How did Sir Walter Scott influence Alfred de Vigny’s novel Cinq-Mars?

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Alfred-Victor, count de Vigny Vigny, lithograph by Antoine Maurin, 1832

Alfred de Vigny’s Cinq-Mars (1826) was significantly influenced by the immense popularity and vogue of the historical novels written by Sir Walter Scott.12

During the 1820s, Scott’s works—which were widely read in French translation—provided the primary impetus for the burgeoning interest in the historical novel across Europe. By adopting this popular literary form, Vigny was able to capitalize on the existing enthusiasm for historical fiction, ultimately producing what is recognized as the first important historical novel in the French language.132