Book Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1870 edition. Excerpt: ... cette epoque, universite, religion, societe polie, theatre, il y eut sur tous les points toutes les 15 sortes de renaissance), sous Hardi et ses successeurs immediats, le genre des sujets religieux et Chretiens ne s'etait pas reproduit, ou l'avait ete sans aucun eclat.' Rotrou's Saint Genest (1646) was suggested to its author by Corneille's masterpiece: it is an episode of the Acta 20 Sanctorum, treated with considerable vigour and talent by a man of real genius, and the excellent analysis which M. SainteBeuve has given of it in his Port-Royal (i. 151-170) proves sufficiently that Rotrou deserves the reputation he still enjoys at the present day. 25 The author of Polyeucte made another attempt to dramatize religious themes, but the performance of Theodore Vierge et Martyre (1645) was a signal failure, and, as the illustrious causeur already quoted remarks, 'alla presque au scandale.' The selection of the subject displayed great want of taste, and some of the incidents were quite repulsive. 5 Racine's Esther and Athalie form the next two links in the chain of what the French critics call 'tragedies sacrees;' and then we corne to Duche, whose Absalon, composed also for the school of Saint Cyr, is almost worthy to be ranked amongst the chefs d' uvre of French dramatic literature. After him, 10 so far as our subject is concerned, the reign of dull mediocrity begins, and we need only allude to Boyer's tragedy of Judith, amusingly characterised by Racine himself in the following epigram: 'A sa Judith, Boyer, par aventure, Etait assis pres d'un riche caissier; Bien aise etait; car le bon financier S'attendrissait et pleurait sans mesure....