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Œuvres complètes, Tome I
Le Cid, Horace, Cinna ou Polyeucte, notre connaissance de Corneille se limite généralement à ces quatre pièces. Ce qui est tout à fait surprenant, lorsqu'on sait que l'oeuvre du vieux lion du théâtre classique compte vingt et une tragédies, neuf comédies, deux tragi-comédies, deux comédies héroïques et une comédie ballet. Auxquelles s'ajoutent encore tous les textes non théâtraux, les Trois discours sur le poème dramatique, les poésies, et les grands textes chrétiens : L'Imitation de Jésus-Christ, les psaumes et les hymnes.
La belle édition des Oeuvres complètes préparée par André Stegmann rend justice à la diversité cornélienne en proposant l'intégralité de ses textes et quelques extraits de sa correspondance, assortis de commentaires judicieux et précis, de notes fort utiles, et d'une présentation générale extrêmement claire. Un seul volume pour toucher à l'essence du théâtre, à travers l'un de ses plus glorieux rejetons ! --Karla Manuele --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
La belle édition des Oeuvres complètes préparée par André Stegmann rend justice à la diversité cornélienne en proposant l'intégralité de ses textes et quelques extraits de sa correspondance, assortis de commentaires judicieux et précis, de notes fort utiles, et d'une présentation générale extrêmement claire. Un seul volume pour toucher à l'essence du théâtre, à travers l'un de ses plus glorieux rejetons ! --Karla Manuele --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
- GenresTheatre
1872 pages, Leather Bound
Published May 20, 2013
About the author
Pierre Corneille
1,912 books157 followersPierre Corneille était l'un des trois grands dramaturges français du XVIIe siècle , avec Molière et Racine. Il a été appelé «le fondateur de la tragédie française» et était productive pendant près de quarante ans.
Vous pouvez lire son oeuvre sur:
- http://www.poesies.net/corneille.html
- http://gallica.bnf.fr/Search?ArianeWi...
Pierre Corneille was one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. He has been called "the founder of French tragedy" and produced plays for nearly forty years.
You can read his works (in French) on:
- http://www.poesies.net/corneille.html
- http://gallica.bnf.fr/Search?ArianeWi...
Vous pouvez lire son oeuvre sur:
- http://www.poesies.net/corneille.html
- http://gallica.bnf.fr/Search?ArianeWi...
Pierre Corneille was one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. He has been called "the founder of French tragedy" and produced plays for nearly forty years.
You can read his works (in French) on:
- http://www.poesies.net/corneille.html
- http://gallica.bnf.fr/Search?ArianeWi...
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March 15, 2020
Corneille - Œuvres complètes Vol 1
By Pierre Corneille (1606 – 1684)
Except for the original Greek authors of whom we know, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes, all subsequent authors of theatre seem to have taken their inspirations from their predecessors. Plautus from Menander, Terence from Plautus and so did Corneille.
In his own words, for his first work “Mélite” he took inspiration from Terence and Plautus.
Indeed “Mélite” was successful and brought Corneille instant fame in the Theatre world of Paris. The young author produced a relatively simple piece, a love story with a slight twist, which consisted of eight actors interacting in dialogues. There is no perceived action.
It was the beauty of the dialogues, the excellence of the language, and of course, one should think, the performance of the actors.
The next work, “Clitandre” had an improvement as it now included twenty actors and lots of bold actions. We see fewer dialogues but many beautiful monologues.
The beauty of this work is wit and intelligence of these monologues and excellence of the language.
Corneille then writes several more works in this style and succeeds in improving from one to the next and thereby is soon seen as the genial author of his century.
In “Medea” Corneille takes inspiration from ancient classic Greek literature.
Euripides and the Roman Seneca also took The Golden Fleece as a starting point.
Our author makes use of the outcome of this tragedy where Medea is betrayed by her husband, Jason. Medea, as a powerful witch, with black magic destroys her husband’s projects.
Corneille smartly avoids lengthy scenes on Medea’s murder of her children.
Style and language are now changing in the way the classic authors had used it.
The “Cid” may well be Corneille’s best-known work. It had been very successful and for that reason also drew violent critics to Corneille’s doorstep.
The eighteenth century was not ready for certain moral aspects presented in the Cid.
Quote from ‘Excuse à Ariste:
« Mon travail sans appui monte sur le Théâtre
Chacun en liberté l’y blâme ou l’idolâtre,
Là sans que mes amis prêchent leurs sentiments
J’arrache quelquefois trop d’applaudissements, »
…’Et mes vers en tous lieux sont mes seuls partisans ;
Par leur seul beauté ma plume est estimée
Je ne dois qu’a moi seul toute ma Renommée’…
‘’Horace’’ is known from ‘The Origins’ by Livy.
The City of Alba had to submit to Rome after the duel fight of three selected fighters from each party was won by the Romans.
The tragedy results from the fact that the fighters involved are all directly or indirectly related to each other, as brothers, sisters and lovers from both cities.
“Cinna” is another work inspired by classic literature. Corneille refers to comments by Seneca and Montaigne.
