FRENCH 17

BEROALDE DE VERVILLE

KENNY, NEIL, et al. Béroalde de Verville (1556–1626). Paris: Presses de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, 1996.

Review: F. Briot in RSH 250 (1998), 157–158: Essays focus on Béroalde de Verville, "connu surtout par Le Moyen de parvenir (publié vers 1616), plus souvent cité que lu, et par quelques poèmes dans des anthologies 'baroques'." Ce volume remet "en lumière une de ces œuvres-charnières et ... [prend] à bras le corps le délicat problème (pour ne pas dire la délicieuse tension) entre les valeurs du savoir humaniste et les jeux de l'écriture.... Agrémenté d'une utile bibliographie, le volume se clôt par des annonces de réditions d'œuvres de Verville que le lecteur alléché par ces délices inter- et intratextuelles attend désormais avec grande envie."

See French 17 (1998)

RENAUD, MICHEL. Pour une lecture du Moyen de parvenir de Béroalde de Verville. Paris: Champion, 1997.

Review: D. Mauri in BHR 60.3 (1998), 877–79: Deuxième édition revue d'un ouvrage publié en 1984. "Dans ses conclusions, Renaud souligne que la 'différence' et le caractère singulier du Moyen de parvenir révèlent l'isolement intellectuel de son auteur, qui, suspendu, dans une sorte de séance fascinante, entre l'humanisme mourant et le libertinisme à venir, s'interroge sur 'le sens'—ou le non- sens—du monde, et du livre qui le met en scène."

CHANUT

RAYMOND, JEAN-FRANÇOIS DE. Pierre Chanut, ami de Descartes. Paris: Beauchesne, 1999

CHAPELAIN

PETERS, JEFFREY. "Ideology, Culture, and the Threat of Allegory in Chapelain's Theory of La Vraisemblance." RR 89.4 (1998), 491–505.

P. focuses on Chapelain's preface to Adonis (1623) which, in large measure, deals more with C.'s ideas on "la vraisemblance" than on Giambattista Marino's epic poem. Author wishes to "emphasize the cultural significance of Chapelain's act of critical misdirection," in which "la vraisemblance provides a useful framework within which to theorize the nature of social laws in early modern France." After describing the seventeenth-century insistence "on the social dimension of poetic verisimilitude," P. then discusses Genette's interpretation of "la vraisemblance as a form of ideology." With respect to Chapelain, this theory of the verisimilar centers on "...a narrative structure whose cultural enactment conditions readers...to a linear logic of apparently self-evident causality." What hinders the effectiveness of the verisimilar according to C., is allegory, "because it is reliant upon reading and interpretation, and thus subject to the disfigurations of polysemy." P. explicates these ideas throughout the article, then shows how Chapelain applies this theory fourteen years later as the "author of the Academy's official decision" in the Querelle du Cid (1637).

CLAVERET. JEAN

SCHERER, COLETTE, ed. Jean Claveret, L'Esprit fort, comédie. Genève: Droz, 1997.

Review: Perry Gethner in PFSCL 26 (1999), 234–235: "...a fine edition, which makes a genuine contribution to our understanding of early French classical comedy."

Review: C. Rizza in SFr 42 (1998), 127: Known mostly for his participation in the "querelle du Cid", Claveret is the author of 2 extant plays. L'Esprit fort was performed at the Hotel de Bourgogne around 1630 and published by F. Targa in 1637. Although the play is not particularly original, R. concludes that it deserved an accurate edition, if only for its contribution to our understanding of theatre during the early years of Corneille's career.

CORNEILLE, PIERRE

AUCHINCLOSS, LOUIS. La Gloire: The Roman Empire of Corneille and Racine. Columbia, S.C.: University of South Carolina Press, 1996.

Review: T. Dubost in ThR 23.2 (1998), 183–184: "Fourteen plays... are briefly studied — about six pages per play — and one has mixed feelings about whether the remarks concerning the abstracts he comments on are accurate." No attempt to define "glory" (Roman or French). Tentative links between Roman politial situation and French situation are made; could be developped. Lacks a conclusion.

