Adolphe by Benjamin Constant (Book Analysis)

This practical and insightful reading guide offers a complete summary and analysis of Adolphe by Benjamin Constant. It provides a thorough exploration of the novel’s plot, characters and main themes, including love and heartbreak. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time.

This clear and detailed 21-page reading guide is structured as follows:

• Biography of Benjamin Constant
• Presentation of Adolphe
• Summary of Adolphe
• Character study
  • Adolphe
  • Ellénore
  • Baron T
• Analysis of Adolphe
  • Benjamin Constant tackles Romanticism
  • Autobiographical inspiration?

About Adolphe

Adolphe was first published in 1816. It tells the story of Adolphe, a talented young man who has absolutely no passion whatsoever. He is tormented by boredom and, as a result, begins to idolize love, seeing it as a way to escape his uninteresting life. However, once he experiences it, he grows bored of it as well.

In spite of both the success the book gained in later years and the fact that it marked the beginning of the Romantic movement, Adolphe was not very successful when it was first published. It was adapted for cinema in 2002.

About Benjamin Constant

Benjamin Constant was a Swiss-French novelist and politician who was born in 1767. He mother died in childbirth. Although he was born in Switzerland, he spent the majority of his childhood travelling between Belgium, Switzerland, England, Germany and France. From a young age, it was clear that Constant had a talent for literature – he had written his first poems and even completed a novel by the time he was 12 years old. He published Adolphe in 1816, after which he turned away from literature to go into politics.

Constant was a firm Liberal who had an influence on many of the major events of his time, such as the Greek War of Independence and the Belgian Revolution. He died in Paris in 1830.