Caesar Augustus is informed of a conspiration against his life.
The accused authors, Cinna and Maximus are both his good friends. Augustus should have had the conspirators executed but he was tired of killing and shedding blood.
The moral of the story is the great act of forgiveness by the Caesar and the success in the turnaround to make his would be assassins his friends again.
“Pompey” is the next classic work of Corneille in which the hero, Pompey does not appear in person on the scene. The story is about the murder of Pompey by the King of Egypt, Ptolemy, hoping to please Caesar. But when Caesar arrives in Egypt, he is upset by the murder of Pompey even as his enemy after the battle of Pharsalus.
He would have preferred humiliating Pompey by forgiving him.
Ensues the love story of Cleopatra and Caesar.
In another drama, Cornelia, Pompey’s wife, as Cesar’s prisoner, first saves him from assassination but also vows to revenge Pompey’s death.
Classic themes on the stages of Paris Theatres brought Corneille to the height of his fame.
Style, language and presentations of known themes were his unique personal merit.
The most enjoyable side of reading theatre like Corneille, Racine or Shakespeare, is if you know the outlines of the theme, you can then concentrate and follow the rimed poetry and see history come alive in dialogs and conversations.
Especially so, when a certain dangerous virus stops you from going to the local theatre representation.
Corneille’s work is a must-read for readers interested in theatre and history.
By Pierre Corneille (1606 – 1684)
Except for the original Greek authors of whom we know, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes, all subsequent authors of theatre seem to have taken their inspirations from their predecessors. Plautus from Menander, Terence from Plautus and so did Corneille.
In his own words, for his first work “Mélite” he took inspiration from Terence and Plautus.
Indeed “Mélite” was successful and brought Corneille instant fame in the Theatre world of Paris. The young author produced a relatively simple piece, a love story with a slight twist, which consisted of eight actors interacting in dialogues. There is no perceived action.
It was the beauty of the dialogues, the excellence of the language, and of course, one should think, the performance of the actors.
The next work, “Clitandre” had an improvement as it now included twenty actors and lots of bold actions. We see fewer dialogues but many beautiful monologues.
The beauty of this work is wit and intelligence of these monologues and excellence of the language.
Corneille then writes several more works in this style and succeeds in improving from one to the next and thereby is soon seen as the genial author of his century.
In “Medea” Corneille takes inspiration from ancient classic Greek literature.
Euripides and the Roman Seneca also took The Golden Fleece as a starting point.
Our author makes use of the outcome of this tragedy where Medea is betrayed by her husband, Jason. Medea, as a powerful witch, with black magic destroys her husband’s projects.
Corneille smartly avoids lengthy scenes on Medea’s murder of her children.
Style and language are now changing in the way the classic authors had used it.
The “Cid” may well be Corneille’s best-known work. It had been very successful and for that reason also drew violent critics to Corneille’s doorstep.
The eighteenth century was not ready for certain moral aspects presented in the Cid.
Quote from ‘Excuse à Ariste:
« Mon travail sans appui monte sur le Théâtre
Chacun en liberté l’y blâme ou l’idolâtre,
Là sans que mes amis prêchent leurs sentiments
J’arrache quelquefois trop d’applaudissements, »
…’Et mes vers en tous lieux sont mes seuls partisans ;
Par leur seul beauté ma plume est estimée
Je ne dois qu’a moi seul toute ma Renommée’…
‘’Horace’’ is known from ‘The Origins’ by Livy.
The City of Alba had to submit to Rome after the duel fight of three selected fighters from each party was won by the Romans.
The tragedy results from the fact that the fighters involved are all directly or indirectly related to each other, as brothers, sisters and lovers from both cities.
“Cinna” is another work inspired by classic literature. Corneille refers to comments by Seneca and Montaigne.
Caesar Augustus is informed of a conspiration against his life.
The accused authors, Cinna and Maximus are both his good friends. Augustus should have had the conspirators executed but he was tired of killing and shedding blood.
The moral of the story is the great act of forgiveness by the Caesar and the success in the turnaround to make his would be assassins his friends again.
“Pompey” is the next classic work of Corneille in which the hero, Pompey does not appear in person on the scene. The story is about the murder of Pompey by the King of Egypt, Ptolemy, hoping to please Caesar. But when Caesar arrives in Egypt, he is upset by the murder of Pompey even as his enemy after the battle of Pharsalus.
He would have preferred humiliating Pompey by forgiving him.
Ensues the love story of Cleopatra and Caesar.
In another drama, Cornelia, Pompey’s wife, as Cesar’s prisoner, first saves him from assassination but also vows to revenge Pompey’s death.
Classic themes on the stages of Paris Theatres brought Corneille to the height of his fame.
Style, language and presentations of known themes were his unique personal merit.
The most enjoyable side of reading theatre like Corneille, Racine or Shakespeare, is if you know the outlines of the theme, you can then concentrate and follow the rimed poetry and see history come alive in dialogs and conversations.
Especially so, when a certain dangerous virus stops you from going to the local theatre representation.
Corneille’s work is a must-read for readers interested in theatre and history.
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