrasts with the rich and opulent descriptive writing. Indeed, for me, the most striking and rewarding aspect of this work is its gorgeous, richly hued language, its superbly evocative and poetic narrative. Of course, there are false notes on occasion, some of which may be the fault of the translator, but, on the whole, Gracq succeeds in sustaining a hypnotically beautiful tapestry of language.

In sum, those who appreciate elevated and elegant poetic language, and who find intriguing the idea of a confluence of the Gothic, the Romantic, and the Surreal, will behold here a rare jewel of 20th-Century literature.

A note on the edition: Pushkin Press has produced a luxurious little pocket volume. Sewn bindings in paperbound books are almost as rare as the Dodo, these days. Why one of the reviewers, below, was unable to handle his copy without mutilating it, I cannot understand.

The sole serious fault of this edition is that it does, indeed, inexplicably omit Gracq's "Notice to the Reader", a brief forward in which Gracq takes an ironic tone toward those who have misread, or who may misread, his book, and affirms the inspiration that he derived from the works of Poe, Radcliffe, and Horace Walpole.

Chateau d'Argol, while having some elements familiar to symbolist or even perhaps surrealist authors, still fits in with German Romanticism. Particularly when you look at the landscape of the book and the story itself. This aside the descriptions of the Chateau that open this book are breathtaking and one of the many reasons why Julien Gracq is considered one of the best prose writers in the French literary canon. Similar to the landscape descriptions in A Dark Stranger or The Peninsula, this is where Julien Gracq shines. While the story may not be innovative, the depth of characterization and prose, make this an important read. Particularly for any fan of either Kleist or Gracq's writing.

The only important novelist France has produced since World War Two. Julien Green would be the other one if he weren't an American.

I'd have to disagree with the past reviewers. I just completed a 6 month study of surrealism and this was one of the worst books I read from this period. He describes the same blades of light cutting in through the same castle windows at least a hundred times and the book is only 148 pages. Don't even get me started on the forest. I like the story itself, but execution was lacking. He reminded me of Henry James, writing in circles when he could just get to the point.

Apparently, according to Herman Rapaport's "Is There Truth in Art?," there is an introduction penned by the author which is not included in this edition. Also, the thick cardstock cover has flaps folded in on the front and back that make it a difficult little book to hold without bending the book terribly. These flaps fold back almost to the spine of the book. I personally don't like to mangle my books in any way and appreciate book companies that allow me to accomplish this goal. I have other Pushkin books and they are the same.

I would give it two and a half stars, but since they don't have that option I'm going to have to go with two.