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Chapter II
The French in Poe's Tales
Chapters II and III deal with the French appearing in Poe's prose works, chapter II taking up the tales and chapter III the essays and literary criticisms. The poetry has been omitted from this study because of the negligible amount of French used in that field of literature. The French words, expressions and references have been listed without comment or explanation. The tale are given in chronological order according to the date of their first publication. This chronological grouping makes it possible to compare the amount of French used in Poe's earlier and later years.
Poe has clearly designated the French words used by placing them in italics, parentheses or quotation marks. In looking over the following words listed one must remember that many language changes have taken place since Poe's time. Of course [page 23:] some of these French words were in current English use at the time of Poe. Many, however, used as French at that time have since been anglicised and are found today in our English dictionary. All the words have been checked against the French encyclopedia and only those appearing in the French dictionary of today are listed. [page 24:]
1) “MS. Found in a Bottle” — Baltimore Saturday Visiter, October 23, 1833
Quotation used as heading to story:
“Qui n'a plus qu'un moment à vivre
N'a plus rein à dissimuler.”
(Quinault, Atys)
2) “Berenice” — Southern Literary Messenger, March, 1835
“Oh, Mad'selle Sallé,” (it has been well said)
“que tous ses pas étaient des sentiments.” (And of Berenice I more serious believed)
“que toutes ses dents étainent des idées.”
3) “Lionzing” — Southern Literary Messenger, May 1835
“recherches”
“fricasseee”
“Recher de Concale”
“veloute”
“à la St. Florentine”
“en mosaiques”
“bete” [page 25:]
4) “The Assignation” (“The Visionary”) — Southern Literary Messenger, July 1835
“flambeaux”
“ennuye”
“boudoir”
“grotesque”
“bienseance”
“socle”
“valet”
“chefs d'oeuvre”
5) “Bon-Bon” — Southern Literary Messenger, August 1835
Quotation used as heading to story: [[Quotation added to the 1845 printing in the Broadway Journal]]
Quand un bon vin meuble mon estomac,
Je suis plus savant que Balzac —
Plus sage que Pibrac;
Mon bras seul faisant l'attaque
De la nation Cossaque,
La mettroit au sac;
De Charon Je passerois le lac
En dormant dans son bac;
J'irois au fier Eac,
Sans que mon cœur fit tic ni tac,
Presenter du tabac.
(French Vaudeville) [page 26:]
“Cafe (in the) Cul-de-sac Le Febre (at) Rouen”
“pates a la foie”
“sur in Nature”
“sur l'Ame”
“sur l'Esprit”
“fricandeaux”
“litterateur”
“Idee de Bon Bon”
“Idees”
“savants”
“fricasee”
“restaurateur”
“essais”
“omelettes”
“Vin de Bergagne”
“Cotes du Rhone”
“Clos de Vouget”
“Chambertin”
“diablerie”
“sous-cuisinier”
“aimable”
“tout ensemble”
“pate”
“Oeuvres de Bon Bon”
“a la Grecque”
“bibliotheque” [page 27:]
“melanges”
“Cafe de Bon Bon”
“oeufs a la Princesse”
“omelette a Reine”
“Rituel Catholique”
“Mousseux”
“vis-a-vis”
“Regitre Condamnes”
(Footnote from) Condorcet: “Ils ecrivaient sur la Philosophie (Cicero, Lucretius, Seneca) mais c'etait la Philosophie Grécque”
“outre”
“penchant”
“soufflee”
“Ragaout”
“fricandeau”
“louis d’or”
6) “King Pest” — Southern Literary Messenger, September 1835
7) “Metzengerstein” — Southern Literary Messenger, February 1836
“(I assert, however, that much of our incredulity, as La Bryere says of all our unhappiness) ‘vient de ne pouroir etre seul.’”
“(The soul,” said the former — I give the words of an acute and intelligent Parisian —) ‘ne demeure qu’un seul fois dans un corps sensible: au reste — un cheval, un chien, un homme même n’ est que la ressemblance peu tangible de ces animaux.’”