Review: S. R. Baker in SoAR 63.2 (1998), 124–125: "In this slim volume, a well-known American man of letters endeavors to convey his notion of the spirit informing the Roman plays of Pierre Corneille and his younger rival, Jean Racine. Elegantly written with a view towards the cultivated but not scholarly reader, A.'s series of fourteen brief essays presents twelve tragedies of Corneille ... and two tragedies of Racine.... Rather than order his discussion according to the dates when these plays were written, the author has chosen to espouse the chronology of Roman history itself... [S]uch an ordering gives the reader a very absorbing overview of Roman history as treated by the two greatest tragic poets of the classical age in France." Reviewer questions A.'s definition of "la gloire," however. "It is nonetheless commendable that despite many excellent translations of verses by Corneille and Racine, A. declines to translate the term la gloire. He thereby gestures towards the rich ambiguities of this cultural ideal, its appeal to contemporary audiences..., and even... its very theatrical basis as an ethical concept." Recommended for undergraduates and "those in the teaching profession who still enjoy a 'humanistic' approach to the canon."

BANDERIER, GILLES. "Corneille et Louis le Laboureur." DSS 196 (1997), 609–14.

Review: A. Arrigoni in SFr 42 (1998), 565: A study of the "querelle" that arose following the publication of a pamphlet called Les avantages de la langue française sur la langue latine between its author, Le Laboureur, and René-François de Sluse, focusing on the manner in which the two used Corneille's oeuvres to justify their own theoretical positions.

BILLARD, PIERRE. Performance review of Le Cid at the Maison des Arts de Créteil, autumn 1998. Le Point 1361 (1998), 130–131.

"Il fallait un Anglais pour oser rénover notre monument historique: c'est une complète réussite. Declan Donnelan restitue la comédie de mœurs qui rôde dans cette 'tragédie-comédie héroïque.' Son Rodrigue n'a rien d'un Matamore et répugne à la tâche que la défense de l'honneur familial lui impose. La pièce devient humaine, contrastée, plus riche de ses nuances et de ses ambiguités."

BILLARD, PIERRE. Performance review of Polyeucte, mise en scène de Christian Schiaretti at the Théâtre d'Ivry, May, 1999. Le Point 1391 (1999), 128–129.

"Une troupe assez pâle, des comédiens sans vraie noblesse, un jeu sans éclat brisent l'émotion du spectateur, qui n'est plus qu'attentif."

CAHNE, PIERRE: "Note sur la comédie du Menteur. Charge ironique de la parole du philosophe." PFSCL 25 (1998), 397–399.

Did Corneille organize his comedy with satirical intentions? Was the audience supposed to identify Dorante as Descartes?

CARLIN, CLAIRE. "Corneille's Confessional Discourse." SCFS 20 (1998), 71–82.

Carefully and persuasively argued analysis of questioning of motives and loss of ability to resolve moral conflict as hallmarks of plays in the 1660s whose protagonists have lost the sense of heroic self-sacrifice.

COUPRIE, ALAIN. "Coups d'état ou coups de théâtre? Corneille entre ambiguïtés idéologiques et nécessités dramatiques." Vives Lettres 4 (1997), 91–104.

Review: A. Arrigoni in SFr 42 (1998), 565: A discussion of the themes of the "conjuration" and the "coup d'état" in the theatre of Corneille reveals that while the playwright deplores such actions on an ideological plane, both the conspiracy and the coup d'état are, from a theatrical point of view, necessary elements. Therefore, in his plays there are "good" and "bad" conspiracies, in function of how necessary they are to the dramatic needs of the plot.

DANDREY PATRICK, GEORGES FORESTIER, et PIERRE RONZEAUD, eds. Corneille: Cinna, Rodogune, Nicomède. Actes de la journée d'études du CMR 17 du 22 novembre 1997 à Marseille sous la direction de Pierre Ronzeaud et de la journée Corneille en Sorbonne sous la direction de Patrick Dandrey et Georges Forestier. Paris: Champion, 1998.

Review: Milorad R. Margitic in PFSCL 26 (1999), 458–460: "This is a fascinating collection of essays...[which] bear witness to the vitality of Corneille scholarship."

DANDREY, PATRICK, ed. Polyeucte. Paris: Gallimard, 1996.

Review: Valerie Worth-Stylianou in FS 52.3 (1998), 340–341: "This Folio edition of Polyeucte is intended for the (French) undergraduate market. . . . Dandrey's introduction to the text gives a confident account of the place of Polyeucte among Corneille's early tragedies, drawing fruitfully on Forestier's recent work on the relationship between 'forme' and 'sens' in Corneille. . . . The bibliography of secondary criticism is up to date and extensive, but distinctly biased towards studies published in France."

