In Racine et les trois publics de lâamour Delphine Calle unravels the seductive power of Racinian tragedy by turning to the 17th-century French debates on love. Whether it is staged as concupiscence or pure love, as self-love or the desire to please, love is at the heart of Racinian theatre: it sparks tragic action and moves its spectators. These spectators are threefold: the tragic lover is not only scrutinized by the real audience, who is passionate about passion, he also feels the gaze of his loved one and of his own conscience, that questions the value of his love. Following the 17th- century moralist theatre critics, this monograph aligns amorous and theatrical experiences, in order to reveal Racineâs dramaturgy of love.
Delphine Calle (Ph.D., Ghent, 2018) is Postdoctoral Researcher at Ghent University, where she teaches Early Modern French Literature and Culture. Her publications include several articles and book chapters on seventeenth-century French literature and edited volumes on love and friendship.
This book will be of immediate interest for academics working on French seventeenth-century literature and for those interested in theatrical studies and/or the history of mentalities and emotions.