Adolphe suivi de Cecile Author:Benjamin Constant Adolphe is a classic French novel by Benjamin Constant, first published in 1816. It tells the story of an alienated young man, Adolphe, who falls in love with an older woman, Ellenore, the Polish mistress of a Count. Their illicit relationship serves to isolate them from their friends and from society at large. The book eschews all conventional... more » descriptions of exteriors for the sake of detailed accounts of feelings and states of mind.
Cecile is an autobiographical narrative in which only the names of the characters have been changed: Cecile is Charlotte von Hardenberg, Madame de Malbee is Madame de Stael (both women were having a relationship with Constant), and the narrator is Constant.« less