A NOTE ON THE AUTHOR OF THE WANDERING JEW: EUGENE SUE
(1804-1857)
Time and again physicians and seamen have made noteworthy reputations asnovelists. But it is rare in the annals of literature that a man trainedin both professions should have gained his greatest fame as a writer ofnovels. Eugene Sue began his career as a physician and surgeon, and thenspent six years in the French Navy. In 1830, when he returned toFrance, he inherited his father's rich estate and was free to followhis inclination to write. His first novel, "Plick et Plock", met withan unexpected success, and he at once foreswore the arts of healing andnavigation for the precarious life of a man of letters. With varyingsuccess he produced books from his inexhaustible store of personalexperiences as a doctor and sailor. In 1837, he wrote an authoritativework on the French Navy, "Histoire de la marine Francaise".
More and more the novel appealed to his imagination and suited hisgifts. His themes ranged from the fabulous to the strictly historical,and he became popular as a writer of romance and fictionized fact.His plays, however, were persistent failures. When he published "TheMysteries of Paris", his national fame was assured, and with the writingof "The Wandering Jew" he achieved world-wide renown. Then, at theheight of his literary career, Eugene Sue was driven into exile afterLouis Napoleon overthrew the Constitutional Government in a coup d'etatand had himself officially proclaimed Emperor Napoleon III. The authorof "The Wandering Jew" died in banishment five years later.
Book I.
Part First.--The Transgression. Prologue.--The Lands End of the World. I. Morok II. The Travellers III. The Arrival IV. Morok and Dagobert V. Rose and Blanche VI. The Secret VII. The Traveller VIII. Extracts from General Simon's Diary IX. The Cages X. The Surprise XI. Jovial and Death XII. The Burgomaster XIII. The Judgment XIV. The Decision XV. The Despatches XVI. The Orders
Book II.
Interval.--The Wandering Jew's Sentence.
XVII. The Ajoupa XVIII. The Tattooing XIX. The Smuggler XX. M. Joshua Van Dael XXI. The Ruins of Tchandi XXII. The Ambuscade XXIII. M. Rodin XXIV. The Tempest XXV. The Shipwreck XXVI. The Departure for Paris XXVII. Dagobert's Wife XXVIII. The Sister of the Bacchanal Queen XXIX. Agricola Baudoin XXX. The Return XXXI. Agricola and Mother Bunch XXXII. The Awakening XXXIII. The Pavilion XXXIV. Adrienne at her Toilet XXXV. The Interview
Book III.
XXXVI. A Female Jesuit XXXVII. The Plot XXXVIII. Adrienne's Enemies XXXIX. The Skirmish XL. The Revolt XLI. Treachery XLII. The Snare XLIII. A False Friend XLIV. The Minister's Cabinet XLV. The Visit XLVI. Presentiments XLVII. The Letter XLVIII. The Confessional XLIX. My Lord and Spoil-sport L. Appearances LI. The Convent LII. The Influence of a Confessor LIII. The Examination
Book IV.
Part Second.--The Chastisement. Prologue.--The Bird's-Eye View of Two Worlds.
I. The Masquerade II. The Contrast III. The Carouse IV. The Farewell V. The Florine VI. Mother Sainte-Perpetue VII. The Temptation VIII. Mother Bunch and Mdlle. De Cardoville IX. The Encounters--The Meeting XI. Discoveries XII. The Penal Code XIII. Burglary