Servitude et grandeur militaires

rdf:langString Servitude et grandeur militaires

rdf:langString Servitude et grandeur militaires is a book in three parts by Alfred de Vigny, published in 1835. Difficult to categorize, it is not a novel but a succession of short stories sometimes loosely based on episodes within Vigny’s own experience. It is also a threefold meditation on the nature of military life: with diminishing enthusiasm Vigny had been an Army officer from 1814 to 1827. The title of Servitude et grandeur militaires is difficult, if not impossible, to translate. One reasonable, but still inadequate, attempt at a translation would be “Glory and Submission: Aspects of Military Life”. The book has been published with at least five English titles, the most recent being the 2013 release: The Warrior's life. The work records some of Vigny’s personal memories. More importantly, it is a record of his philosophy of military life and of life generally. It contains autobiographical elements, perhaps the most memorable of these being his account of the withdrawal of Louis XVIII of France to Ghent in March 1815, when, as a very young second lieutenant in the Household Cavalry (Garde Royale), he rode with the retreating royal party as far as Béthune. The even more memorable scene of Napoleon I’s encounter with Pope Pius VII at Fontainebleau was not one of Vigny’s personal memories.