This article examines the construction of masculine identity in Balzac's narrative Adieu, arguing that the self-mastery of the co-protagonist Philippe de Sucy is more fragile and provisional than has been recognized. It contextualizes his inner struggle against his passions (psychomachia) with reference to the cultural histories of male nervous disorders, sensibility, passionate love, and honour. It then proposes that the narrative undercuts Philippe's stoic heroism by evoking religious doctrines hostile to stoicism that were historically influential within French Catholicism. Highlighting the dialogism of the text, it concludes by exploring the agency of intratextual witnesses and implied readers.
