Through the Past Darkly: History and Memory in François Mauriac’s Bloc-notes

Acknowledgments

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S L I am grateful to Texas A & M University for the Faculty Development leave that allowed me to complete my research and draft the initial manuscript of this book, and for the generous grant awarded by the Program to Enhance Scholarly and Creative Activities through the Office of the Vice President for Research of Texas A & M University that allowed me to complete the writing of this book and prepare it for publication. Chapter , “An Uncertain Idea of France,” is an adaptation of an article first published as “Mauriac and Decolonization: Civilization, History , and National Identity,” in Contemporary French Civilization , no.  (Summer–Fall ): –. I have incorporated another article, “The Dreyfus Affair in François Mauriac’s Bloc-notes,” also published by Contemporary French Civilization , no.  (Winter–Spring ): –, into Chapter , “The Story of History,” and Chapter , “In Search of Times Past.” I wish to thank Contemporary French Civilization and its editor Lawrence R. Schehr for granting permission to republish this material. The definitive version of this book has greatly benefited from the careful reading and helpful suggestions provided by Professors JeanPierre Cauvin and George E. Gingras, and by the close oversight of Susan Needham, the managing editor of The Catholic University of America Press. Most importantly, I thank my wife, Françoise; my three boys, Christoph , Benjamin, and Andrew; my mother, Gladys Bracher; and my dear friend Robert Leslie: without their unfailing support and inspiration, this project would have never come to fruition. ix THROUGH THE PAST DARKLY ...