8) “The Duc de l'Omelette” — Southern Literary Messenger, February 1836
“ignoble”
“de L'Omelette”
“l'historie en est breve”
“horreur”
“chien”
“baptiste”
“l'oiseau”
“Oh, bon Dieu! cet oiseau modeste que tu as deshabillé de ses plumes, et que tu as servi sans papier!”
“hauteur”
“c'est vraie”
“Prince de Foie-Gras” [page 29:]
“robe-de-chambre”
“au revoir”
“bien comme il faut”
“Musulman”
“tout ensemble”
“C'est vrai que de toutes ces choses il a pense beaucoup — mais — le pauvre Duc!”
“petit-maitre”
“et qui sourit”
“si amerment”
“mais il faut agir”
“il avait tue ses six hommes”
“il peut a’echapper”
“horreur”
“mais il joue”
“diable”
“Abbe Gualtier”
“que le Diable n’ese pas refuser un jeu d’ecarte”
“Pere Le Brun”
“(Club) Vingt-Un”
“Si je perds je serais deux fois perdu —— ”
“voile tout”
“Si je gagne, je reviendrai a mes ortolane —— ” que les cortes soient preparees”
“C'est a vois a faire”
“en presentant le Roi” [page 30:]
“que s’il n’etait pas De L'Omelette il n’aurait point d’objection d’etre le Diable.”
9) “Four Beasts in One” — Southern Literary Messenger, March 1836
“Quotations used as heading for story:
“Chacun a ses vertue.”
(Crebillon's Xerzes)
“grotesque”
“valets-de-chambre”
“encore”
10) “How to Write a Blackwood Article” — American Museum, December 1838
(Advises use of foreign words)
“Aussi tendre que Zaire”
(From Voltaire's tragedy)
11) “The Devil in the Belfry” — Philadelphia Saturday Chronicle and Mirror of the Times, May 18, 1839
12) “The Man that Was Used Up” — Burton's Gentleman's Magazine, August 1839
Quotation used as heading:
Pleurez, pleurez, mes yeux, et fondez vous en eau!
La moitié de ma vie a mis l'autre au tombeau.
(Corneille. — Le Cid)
[[The quotation was added as motto in the Phantasy Pieces, and first printed in the Broadway Journal text of 1845, attributed to Corneille, but not citing Le Cid.]]
“air distinque”
“ne plus ultra”
“je ne nais quoi”
“hauteur”
“tete-a-tete”
“par excellence”
“pas de Zephyr”
13) “The Fall of the House of Usher” — Burton's Gentleman's Magazine, September 1839
Quotation used as heading:
Son cœur est un luth suspendu;
Sitôt qu’on le touche il rèsonne. [[résonne.]]
De Béranger. [[Motto added to the Tales of 1845]]
“abandon”
“de la chambre”
“Madeline” [page 32:]
14) “William Wilson” — Burton's Gentleman's Magazine, October, 1839
“peine forte et dure”
“outre”
“exergues”
“Oh, le bon temps, quie ce siecle de fer!”
“ecarte”
“parvenue”
“pique”
“arrendees”
15) “The Man of the Crowd” — Burton's Gentleman's Magazine, December, 1840
Quotation used as heading:
“Ce Grand Malheur, de no pourvoir etre seul.”
