Benjamin Constant (1767–1830) wrote mainly on politics and religion. Adolphe (1816) is an exception, a novel about a liaison between the characters Adolphe and Ellénore, which ends with Ellénore’s death. Constant drafted Adolphe in 1806, when between two loves: Charlotte de Hardenberg, whom he later married, and Germaine de Staël, with whom he had a long relationship. In his 1816 preface he denied depicting real people, but readers promptly identified Adolphe with Constant, Ellénore with Mme de Staël. Though public curiosity over identities waned, the autobiographical aspect of Adolphe still interests scholars, partly because Constant’s Journaux intimes (complete edition, 1952) confirm various parallels between his experiences and Adolphe (Fiorentino 2011: 6).
The work is in four parts: the Avis de l’éditeur; the story; the Lettre à l’éditeur; and the latter’s Réponse. Adolphe writes the narrative...
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Citation: Morrison, Ian. "Adolphe". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 April 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=6844, accessed 13 December 2025.]