ESCOLA, MARC et BENEDICTE LOUVAT. "Le statut de l'épisode dans la tragédie classique: Œdipe de Corneille ou le complexe de Dircé." DSS 200 (1998), 453–470.

Authors demonstrate the ways in which Corneille's insertion of the Thésée/Dircé love story exemplifies the "ambiguïtés de la doctrine classique de l'épisode," and they conclude that Œdipe stages "la confrontation esthétique d'une comédie héroïque et d'une tragédie, la collusion du pathétique ancien de l'agnition et du pathétique moderne continu."

FORESTIER, GEORGES. Corneille, le sens d'une dramaturgie. Paris: Sedes, 1998.

Review: Milorad R. Margitic in PFSCL 26 (1999), 467–468: "Dense, rich in insights, amply documented, and thoroughly persuasive...".

GEORGES, ANDRE. "Le sens des stances de Polyeucte." DSS 200 (1998), 471–482.

Diverging from interpretations offered by various critics, author argues that Polyeucte's stances (IV:2) form a culminating point of the action: "les deux premières stances célèbrent la mort de Polyeucte au monde et les deux dernières son épanouissement en Dieu."

GOULBOURNE, RUSSELL J. "Visual Effects and the Theatrical Illusion in Pierre Corneille's Early Plays." PFSCL 25 (1998), 531–544.

The author seeks to attend to a neglected aspect of Corneille's work, the visual qualities of his plays (using as evidence Corneille's use of décor, exits and entrances, movements and gestures, stage properties and costumes) and relating these devices to "his well-known thematic preoccupation with self-conscious theatricality" evident in role-playing, the activities of theatrical director-figures, and his playful treatment of dramatic conventions.

GREGORIO, LAURENCE A. "Their Mean Task: Women and the Classical Ideal in Corneille's Theater." PFSCL 26 (1999), 371–387.

The author attempts to show the differences of characterization between the genders in Corneille's theater, where "men are bound to a Platonic quest for abstract ideals" and "determined by baroque ideals" while to women is consigned the "classical quest for moderation."

HARRISON, HELEN. "Payer or récompense: Royal Gratitude in Le Cid." FR 72 (1998), 238–49.

Examines the royal difficulties of a king endebted to a subject and the need to obfuscate similarities of "paiement" and "récompense." The play, as some contemporary critics point out, made its public applaud royal gifts at the expense of noble bravade, bolstering the ideology of nascent absolutism.

HUBERT, JUDD D. Corneille's Performative Metaphors. Charlottesville, VA: Rookwood Press, 1997.

Review: Claire Carlin in PFSCL 25 (1998), 616–617: "With all of his work on Corneille collected, revised, and greatly augmented, the critic provides a delightful performance, worthy of Corneille's poetic genius."

Review: D. Clarke in MLR 91.2 (1999), 539: "In the conviction that 'theatricality can provide as valid a matrix for the genesis of Corneille's theater as history and other recourses to referentiality,' Judd Hubert discusses the 'auto-genesis of the work of art', reading each play 'as though it had come into being for a deliberate display of 'self-referential theatricality, henceforth posited as the dominant causal agent or actant'."

KERR, CYNTHIA B. "Sous le signe de l'Europe: Le Menteur de Jean-Marie Villégier." PFSCL 25 (1998), 555–570.

"European" signification of Jean-Marie Villégier's traveling production of Corneille's Le Menteur, "pièce franco-espagnole et, par certains aspects, franco-italienne", which went on a European tour for a year and a half. Villégier has been instrumental in bringing to the stage, besides Corneille, Garnier, Rotrou, Hardy, Mairet and Tristan L'Hermitte.

LE GALL, ANDRÉ. Pierre Corneille en son temps et en son oeuvre: enquête sur un poète du théâtre au XVIIe siècle. Paris: Flammarion, 1997.

Review: Marie-Odile Sweetser in PFSCL 26 (1999), 227–229: "Cette biographie constitue une somme cornélienne à jour, tenant compte des apports de l'érudition et de la critique qui ont permis un renouveau des études cornéliennes, ponctuée par de judicieuses remarques sur les concepts dramatiques et philosophiques qui sous-tendent l'oeuvre."

LYONS, JOHN D. "Race and Merit: the Dilemma of Corneille's Carlos." FLS 26 (1999) 15–25.

