Corneille's Tragedies - The Role of the Unexpected

In this book Professor Knight reviews all twenty of Corneille's heroic and tragic plays and in the process challenges some received interpretations. But he also distances himself from the new critical tendency which seeks to interpret Corneille's work by close reference to historical events and political ideas. The picture he creates here is of a highly intelligent dramatist who enjoyed playing with ideas, and was anxious to impress - even astonish - by novelty, rather than of a master of political thought or an exponent of social trends.

'This eminently readable book, often incisive, sometimes profound, will quickly take its place among the more important recent studies of Corneille . . .' (Modern Language Review)

R. C. Knight is Emeritus Professor of French at the University College of Swansea. He has written numerous books and articles on French tragedy and prepared critical editions of Racine's Andromaque and Phèdre, Corneille's Nicomède and has also written on Horace. In tribute to his scholarship he has been awarded the titles of Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur, Officer des Palmes Académiques and Hon. President of the Society for Seventeenth-Century French Studies

pp viii134 1991 hardback