Constant's Adolphe: Internal and External Chronology

The internal chronology of Adolphe (the time-span over which the narrated events are to be reckoned as taking place) can be deduced from Constant's references to Adolphe's age at different points in the text. To determine the external chronology (the real historical time in which the narrative is supposedly placed) it is necessary to relate certain events in Ellénore's life-story to known historical data, concerning particularly Polish history over the period 1772-1807. The author concludes that in Constant's thinking, Ellénore must have enjoyed the status of a real character living at a set historical period. (FWJH)