(La Bruyere)
“requelaure”
16) “Mystification” — (Periodical not known) 1840. [[Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque in 1840, as “Von Jung,” but previously printed as “Von Jung, the Mystific” in American Monthly Magazine, June 1837]]
17) “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” — Graham's Magazine, April 1841
“bizarre”
“recherche”
“Monsieru C. Auguste Dupin”
“Rue Montmarte”
“Faubourg St. Germaine”
‘bizarrerie”
“Palais Royal”
“Theatre des Varietes”
“Chantilly”
“Rue St. Denis”
“rôle”
“Xerzes” (Crebillon's)
“charlatanerie”
“rencontre”
“Lemartine”
“Musee”
“Gazette des Tribunaux”
“Quartier St. Roch”
“Madame L'Espanaye”
“Mademoiselle Camille L'Espanaye”
“gendarmes”
“metal d’Alger”
“affaire”
“Pauline Dubourge” [page 34:]
“Pierre Moreau”
“Isidore Muset, gendarme”
“sacre”
“diable”
“Henri Duval”
“restaurateur”
“mon Dieu”
“Jules Mignaud”
“Mignaud et Fils”
“Rue Deleraine”
“Adelphe Le Bon”
“Paul Dumas”
“Alexandre Etienne”
“Monsieur Jourdain”
“robe-de-chambre — peur mieux entendre la musique”
“Prefect of Police”
“Rue Richelieu”
“Rue St. Roch”
“lege de concierge”
“Je les monageais”
“outre”
“ferrades”
“Lyons”
“Bordeaux” [page 35:]
“Monsieur Mignaud”
“Maison de Sante”
“Dupin”
“Cuvier”
“le monde”
“Bois de Boulegne”
“au treisieme”
“Rue Dubourge”
“Jardin des Plantes”
“de nier ce qui est, et d’expliquer ce qui n’est pas.”
(Rousseau — Novelle Heloise)
18) “The Colloquy of Monos and Una” — Graham's Magazine, 1841
(Poe explains the word born again and says)
“Pascal, a philosopher whom we both love, has said, how truly! — “que tout notre raisonnement se rèduit à céder au sentiment;’”
19) “The Island of the Fay” — Graham's Magazine, June 1841
“La musique,” says Marmontel,” est le seul des talens qui jouissent de lui même; tous les autres veulent des temoins.”
(Quotes from Balzac, who in referring to Zimmerman said): “La solitued est une belle [page 36:] chose; mais il faut quelqu’uh pour vous dire que la solitued est un belle chose.”
20) “Three Sundays in a Week” — Philadelphia Saturday Evening Post, November 27, 1841
[[“assurement ce n’ etail [[n’etait]] pas sa foible.”]]
21) “The Oval Portrait” — Graham's Magazine, April 1842
“chateau”
“vignette”
“moresque”
22) “The Masque of the Red Death” — Graham's Magazine, May 1842
“bizarre”
“rôle”
23) “The Mystery of Marie Rogêt” — Snowden's Lady's Companion, November, December, 1842 [[and February 1843]]
“Chevalier C. Auguste Dupin”
“Madam L'Espenaye”
“Chevalier”
“Faubourge Saint Germaine” [page 37:]
“Rue Morgue”
“Parisian (police)”
“Marie Roget”
“Rue Panee”
“Saint Andre”
“pension”
“Palais Royal”
“Monsieur Le Blanc”
“grisette”
“Seine”
“Quartier (of the) Rue St. Andre”
“Barriere du Roule”
“Prefect”
“francs”
“Monsieur Jacques St. Eustache”
“Rue des Dreies”
“Monsieur Beauvais”
“L'Etoile”
“gendarme”
“La Commerciel”
“Madame Deluc”
“Le Soliel”
“Valence” [page 38:]
“outre”
“Le moniteur”
“rationale”
“parfumerie”
“comptoir”
“le mercure”
“Mennais”
“la diligence”
“denouement”
24) “The Gold Bug” — Prize Story of the Philadelphia Dollar Newspaper, January 21-28, 1843
(uses name of Legrand, name of an old Huguenot family)
“Brusquerie”
“empressement”
25) “The Spectacles” — Sent to R. H. Horne, April 1844. [[Poe did send a full manuscript of the story to Horne in 1844, but the story had already been printed in the Dollar Newspaper for March 27, 1844. Tansil is following Harrison.]]
“Monsieur Froissart”
“Mademoiselle Croissart”
“Monsieur Voissart”
“elite”
“gaze aerienne”
“par excellence” [page 39:]
“Madame Lalande”
“Ninon, Ninon, Ninon a bas
A bas Ninon De L'Enclos.”
“outre”
“Naivete”
“leves”
“chaise longue”
“mon cher ami”
“eh bien! mon ami!”
