Banville et l'art du conte

Banville's work is not merely devoted to poetry or theater. His narrative writing is also of great interest to renew the critical approach of the nineteenth- century short story tellers. A large number of tales about every day life-Parisian as well as Provincial-may define a new aesthetical point of view, particularly well adapted to a rapid reading. From oral tradition, especially underlined in the AvantPropos, Banville, an admirer of Balzac's narrative technique, displays a large number of short stories. The reader also may be interested to establish links with Maupassant's way of writing. (PA) (In French)