Jean-Christophe: Analysis of Major Characters
"Jean-Christophe" is a novel that explores the life of its protagonist, Jean-Christophe Krafft, a gifted musician with a tumultuous personal life. Despite being musically brilliant, he faces challenges due to his lack of education in other aspects of life. The narrative delves into his relationships, including brief romantic entanglements and encounters with key figures that shape his journey. His father, Melchior, is a virtuoso, while his grandfather, Jean Michel, is a well-known conductor, indicating a familial legacy in music.
Jean-Christophe's interactions with various characters reveal his struggles and growth, such as his involvement with Ada, a shop girl, and Lorchen, a farm girl, whose defense leads him to flee Germany. Colette, a coquette, receives music lessons from him, and her cousin, Grazia, plays a significant role in bolstering his career. The story also touches on themes of love, loss, and political engagement, as seen through his relationships with characters like Antoinette and her brother Olivier, who ultimately faces tragedy. The narrative culminates in Jean-Christophe's recognition as a leading composer, despite his solitary death in Paris, encapsulating the complexities of an artist's life amidst personal and societal challenges.
Jean-Christophe: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Romain Rolland
First published: 1904–1912 (English translation, 1910–1913)
Genre: Novels
Locale: Germany, France, and Switzerland
Plot: Social
Time: Late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
Jean-Christophe Krafft (zhahn-krees-TOHF krahft), a musical genius who is uneducated in most phases of life. He has temporary love affairs and gets involved in the syndicalist political movement. He dies alone in Paris, recognized as the world's greatest composer of modern music.
Melchior Krafft (mehl-CHOHR), his virtuoso father.
Louisa (lwee-ZAH), his lower-class mother.
Jean Michel (zhahn mee-SHEHL), a famous orchestra conductor and Jean-Christophe's grandfather.
Ada (ah-DAH), a vulgar shop girl who becomes Jean-Christophe's first mistress.
Lorchen (lohr-SHAHN), a young farm girl in whose defense Jean-Christophe kills a soldier and has to leave Germany.
Colette Stevens (koh-LEHT stay-VAHN), a coquette to whom Jean-Christophe gives music lessons.
Grazia (grah-TSYAH), Colette's cousin, who secretly helps build Jean-Christophe's reputation. After her husband's death, she encourages Jean-Christophe in Switzerland.
Antoinette (ahn-twah-NEHT), who dies of consumption while educating her brother Olivier.
Olivier (oh-lee-VYAY), a writer who admires Jean-Christophe's work. He is killed while with Jean-Christophe in a May Day political riot.
Jacqueline (zhahk-LEEN), a shallow girl, Olivier's wife.
Anna (ah-NAH), a married woman with whom Jean-Christophe has an affair during his Swiss exile.