Why did Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve research an author’s family background and personal life?

Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve researched an author’s family background, personal life, and other biographical details because he aimed to fully understand the individuals about whom he wrote. By gathering extensive data on an author’s character, physical appearance, education, religion, and personal relationships, he sought to "live alongside" them and allow these figures to explain themselves to contemporary readers.1

Sainte-Beuve viewed himself as a creator of likenesses of great men (imagier des grands hommes). This practice was central to his method of literary criticism, which prioritized a sympathetic, historical reconstruction of an author's life to provide context for their work. While this approach revolutionized critical methods and became a standard of historical criticism, it also drew criticism from those who felt he relied too heavily on biographical explanations rather than focusing solely on the literary phenomena themselves.1