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''Graziella'' is an 1852 novel by the French author Alphonse de Lamartine. It tells of a young French man who falls for a fisherman's granddaughter – the titular Graziella – during a trip to Naples, Italy; they are separated when he must return to France, and she soon dies. Based on the author's experiences with a tobacco-leaf folder while in Naples in the early 1810s, ''Graziella'' was first written as a journal, and intended to serve as commentary for Lamartine's poem "Le Premier Regret". First serialised as part of ''Les Confidences'' beginning in 1849, ''Graziella'' received popular acclaim. An operatic adaptation had been completed by the end of the year, and the work influenced paintings, poems, novels, and films. The American literary critic Charles Henry Conrad Wright considered it one of the three most important emotionalist French novels, the others being Bernardin de Saint-Pierre's novel ''Paul et Virginie'' (1788) and Chateaubriand's novella ''Atala'' (1801). Two English translations have been published, one by James Runnion in 1875 and the other by Ralph Wright in 1929. ==Plot== The eighteen-year-old narrator travels from his home in Mâcon, Burgundy, to Italy, staying first in Rome, then Naples. There he meets a young man named Aymon de Virieu, and the two decide to apprentice themselves to Andrea, a local fisherman. Although the first few months pass in contemplative tranquility and beauty, during a surging September storm they are forced to take refuge at Andrea's home on Procida, where they spend the night. Here the narrator first meets the fisherman's granddaughter, Graziella. The following morning, the narrator overhears Andrea's wife berating him for taking on the two "pagan" Frenchmen. Graziella, however, comes to their defence, silencing her grandmother by pointing out the two young men's compassion and religious acts. The family and their apprentices go to recover the remnants of the destroyed boat. Soon afterwards, the narrator and Virieu go to the village, where they purchase a new boat and fishing supplies for the fisherman. When they return, Andrea and his family are sleeping, but are soon awoken and brought to the beach, where they joyously accept the new vessel. Over the next several days the narrator and Virieu enjoy an idyllic life, reading, walking, and enjoying the beauty, music, and dance of Procida. Graziella expresses interest in their reading, and thus the men read works by Ugo Foscolo and Tacitus to her and her family. Though these fall flat, all are interested in Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre's romantic novel ''Paul et Virginie''. Such is Graziella's fascination with the tale that she abandons all reserve and sits near the narrator, her breath on his hand and her hair brushing his forehead. When it is over, she begs the narrator to reread the tale. The poor weather breaks on the ninth day, and Andrea takes the young men and his family to Naples. Virieu is recalled to France, and the narrator falls ill from sorrow over the departure of his friend. He sends for Andrea, and Graziella rushes to his lodging, where she treats him. Their conversation, and Graziella's care, revives the narrator's spirits. Reinvigorated, the next day he goes to Andrea's Neapolitan lodgings in Mergellina, and learns of their fortunes since coming to the city: Andrea and his wife are enjoying bountiful catches, while Graziella has taken up coral carving to earn extra money. When the narrator appears unhappy to leave, they ask him to lodge with them. Months pass, and the narrator considers Andrea's family to be as his own. The narrator attempts to treat Graziella as a sister. He accompanies her to church and teaches her to read and write, and she insists that he spend more time with her, talking and learning to carve coral, than futilely writing poetry. However, he realizes the extent of his affection for her when, days before Christmas, Graziella is arranged to be married to her cousin Cecco: "My life without her presence was nothing". The imminent loss of Graziella drives the narrator to abandon Naples and wander the surrounding area, returning only after the new year. Though Graziella accepts the proposed marriage on the day the narrator returns, she later escapes into the night, intent on joining a convent. The following day the family search for her in vain. Eventually, the narrator realizes that she must have returned to Procida, and hurries there. In Andrea's home, he finds Graziella, who confesses her love for him, stating "They wished me to take a husband—you are already the husband of my soul". The narrator replies in kind, and they spend the night together discussing their romance. When Graziella's family comes to get her, they decide that she need not marry Cecco. For three months they enjoy their love, unknown to Graziella's family. However, she is pained at the thought of the narrator returning to France and by her own social station, much beneath the narrator's own. When the narrator is recalled to France, Graziella collapses on the doorstep, and the narrator – though downhearted – cannot stay. Although they continue to exchange letters, once in French society the narrator feels ashamed of his love for the poor fisherman's granddaughter. He only realizes his folly after learning of Graziella's death at age sixteen. The novel closes with a poem, "Le Premier Regret" ("The First Regret"), dedicated to her memory. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Graziella」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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