Mouchette Georges Bernanos

Jul 6, 2026

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A literary volume presenting Georges Bernanos’s Mouchette with front matter and critical framing. It includes biographical context for Bernanos and translator J. C. Whitchouse, alongside an introduction by Fanny Howe. The introduction develops Howe’s reflections on fiction-making through montage principles inspired by Sergei Eisenstein, emphasizing rhythm, juxtaposition, narrative construction, and the editing consciousness shaped by cinema viewing, scene-to-scene transitions, and literary composition.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages156

Reading Time4 h 0 min

Mouchette

Introduction

Au Hasard Suicide

# MOUCHETTEGEORGES BERNANOS INTRODUCTION BYFANNY HOWE ,DEC122016 ## MOUCHETTE GEORGES BERNANOS(1888-1948)was born in Parisand studied for his license in law and literature at theUniversity of Paris.He was the author ofmany novels,including The Diary of a Country Priest,which,likeMouchette,was adapted for film by Robert Bresson.HisDialogues des Carmelites was used by composer FrancoisPoulenc as the libretto for the opera of the same title. FANNY HOWE was raised in Cambridge,Massachusetts,and moved to California to attend Stanford Universitywhen she was seventeen.She has published several booksof poetry and fiction and a collection of essays calledThe Wedding Dress.She is Professor Emerita of AmericanLiterature and Writing at the Unviersity of California,San Diego. MOUCHETTE GEORGES BERNANOS Translated from the French by J.C.WHITEHOUSE ## NO LONGER PROPERTY OFSEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY Introduction byFANNY HOWE NEW YORK REVIEW BOOKS nyrb ## THIS IS A NEW YORK REVIEW BOOK PUBLISHED BY THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS435 Hudson Street,New York,NY 10014www.nyrb.com Copyright ◎1937,1988 by Librarie Plon Translation copyright ◎1966 by The Bodley Head Ltd.Introduction copyright ◎2003,2006 by Fanny HoweAll rights reserved. Published in the French language under the titleNouvelle Histoire de Mouchette Fanny Howe's introduction was first published,in slightly different form,in Brick,A Literary Journal Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bernanos,Georges,1888-1948 [Nouvelle histoire de Mouchette.English] Mouchette /by Georges Bernanos;introduction by Fanny Howe;translated byJ.C.Whitchouse. p.cm.—(New York Review Books classics)ISBN 1-59017-151-9(alk.paper) I.Whitehouse,J.C.II.Title.III.SeriesPQ2603.E5875N7132005843.912—dc22 2005012784 ISBN 978-1-59017-151-6 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper.109876543 5 ## Introduction Au Hasard Suicide Years ago I read two books,Film Form and Film Sense,by the Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein.They helpedme legitimize the process I was beginning to use inmy own fiction.In his chapter on montage Eisensteindetermined that the tonality of a work is establishedby a rhythmic relationship between its segments. He noted that in music the distance of separationbetween intervals may be so great that it leads to acollapse inside the organic body of sound.However,its irregularity usually becomes its dynamism.Like ahealthy human heartbeat,which has an intrinsic irreg-ular system,the body of an artwork gets its vitalityfrom a rhythm based in uncertainty.(Sick hearts havea dull regular thump.) Eisenstein believed that there is a social mission forartists—that is,the purpose of any work is to “makemanifest the contradictions of Being,"if only tempor-arily,in the single mind of the viewer/reader. His notes on juxtaposition and composition reassuredme,because I was working already with frame and viii space.I was aware of the galactic loneliness that layoutside all stories and the strange nature of choicein the construction of a narrative.I used to spreadthe sheets of my final draft on the floors in myapartment and move them around.This way eachevent became a self-contained section and the links(not gaps)remained mysteries. I now can see how this process was encouraged bymoviegoing,and by an underlying consciousnessof editing as a new kind of revision.The leap fromscene to scene,from face to face—this action wasunlike anything one did with prose narrative.Itwas closer to poetry. Some of the first films I saw were made by Berg-man,Visconti,Rossellini,Fellini,Bresson,and thedirectors of the French New Wave.Janus Films wasthe distributor of these movies,which premiered atthe Brattle Theater in Cambridge,where I grewup.They were all foreign and subtitled;they wereblack and white and speckled with stars and radiantdust. There was something else about these movies that Ifound new beyond their pace,imagery,and struc-ture.The

FAQs

Who provides the introduction to Mouchette in this book?

Fanny Howe provides the introduction, titled “Au Hasard Suicide.”

What role does Eisenstein’s montage theory play in the introduction?

Eisenstein’s concept that tonality emerges from rhythmic relationships between segments supports Howe’s approach to building vitality through uncertainty and structured irregularity.

Which authors and film directors does the introduction mention as influences?

The introduction mentions Eisenstein and discusses first films seen by directors such as Bergman, Visconti, Rossellini, Fellini, Bresson, and French New Wave directors.

Jul 6, 2026

Upload by Ivy