Maria Chapdelaine

Maria Chapdelaine is a romance novel written in 1913 by the French writer Louis Hémon, who was then residing in Quebec.[1][1] Aimed at French and Quebec adolescents, the book had been included in school curricula, translated, and has been extensively analyzed and adapted.[1]

For other uses, see Maria Chapdelaine (disambiguation).

Plot

After the man she loves dies suddenly, Maria must choose which of two suitors to marry.[2] One offers a change to life in the big city, but Maria decides to stay in the countryside.[3]

Publication

Hémon, a journalist, came to rural Quebec to gather ideas for a novel. He supported himself by working on a farm. After hearing various stories from area residents, he wrote a romantic story, basing the character of the heroine on a young woman he had met.[4] In 1913, he submitted the manuscript for publication; he then left Quebec to travel to western Canada, but was hit by a train and died before learning of his book's success. His book was illustrated by a famous French Canadian painter Clarence Gagnon.

In 1921, the book was translated into English by Andrew McPhail.[5] A translation by W. H. Blake was published the same year.[6]

Adaptations

The novel has had three film adaptations, two French and one Québécois: in 1934, by Julien Duvivier, with Madeleine Renaud (as Maria Chapdelaine), and Jean Gabin (as François Paradis), partly filmed in Péribonka;[7] in 1950 by Marc Allégret in a free interpretation of the work called The Naked Heart; and in 1984 by Gilles Carle with Carole Laure.

The novel has also been adapted as plays, illustrated novels,[8] radio-novels, and televised series. A 40-page children's version was created in 2004 by Louis Hémon.[9] Authors have even published continuations of the novel.

The novel has been adapted as an opera Maria Maria Chapdelaine in 4 acts (Jim Leonard, composer). It premiered in 2019 in Vernon, BC.

References
  1. Guy Laflèche. Polémiques. Editions du Singulier; 1992. ISBN 978-2-920580-04-6. p. 126 – 128.
  2. "Maria Chapdelaine". Montreal Review of Books, Review by Carol-Ann Hoyte • Fall 2004
  3. David Stouck. Major Canadian Authors: A Critical Introduction to Canadian Literature in English. U of Nebraska Press; 1 January 1988. ISBN 0-8032-9188-4. p. 143–.
  4. "Éva Bouchard: la légende de Maria Chapdelaine: Femme modèle". Voir, Éric Paquin 19 May 2004
  5. Ian Robertson. Sir Andrew Macphail: The Life and Legacy of a Canadian Man of Letters. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP; 2008. ISBN 978-0-7735-7495-3. p. 234.
  6. Hémon, Louis (1921). Maria Chapdelaine: A Story of French Canada. Toronto: MacMillan Co. of Canada Ltd.
  7. "THE SCREEN; A Beautiful French Version of Hemon's Novel 'Maria Chapdelaine,' at the Cinema de Paris.". New York Times. By Andre Sennwald. 25 September 1935
  8. "Beyond Maria Chapdelaine: The Illustrated French-Language Book in Quebec". National Gallery of Canada website. Jonathan Franklin, 20 January 2014
  9. "Maria Chapdelaine" review in CM Volume XI Number 4 October 15, 2004 .
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