“empressement”
“soiree”
“Eugenie Lalande”
“la belle France”
“denouement”
“billete-doux”
26) “The Angel of the Odd” — Columbian Magazine, October 1844
(refers to reading): Lamartine's “Pilgrimage”
“Lafitte”
“contretemps”
(Quotes from Gil Blas):
“beaucoup de bonheur et un peu plus de bons sens”
“elite” [page 40:]
27) “Thou Art the Man” — Godey's Lady's Book, November 1844
“en masse”
“Chateau Margaux”
“contre-temps”
“mal a propos”
“reunion”
“petit souper”
28) “The Literary Life of Thingum Bob” — Southern Literary Messenger, December 1844
“coup-de-grace”
“argent comptent”
“nom de guerre”
“prononcees”
“bizarre”
“boulevarsement”
“(enables me to say with Chateaubriand): ‘J'ai fait l'histoire.’ ”
29) “The Thousand and Second Tale of Scheherazade” — Godey's Lady's Book, February 1845
“denouement”
“Le mieux”, says a French proverb, “est l'ennemi du bien.” [page 41:]
30) “Some words with a Mummy” — American Whig Review, April 1845
“papier mache”
“en masse”
“Messieurs”
“chemise”
31) “The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether” — Graham's Magazine, November 1845
“Maison de Sante”
“chateau”
“Monsieur Maillard”
“contre-temps”
“menages”
“a la Menahoult”
“veloute”
“clos de Vaougeat”
“salle a manger”
“ville cour”
“chateau bizarre”
“Mille pardens! Ma’m'sella, (replied Monsieux DeKock), “Ma’m'selle LaPlace, mon ami ——— ”
“moreau”
“Pierre”
“au chat” [page 42:]
“Petit Gaillard”
“Jules Desoulieres”
“mon ami”
“a drele”
“bouffon la Grand”
“Madame Joyeuse”
“Eugenie Salsafette”
“Mon Dieu”
“Ma’m'selle Salsafetter”
“chateau”
“bagatelle”
32) “The Purloined Letter” — The Gift, 1845
“Dupin”
“Paris”
“au troisieme, no. 33, Rue Demot”
“Faubourg St. Germaine”
“Rue Morgue”
“Marie Roget”
“boudoir”
“hotel”
“au fait”
“escritoire”
(speaks of) Rochefoucault (and) La Bougive (probably intended for La Bruyere) [page 43:]
“recherche”
“ ‘Il y a à parièr,’ ” replied Dupin, quoting from Chamfort, “ ‘que toute idée publique, toute convention reçue est une sottise, car elle a convenue au plus grand nombre.’”
“Un dessein si funeste,
S’il n’est digne d’Atrée, est digne de Thyeste.”
(From Crebillon's Atree)
33) “The Domain of Arnheim” — Columbian Magazine, March 1847
“lecale”
“debris”
“plateau”
34) “Landor's Cottage” — (Unknown) once accepted, then rejected by the Metropolitan. Mentioned in Poe's correspondence, 1848-1849. [[Technically, the Metropolitan did not reject the tale; the periodical ceased publication. The story was then published in the Flag of Our Union for June 9, 1849, a printing that was not known to Harrison.]]
“chasses”
“coup d’oeil”
“etait d’une architecture inconnue dans lea annales de la terre.”
“tout ensemble” [page 44:]
“outre”
“a trois crayons”
35) “Hop Frog” — Flag of Our Union, 1849 [[Harrison was aware of this printing through correspondence, but no copy of the Flag was known until 1909. The actual date was March 17, 1849]]
“(He would have preferred) Rabelais’ ‘Garganua’ to the ‘Zadig’ of Voltaire.”
“eclat”
“rôle”
“en masse”
36) “Diddling” — Broadway Journal, II, 10. (No date given) [[Harrison does not list the date, but it should be September 11, 1845]]
“bonne bouche”
“escritoire”
“par excellence”
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Notes:
None.
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[S:0 - RCT27, 1827] - Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Articles - A French Language and French Influence in the Works of Edgar Allan Poe (R. C. Tansil) (Introduction)