VIGNY, veliye', ALFRED, Count de (1799 1863). A French poet and novelist, born at Loches, Indre-et-Loire. He was educated in Paris and served in the army twelve years. His Poemes (1822) and Poemes antiques et moderncs (1824 20) contained grandiose poetic evocations of the Middle Ages and were among the first attempts (Le cor and Noise) to treat philosophic subjects in epic form. The epic Eloa (1824) served La martine as a model for his Chafe d'un ange and m:u•ks the influence of Hugo, whom it influenced in turn, as Le cor, inspired by the bloodless Span ish campaign of 1823, did Mussel's Conies d'Espagnc et d'Italie. In 1826 Vigny published a long historic novel, Though a falsifi cation of history, the novel attained immediate and great success; it has the merit of having been first in a field where Hugo and Dumas were to gather brighter laurels. In 1832 Vigny ap plied his unique 'historic method' in ,8tello to Andre Chenier and the English poets Gilbert and Chatterton. Servitude et grandeur militaires (1835), three military stories, contains his best work in fiction. Meanwhile he had borne his part
in the romantic rejuvenation of the drama by translating Shakespeare's Othello (1829), and writing an insignificant comedy, Quitte pour la prur, an historic drama, La marechale d'Anere (1830), and Chatterton ( 1835 ) , his strongest drama, in spite of its pessimistic gloom. But Vigny saw- the limitations of romanticism in drama and never pursued his success. Indeed, he published no more, though the posthumously gathered Destiners (1864) and the Journal d'un. poste (1867) show him at the height of his lyric power.
Vigny's Works were collected in 1863-66, in 1868-70, and in 1883-85. There are Lire's by A. France (Paris, 1S68), Do•ison (1892), and Paleologue ( 1891 ). Consult: Paguet, -Cl X. AS"iec/c (Paris. 1890) ; Caro, Poetes ct romanciers (ib., 1888) ; Montegut, Nos allots eontemporains, vol. i. (ib., 18S2) ; Portraits contem porains, vol. ii., Portraits litteraires, vol. iii. lib., 1893) ; and Noureaus lundis, vol. vi. (ib., 1870).