Theatre in Balzac's <i>La Comedie humaine</i>

Erscheinungsjahr 2000
ISBN: 978-90-420-0549-5
Verlag: Brill | Rodopi

Buch, Französisch, Band 181, 374 Seiten, Format (B × H): 150 mm x 220 mm, Gewicht: 644 g

Reihe: Faux Titre

This is the first study of Balzac's work to examine theatre in La Comédie humaine both as a theme in itself and for its influence on Balzac's techniques and modes of presentation in his novels, and to demonstrate the symbiotic influence of novel and stage on Balzac's work as a playwright and novelist. It will be of interest not only to students of Balzac, but also to students of nineteenth-century theatre and history. The introduction gives an account of Balzac's experience of the theatre; the first three chapters examine the historicity of Balzac's portrayal of the theatre world and how this portrayal serves his wider narrative purpose; the two following chapters demonstrate how and why Balzac relies on the theatre to provide a rich tissue of metaphor and bank of expressive devices with which to communicate his critique of society; finally the work shows how Balzac succeeded in bringing to the stage the same scrutiny of the capitalist ethos which underpins La Comédie humaine. An index of references to playwrights, plays, actors and stage characters in La Comédie humaine is given in an appendix.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Dickinson, Linzy Erika

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literaturgeschichte und Literaturkritik
• Geisteswissenschaften Theater- und Filmwissenschaft | Andere Darstellende Künste Theaterwissenschaft
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft | Kulturwissenschaften Kulturwissenschaften

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction.
Paris Theatres in La Comédie humaine
The Industry of the Theatre in La Comédie humaine
‘L'Horrible Carrière du Théâtre'
Theatre as Metaphor in La Comédie humaine
Staging the Text - Mise en Scène in Balzac's Etudes de Mœurs
César Birotteau, the Prototype of the ‘beau drame commercial'
Conclusion
Appendices
List of Works Consulted
Index of References to Works from La Comédie humaine
Index of References to Characters from La Comédie humaine
Index of References to Proper Names