Balzac's La Vieille fille: feuilleton ou pas? Querelle on the Origins of the French Serial Literature

Abstract

The 1836 is the date of the encounter between seriality and literature in France: thanks to an idea of Émile de Girardin, fiction becomes the highlight of the ʻpresse à bon marchéʼ. It’s the birth of the serial literature, with the creation of the roman-feuilleton. Generally, Honoré de Balzac is considered the founder of the new genre, as he’s the first writer to give his contribution to the political press with La Vieille fille. Yet, in the last twenty years a broil has built up among the French critics on the primacy of Balzac; even the belonging of La Vieille fille to the genre of the roman-feuilleton has been queried. The intent of this article is to analyze the studies which have advanced this objection, describe the elements that have led to the formulation of this hypothesis and see if the discussion on the authorship of the serial literature may be possible, or not, to give an answer. A course that define the genre itself of the roman-feuilleton.