| We often think that the major French tragedies of the seventeenth
century were written in conformity with a widely accepted, uniform,
and coherent "classical doctrine" of poetics. In this
stimulating and controversial reassessment of important but neglected
treatises of dramatic art, John Lyons argues that there was no
such uniform doctrine. Yet, at the same time, the theories of
tragedy show exceptional creativity, independently of their impact
on the actual writing of the important contemporary plays. Lyons
guides readers to surprising discoveries in the polemics surrounding
this great dramatic genre. In the opening chapter, he presents
a revisionist view of the "rules," the basic units
of seventeenth-century poetic theory, and shows the consequences
of the post-Aristotelian fragmentation of aesthetics into small
and often incompatible precepts. Then he studies in succession
the conflicting theories of the tragic story, tragic emotion
and audience response, and the celebrated but misunderstood "three
unities." Throughout this account, seventeenth-century theorists
are seen struggling to create a "good" modern, Christian,
monarchical tragedy in opposition to the "bad" pagan
and democratic tragedy of Antiquity.
This stimulating and controversial reassessment of French
classical ideas about tragedy will be valuable to students and
scholars of French literature, drama, and cultural history.
"The very idea of this book presents a challenge....Who then better
than John Lyons to take up such a challenge? ...Lyons is at his best
when gently puncturing some of the more persistent myths that surround
this subject. He reminds us that the so-called 'classic' doctrine...did
not exist as such in the seventeenth century.... [His] previous critical
works have made one come to expect erudition, insight and common sense,
expressed with warmth and wit. The very least one can say, at the end
of this invigorating reappraisal, is that our expectations are not disappointed."
John Campbell, French Studies
For the complete review, see French Studies 55.2 (Apr. 2001):
242-43.
"The topics [Lyons] treats are essential for understanding the
literature, philosophy, and culture of the seventeenth-century, and
Lyons's contributions to our understanding of these topics, no less
than brilliant." Michael Vincent, author of Figures of the Text:
Reading and Writing (in) La Fontaine
"A clearer historical and socio-political framework would have
considerably clarified this penetrating and otherwise clearly-written
account of the variety and interest of texts which, in the prehistory
of literary criticism and theory, were influential early illustrations
of a peculiarly modern form of literary activity." David Clarke,
Modern Language Review
For the complete review, see Modern Language Review 96.2 (2001):
496-97.
"Sur la théorie de la tragédie classique, on pouvait
en effet croire que tout avait été dit; mais John D. Lyons
démontre de manière concluante, dans une étude
qui se veut 'révisionniste,' que l'on vient pas toujours trop
tard, et que la nature de ce que l'Ecole définit comme 'le classicisme'
depuis plus de deux siècles n'a pas encore livré tous
ses secrets....Sougneusement documenté, rigoureusement argumenté,
rédigé avec précision et concision, cet ouvrage
décape efficacement un sujet qui méritait d'être
revu sur des bases saines, et qui souffrait d'être enfoui sous
de nombreuses gloses tendancieuses, impressionnistes, voire fantaisistes....Kingdom
of Disorder est à lire d'urgence par quiconque s'intéresse
non seulement à la tragédie ou au théâtre
du XVIIe siècle, mais plus généralement à
l'histoire culturelle française et à l'invention de la
modernité' dont la théorie dramatique dite 'classique'
constitue l'un des fondements." Guy Spielmann, Papers on French
Seventeenth-Century Literature
For the complete review, see PFSCL 28.55 (2001): 539-41.
Other reviews:
French Review 75.1 (Oct. 2001): 163-65 (by Eléonore
M. Zimmermann).
Choice 37 (Mar. 2000): 1305 (by C.E. Campbell).
Reference & Research Book News 1 Nov. 1999.
John D. Lyons, University of Virginia, has written several
books on seventeenth-century French literature, including Exemplum
and The Tragedy of Origins.
1-55753-160-9
1999. PSRL 18. xvi, 251 pp. Cloth $52.95
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