Baron De Bazancourt: Literator, Historian, Military Correspondent. Part V. Historicism of the Historical Novel

Abstract

Having entered the literary field in 1836 with the publication of the historical novel “The Queen’s Flying Squadron (1560)”, Baron de Bazancourt subsequently actively tried his hand at the feuilleton novel genre. Historical novels occupied a prominent place in his work, which, however, did not bring him much success. In 1846, Bazancourt published “History of Sicily under the Normans,” which was positioned as a historical study and significantly strengthened the author’s creative reputation. The article examines the connection of this work with the tradition of the “narrative method” in historical science, and traces the author’s approaches that allow him to achieve a combination of scientific requirements for historicism with his own aesthetic predilections.