The Impact of the Biographies of French Realist Novelists on the Use of Chromatic Elements in their Literary Works

Abstract

In order to interpret precisely and deeply the chromatic elements used in the works of several French realist novelists, such as Honoré de Balzac (A Woman of Thirty, The History of César Birotteau Rise and Fall), Gustave Flaubert (Madame Bovary, Salammbô), Stendhal (Red and Black), Guy de Maupassant (Bel-Ami) and Prosper Mérimée (Carmen), the thorough analysis of main biographical references in the authors life and creation is essential, because these could necessarily influence the writers coloristic predilections and, implicitly, their materialization modalities in artistic texts. The chromatic elements analysis performed through the prism of the authors' biographies certain aspects impact on their literary works, allows us to affirm that existential problems, personal experiences, relationship with the socio-human environment have a noteworthy and suggestive importance for artistic creation, in general, and for the modality of a literary work main idea conveying to the reader, in particular. The chromatic elements active use corresponds, most of the time, to important stages in the writers' lives, to psychotypical traits manifested by them both in their daily and creative activities. In the given context, chromatics serves as an effective tool to achieve the author's intention to focus reader's attention on the character inner world, to lead him to identify the psychological motivation of events that happened and to make him reflect on them.