Grand-Lebrun by Francois Mauriac Summary

In this very short and ambiguously autobiographical story, Mauriac recalls the effect reading poetry had on him as a child. The formalities of education were a kind of incarceration which he dreaded each day, and his only reprieve during the day was study hall. During this time, he spent no time on homework, but instead studied the great French poets like Baudelaire and Rimbaud. The words and—it seemed—even the spirits of the poets seemed to surround his daily life and imbue it with a new, exalted significance. This air of austerity had mixed effects on the young boy. Sometimes he felt completely unworthy of it and sometimes he felt so superior that the rest of the world seemed worthy only of his contempt.

Grand-Lebrun by Francois Mauriac Analysis

This brief story reflects a...