This book sits at a wonderful crossroads. It's part literary criticism, part medical history, and part cultural investigation. Dr. Joseph Grasset, a real physician of his time, takes the popular novels of Paul Bourget—a writer famous for dissecting the moral and psychological dilemmas of French high society—and examines them with a doctor's eye.

The Story

There isn't a traditional plot with characters, but there is a clear quest. Grasset systematically goes through Bourget's major works, pulling out every instance of illness, mental disturbance, and medical discussion. He looks at how Bourget portrays conditions like hysteria, hereditary flaws, and nervous exhaustion. Grasset then holds these fictional portraits up against the actual medical knowledge of the late 19th century. The "story" is the reveal: we see how accurately (or inaccurately) a major novelist of the day used the science of his time to explain his characters' motivations and fates. It's a book about the fingerprints of an era's science left all over its art.

Why You Should Read It

What makes this special is the author's unique perspective. Grasset isn't a distant academic; he's a practicing doctor writing for an educated public. His tone is often direct and even opinionated. You can feel him getting excited when Bourget gets the medicine right and a bit frustrated when he simplifies or dramatizes it for effect. Reading this is like getting a backstage pass to the intellectual conversations of the Belle Époque. It shows us that the debate over 'nature vs. nurture' or the influence of 'nerves' wasn't confined to laboratories—it was the stuff of bestselling fiction. You end up learning a lot about both medical history and how novels work to shape our understanding of human nature.

Final Verdict

This is a niche gem, but a brilliant one for the right reader. It's perfect for history buffs interested in the intersection of science and culture, or for literature fans who enjoy seeing how books are put together from the inside out. If you've ever read a classic novel and wondered 'what did people back then really think caused that character's breakdown?'—this book has your answers. It’s not a light beach read, but for anyone curious about the hidden frameworks of thought that support great stories, it is absolutely absorbing.