The thématique undergirding L's argument is the idea that, "The seventeenth century saw the shift from a pre-modern self determined by family and tradition, to a modern self that assumes the power to act and appear independently of the past, and in particular, independently from the family." In his introduction, Lyons mentions several plays which "focus on themes of misunderstood identity," but suggests that Don Sanche d'Aragon (1650) "most explicitly raises the question of the relation between identity and origins." The central issue of the play, i.e., whether or not Carlos is "the heir to the throne of Aragon," leads Lyons to develop the conflict between "race" and "merit." Corneille deals with the tension subtly, arriving at an equilibrium in which both qualities reinforce one another in the creation of a princely identity which is in part based on dramatic performance. Lyons states that as the play draws to a close, "Of course the princes are still princes, and we can assume that their ability proceeds from this genealogical bases, but through disguise they create the appearance of a merit that transcends birth and belongs specifically to the individual hero.

NIDERST, ALAIN, ed. Les comédies de Corneille: Actes du Colloque de Rouen. PFSCL 25 (1998): 109–278.

Review: C. Rolla in SFr 42 (1998), 564–5: A collection of papers (by M.-F. Wagner, C. Mazouer, A. Soare, H. Stone and R. Goodkin, among others) presented at Rouen under the aegis of Niderst that illustrate the richness and subversive nature of Corneille's comedies. Topics include: the dramatic function of the confidante; the conflict between parents and children in Corneille and Molière; the trial as a point of contact between Corneille's comedies and tragedies; "les humeurs"; the Place Royale; and the promenade as a theatrical mise en abyme.

RIOU, DANIEL, ed. Lectures de Corneille: Cinna, Rodogune, Nicomède . Rennes: Presses Universitaires de Rennes, 1997.

Review: Alan Howe in FS 53.2 (1999), 203–204: The eight essays presented here, written by established scholars, will interest both students and specialists. "Two unifying threads run through this collection: several authors are concerned to chart aspects of Corneille's artistic evolution, and most invoke or engage with Georges Forestier's already seminal 1996 monograph."

SLATER, MAYA. "Scantily-Clad Tragedy." TLS 5005 (5 Mar 1999), 21.

Review of Declan Donnelley's production in French at-Riverside Studios of Le Cid. Providing a wealth of fresh appearances, some of which are described as illuminating while others "warp the impact of this complex play." High praise for diction and parts of the staging.

SWEETSER, MARIE-ODILE. "Héroïnes cornéliennes complexes et contrastées dans Cinna et Rodogune," in Lectures de Corneille: Cinna, Rodogune, Nicomède, ed. Daniel Riou (Rennes: Presses Universitaires, 1997), 57–74.

S. etudie comment Corneille a réussi à créer des "...créatures féminines déployant une grande variété dans leurs caractères, leurs passions, leurs sensibilités, leurs personnalités, capables de penser et agir en tant qu'individus...," dans une époque où la femme etait souvent présentée par une vision idealisée ou bien satirique.

CYRANO

ALCOVER, MADELEINE. "Le troisième manuscrit de L'autre monde de Cyrano de Bergerac." DSS 196 (1997): 597–608.

Review: A. Arrigoni in SFr 42 (1998), 567: A "very interesting and precise discussion" of a recent edition of the third manuscript of L'autre monde (edited by M. Sanke and published in 1995) which outlines some lacunae in the edition; in particular Alcover remarks that a history of the origins of the manuscript and a detailed textual analysis are needed in order to complete our understanding of the text.

FESTA, LYNN. "Empires of the Sun: Colonialism and Closure in Louis XIV's 1662 Carrousel and Cyrano's Les Estats et les Empires du Soleil." RR 89.4 (1998) 469–90.

Article compares the "Carrousel" procession which celebrated Louis XIV's colonial and absolutist power, with Cyrano's posthumously text, published in the same year (1662). F. summarizes the link between the two in the following manner, "If Louis's exploration of new worlds is materially linked to their exploitation and mastery, Dyrcona's (narrator of the Estats) quest for freedom in new worlds involves an explosion of the boundaries of the known." The basic issue the article addresses is the juxtaposition of the Old and New Worlds, and how the Old must "grapple with...the intractable plurality of the New." Within this juxtaposition, the conflict between Louis XIV and Cyrano expresses itself in "the Carrousel's frozen, centralized universe," and the "diffusively fractured and fragmented text of Cyrano's Dyrcona." Where the two come together is in their suggestion of violence as the instrument of promoting one system at the expense of another. With Louis XIV, this violence leads to a kind of "monologism" which continually celebrates itself. Cyrano's narrator, though unable to free himself from this "monologism," does present, "a vision of other worlds that proffers a brief moment in which what is lost to an absolutist order may be glimpsed."

