Xavier de Montépin

Overview

Xavier de Montépin (1823-1902), French author of popular serial novels (romans-feuilletons) full of crime and melodrama, among them La Porteuse de pain (1884) (Wikipedia, «Xavier de Montépin»).

Relevance to Marie

For Marie the name stands for vulgar sensational fiction. In Russia in 1876 she "swallows" one of his books "par mégarde" and feels sick (067.0021); a Poltava suitor's declaration "sentait de dix lieues son Xavier de Montépin traduit en russe" (064/1876-08-16); uncle Alexandre warns that her father's sisters could drug her "comme dans les romans de M. Xavier de Montépin" (067.0265).

References in Diary

• First mentioned: 1876-08-16 (064)
• 1876-10-13 (067.0021); 1876-10-23 (067.0265); 1876-11-15 (067)