Repr??sentations de la noblesse dans le roman fran??ais (1789-1848)

The French nobility is considered as a class defeated by the bourgeoisie and irrelevant within the capitalist economy. This widespread view fails to explain the vivid presence of the nobles in the 19th century cultural production. A phenomenological analysis of five novels (L?????migr??, by S??nac de Meilhan, Delphine, by Germaine de Sta??l, L???interdiction, Une double famille, and B??atrix, by Honor?? de Balzac) allows me to define a flexible model on which I base a study of nobility representations between 1789 and 1848. This model is organized around the following aspects: heredity and the idea of biological superiority, family and matrimonial practices, individual vs. lineage, education and savoir-faire, forms of sociability, (non)conformity to the norms, interpretation of signs and appearances, political engagements, equality vs. inequality, interaction with other social groups