WOLFE, KATHRYN WILLIS. "The Baroque Paradox of Cyrano de Bergerac's Pédant Joué: Exploiting a Conventionalized Form to Express an Anti-authoritarian Content." PFSCL 25 (1998), 523–530.

An appeal to further study a neglected work, a "play that is not really a play featuring a pedant who...emerges as the greatest of all due to the depth of characterization made possible by the multiple layers of paradox converging about this role."

D'AUBIGNE

BANDERIER, GILLES. "L'Advis au Roy de la Grande Bretagne: Un texte inédit d'Agrippa d'Aubigné." BHR 61.2 (1999), 509–14.

"Le manuscrit Yelverton 110 (British Library, Additional Manuscript 48101) est un in-folio sur papier, relié en vélin et folioté au XVIIe siècle. Il rassemble des copies de "'Political Tracts and Papers relating to domestic and foreign affairs' de la fin du XVIe siècle au début du XVIIe siècle. On rencontre, au f. 394ro, un texte français, l'Advis au Roy de la Grande Bretagne, escrit par Monsieur d'Aubigny à Genève . . . ."

See French 17 (1998).

LAZARD, MADELEINE. Agrippa d'Aubigné. Paris: Fayard, 1998.

Review: Frank Lestringant in BSHPF 145 (1999), 198–201: Highest praise for the writing, the documentation, coverage of contemporary views. Henceforth "ouvrage de référence," replacing Garnier (1928). Interesting reflections of the limitations imposed by any linear biographical account that of necessity privileges the memorialist over the poet. Sets some abiding enigmas in the matter of constancy of faith and provides a short list of errata.

Review: P. Sharratt in MLR 91.3 (1999), 822–23: "This book is based on a sympathetic personal reading of d'Aubigné and tells the story engagingly, striking a balance between narrative and literary criticism, and showing how d'Aubigné's life and works are woven into the history of the Wars of Religion and of the dynastic problems that coloured the end of the reign of theValois."

See French 17 (1998).

NICHOLS-PECCEU, MARTHA. "Censorship, Toleration, and Protestant Poetics: The Case of Agrippa d'Aubigné's Histoire universelle." FLS 25, 1998, 41–53.

Article deals with the 1620 arrêt which condemned d'Aubigné's text. Author states that "the story behind the arrêt...dramatizes not only the erratic nature of censorship during the religious wars, but also the potential incursion of censors into the Protestant home where literary and devotional practice commonly took place." N-P states that, "by drawing on his experience of writing under censorship, d'Aubigné created a poetics based on a Protestant relation to language and literary tradition." Among the key elements of N-P's argument are the "cultural conditions" in which the monarchy "attempted to contain Protestant worship," as well as the "linguistic strategies d'Aubigné employs," such as "obfuscation and ambiguity," which "thwart the distinctions (official/un-official, public/private) upon which censorship was dependent."

THIERRY, ANDRE, éd. Agrippa d'Aubigné. Histoire universelle. T. X. Genève: Droz, 1999.

D'AULNOY, MADAME

BIRBERICK, ANNE L. "Fatal Curiosity: D'Aulnoy's Le Serpentin vert." PFSCL 26 (1999), 282–288.

This paper was presented during the 1997 MLA Convention conference on "La curiosité au XVIIe siècle." Introduction by Martine Debaisieux. Since "mauvaise curiosité" was generally associated with the female sex (Eve, Pandora, Psyche) French "conteuses" have often attempted to fashion distinctive narratives to reconfigure the "traditional moral...associated with the myth." Birberick analyzes these differences in Le serpentin vert to show that the heroine's curiosity is no longer an "inherent natural trait" but "a desire acquired and generated through the act of reading."

DEFRANCE, ANNE. Les contes et les nouvelles de Madame d'Aulnoy (1690–1698). Geneva: Droz, 1998.

Review: Nathalie Grande in RHL 99.3 (1999), 536: According to G., D.'s work represents, "la première synthèse sur une oeuvre que de récentes réditions viennent enfin de rendre accessible à la curiosité d'un large public." D. emphasizes the relationship between Mme d'Aulnoy and the folkloric tradition, as well as the influence of mythological motifs on the Contes. The work also situates Mme d'Aulnoy within the Querelle des Anciens et des Modernes, and simultaneously explores "les fantasmes principaux à l'oeuvre," such as "la pulsion orale, la pulsion scopique, et le fantasme homosexuel."

