Daudet, l’art du conte et Le Nouveau Décaméron
Daudet, the Art of the Short Story and Le Nouveau Décaméron

Summary/Abstract: This article studies the presence of Alphonse Daudet in Le Nouveau Décaméron. In 1884, the selection of Daudet, a universally-known writer located at the crossroads of literary schools, was a natural choice for Catulle Mendès. Indeed, although he became a novelist, the author of Lettres de mon moulin is a storyteller and charming raconteur, which is, in every way, in accordance with the spirit of Le Nouveau Décaméron. Daudet becomes king of the second day, with Sapho as queen. His art of storytelling, his mastery of short forms, and his style resonate with his talents as a raconteur. But he is, above all – and the two texts (“Un veuvage de tourterelle” and “La Bohème en famille”) demonstrate this – a poet of love. As brief as they are, the short stories illustrate with depth and humour the conflict between Eros and Thanatos, between the bohemian and the bourgeois life.

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