Renan

Overview

Ernest Renan (1823–1892), French philologist, historian of religion and philosopher, author of the Vie de Jésus (1863) and the Histoire des origines du christianisme; professor of Hebrew at the Collège de France from 1862 (dismissed 1864, reinstated 1870) and its administrator from 1883 (Britannica, «Ernest Renan»; Collège de France biography). He spoke at the departure ceremony for Turgenev's body in October 1883.

Relevance to Marie

Renan comes into Marie's pages in 1883–84, when she is reading and seeking a belief.

• The bust. In June 1883 she sees at Saint-Marceaux's studio the bust of Renan on which he is working and, the day before, Renan himself in a cab: «Voilà de la ressemblance au moins ! Renan qui a étudié la Judée et le judaïsme... son buste ?» (100.0170–100.0172). The bust and the Arlequin are the subject of her letter to Saint-Marceaux in September (101.0346, 101.0407). See SAINT_MARCEAUX.
• Turgenev. At the farewell ceremony at the station on 1 October 1883 she hears speeches by «M. Renan, de M. About et de Virouboff»; Renan, seen through Saint-Marceaux's bust, «a été très bien et le dernier "adieu" a vibré» (101.0470, 101.0471). See TOURGUENIEFF, VIROUBOFF.
• Belief. «Monsieur Renan ne croit pas aux miracles, ni moi non plus, et j'en suis bien fâchée» (101.0465, 28 September 1883). On 17 December 1883 she quotes him: «Le monde est si faible d'esprit que la plus pure chose a besoin pour réussir de la coopération d'un agent impur» (102.0502). In February 1884 she thinks about God in terms of «questions scientifico-spiritualistes à la Renan» (103.0389) and writes that she is steeping herself in Renan's writings and in the Bible (103.0399); in May a complete Renan arrives with Zola and Taine (104.0116).

The Mon Journal t.15 index has «Renan (Ernest), écrivain : 286–287»; t.16 «33, 38, 43, 101, 149–150, 192».

References in Diary

• 1883-06-16 (100.0170–100.0172); 1883-09-14 (101.0346); 1883-09-20 (101.0407); 1883-09-28 (101.0465); 1883-10-01 (101.0470, 101.0471); 1883-12-17 (102.0502); 1884-02-23/24 (103.0389, 103.0399); 1884-05-05 (104.0116)

Sources

Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ernest-Renan); Collège de France (https://www.college-de-france.fr/en/person/ernest-renan); Henry James's account of the station ceremony, quoted at excellence-in-literature.com (Renan and About speaking beside the train); Mon Journal t.15–16 indexes.