Commentaires sur Corneille

Commentaires sur Corneille
AuthorVoltaire
Original titleCommentaires sur Corneille
LanguageFrench
SubjectTheatre
GenreLiterary criticism
Publication date
1764
Publication placeFrance

The Commentaires sur Corneille is a work of literary criticism by the French Enlightenment writer and philosopher Voltaire, collecting and analysing the dramatic works of Pierre Corneille (1608–1684).[1] It was first published in 1764,[2] printed in Geneva in twelve volumes.[3] A second edition, published ten years later, added extensive critical commentary, reflecting changes in Voltaire's attitude to Corneille and to criticism. It was Voltaire's largest ever work of critical commentary, described by the author as a distillation of his fifty years of experience in theatre.[4] Though very influential in the late eighteenth century, it was seen more negatively from 1800 onwards, as critics questioned the fairness of Voltaire's commentary and his motives.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference preface was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference introduction was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Williams, David (1976). "The Role of the Foreign Theatre in Voltaire's "Corneille"". The Modern Language Review. 71 (2): 282–293. doi:10.2307/3724782. JSTOR 3724782.