 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2016) |
Jean Racine | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Racine | |
| Born | Jean-Baptiste Racine 21 December 1639 La Ferté-Milon, Picardy, France |
| Died | 21 April 1699 (aged 59) Paris, France |
| Occupation | Dramatist |
| Period | Seventeenth century |
| Genre | Tragedy (primarily), comedy |
| Literary movement | Classicalism, Jansenism |
| Notable works | Andromaque, Phèdre, Athalie |
Jean-Baptiste Racine (/ræˈsiːn/ rass-EEN, US also /rəˈsiːn/ rə-SEEN; French: [ʒɑ̃ batist ʁasin]; 22 December 1639 – 21 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western tradition and world literature. Racine was primarily a tragedian, producing such "examples of neoclassical perfection"[1] as Phèdre,[2] Andromaque,[3] and Athalie.[4] He did write one comedy, Les Plaideurs,[5] and a muted tragedy, Esther[6] for the young.
Racine's plays displayed his mastery of the dodecasyllabic (12 syllable) French alexandrine. His writing is renowned for its elegance, purity, speed, and fury,[7][8] and for what American poet Robert Lowell described as a "diamond-edge",[9] and the "glory of its hard, electric rage".[10] Racine's dramaturgy is marked by his psychological insight, the prevailing passion of his characters, and the nakedness[clarification needed] of both plot and stage.
- ^ Muller, D. G. (1999). "Phedre". Theatre Journal. 51 (3): 327–331. doi:10.1353/tj.1999.0066. JSTOR 25068685. S2CID 191586923.
- ^ Braga, T. J. (1990). "Double Vision in Racine's Phèdre". The French Review. 64 (2): 289–298. JSTOR 395873.
- ^ Coveney, Michael (16 March 2009). "Andromaque, Oxford Playhouse - Reviews, Theatre & Dance". The Independent.
- ^ Mann, A. (1929). "Racine's Biblical Masterpieces, Esther and Athalie". The French Review. 3 (1): 55–57. JSTOR 379685.
- ^ Jean Racine Criticism (Vol. 28)
- ^ George Steiner: A Reader – Google Books
- ^ Catholic Encyclopedia: Jean Racine
- ^ Iphigenia; Phaedra; Athaliah – Google Books
- ^ [1] Our Dramatic Heritage: The Golden Age – Google Books]
- ^ Taylor, Paul (9 September 1998). "Theatre: The mother of all dramas - Arts & Entertainment". The Independent.