Alphonse de Lamartine et l ’échelle de Jacob
Alphonse de Lamartine and Jacob’s Ladder

Summary/Abstract: Alphonse de Lamartine, a Romantic poet deeply imbued with biblical cul- ture, places the motif of Jacob’s ladder, drawn from the Book of Genesis, at the heart of his work. This article aims to analyze the various reformulations of this image in order to show that the writer conceives the journey toward God as a double move- ment: a spiritual ascent followed by a return to the human condition. For Lamartine, to pray is to climb the staircase of faith while knowing to stop at the very moment that the flames of adoration grow too intense. At the same time, the image of Jacob’s ladder becomes increasingly prominent in his work, strengthened by its integration into such diverse fields as science, religion, and philosophy. Lamartine employs all available means to emphasize the necessity of a metaphysical ascent, in which the Creator, whether near or distant, always remains the ultimate horizon.

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