The Simple Man's Life

Emile Guillaumin wrote a story titled "Tiennon" in order to depict the life of a French peasant. Guillaumin, a peasant himself, wanted to show the reality of a sharecropper's life to people in Moulins, Paris, and beyond. Born in 1823, Tiennon's life is a portrayal of the struggles faced by French peasants during the 19th century. Guillaumin believed that French peasants were misrepresented in contemporary literature, either being romanticized or depicted as helpless victims of nature.

Guillaumin, who only received a few years of schooling, spent his life working on a small farm in central France. He devoted his nights to studying and writing, making him unique amongst his peers. His goal in writing "Tiennon" was to provide an accurate representation of the French peasant's life and to correct any misconceptions portrayed in literature. The result is a moving first-person narrative that not only provides a fictional account but also serves as valuable material for historians seeking to understand the real lives of 19th-century French peasants.

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