National identity and politicisation in fiction up to the Revolution : the example of the moral tale

This article will examine the ways in which national identity was constructed in the French moral tales of the second half of the eighteenth century by writers who reacted to the literary, philosophical and political circumstances in which they were writing. In particular, the key themes of patriotism and Frenchness will be taken as benchmarks to measure developments in the construction of identity. These will reveal how the fiction of the period became increasingly politicised and how it ultimately reflects changing attitudes which can be seen as paving the way for the French Revolution. While initially the moral tale focused on the ridiculous ways of its predominantly noble pool of characters, England’s successes in the Seven Years’ War led French authors to query their country’s moral standing and to use England as a model for morality. The greater diversity of social classes offered by English literature encouraged in turn a broadening of the social base of characters in French fiction. Gradually, as the character base broadened and authors explored the implications of this on society’s morals, a concept of Frenchness and French virtue developed. In its emphasis on charity, nobility of sentiment over birth, and freedom from oppression, this concept took its lead from England but there came a point when authors felt they no longer needed to look beyond French shores for their models; they were confident enough to use French models instead