THIRARD, MARIE-AGNES. "Le meccano des Contes de Madame d'Aulnoy." PFSCL 26 (1999), 175–193.

Inventory of the various ways in which D'Aulnoy plays with the structures of the oral tale, to reconstruct it into a written tale, thereby turning a popular genre into a literary genre.

DESCARTES

ARIEW, ROGER, JOHN COTTINGHAM, and TOM SORRELL, eds. Descartes' Meditations: Background Source Materials. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.

Translations from Ramus, Sanches, Clavius, Suarez, Charron, Eustacius a Sancto Paulo, Dupleix, Mersenne, Gassendi, Silhon, La Mothe le Voyer, Sorel, Morin.

AZOUVI, FRANÇOIS. "Descartes." In Realms of Memory: The Construction of the French Past, vol. 3, Symbols, ed. Pierre Nora (New York: Columbia University Press, 1998). Pp. 483–521.

Explores the future prestige in French culture.

BIARD, JOEL and ROSHDI RASHED, eds. Descartes et le Moyen Age. Paris: Vrin, 1997.

Collection of 23 essays across the disciplines. Complete listing in Isis Current Bibliography 89 (1998), no. 1482.

CORNILLE, JEAN-LOUIS. "Le Solitaire et la Minerve." PFSCL 26 (1999), 359–370.

Descarte's gesture of rejecting from his Discours the other's thought, in order to be able to gather "ces légères traces de soi," examined in conjunction with his choice of the vernacular.

COTTINGHAM, JOHN, ed. Descartes. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.

Important collection of 14 philosophical papers with introduction by Cottingham. Complete listing in Isis Current Biblioqraphy 89 (1998), no. 1487.

DARMON, JEAN-CHARLES. "Gassendi et la rhétorique de Descartes." PFSCL 25 (1998), 401–429.

On the rhetorical dimension of the conflict between Descartes and Gassendi, who accused each other of being "rhéteurs", and Gassendi's reading of the fiction of the "malin génie" as rhetorical artifice.

DESCARTES ET SON OEUVRE AUJOURD'HUI, Liege: Mardagat 1998.

Papers by Annie Birbol-Hespériès, Jacques Bouveresse, Enrico Giusti, Olivier Hondé, Geneviève Rodis-Lewis.

GONTIER, THIERRY, De l'Homme à l'animal: Montaigne et Descartes ou les paradoxes de la philosophie moderne sur la nature des animaux. Paris: Vrin, 1998.

GUENANCIA, PIERRE. L'intelligence du sensible. Essai sur Descartes, le dualisme et la scène philosophique. Paris: Gallimard, 1998.

Review: F. De Buzon in QL 752 (1998), 14: "Le grand mérite du dernier ouvrage de P.G. est de rectifier les plus importantes erreurs liées au statut du sensible chez le fondateur du rationalisme moderne, à partir de l'examen du statut du sensible dans la philosophie de Descartes et d'ouvrir ainsi un accès original à une pensée que nul commentaire n'épuise. Deux grands moments: le premier s'attache à la perception des corps extérieurs, et le second à certaines des sensations intérieures, les passions, et plus particulièrement, à l'amour." Selon G., "Il n'y a ... pas de dualisme ... entre une connaissance sensible (et imparfaite), et une connaissance intellectuelle (et parfaite), mais au contraire une unité fondamentale de l'âme dans toutes ses opérations." G. soutient cette idée par une lecture critique de l'analyse du "morceau de cire" de la seconde Méditation métaphysique. Il "montre comment il n'y a aucune contradiction entre l'affirmation de l'innéisme de toutes les idées et la réalité de la perception d'un monde extérieur." Dans la seconde partie, G. "montre que 'la connaissance de soi n'est pas celle de l'intériorité de l'âme, ce serait plutôt celle de son pouvoir.' Envisagée ainsi, l'âme apparaît en sa totalité comme volonté, dont l'affaire est de 'savoir vouloir'." Aucun écho de la recherche cartésienne hors de France.

MENN, STEPHEN. Descartes and Augustine. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.

Review: E. Moles in MLR 91.3 (1999), 825: "Stephen Menn, author of Plato on God ..., uses his considerable expertise in Greek philosophy to re-examine the crucial impact of Augustianism on Descartes's Méditations by meticulous exegesis of the Plotinian and Augustinian sources."

See French 17 (1998).

MESCHINI, FRANCO AURELIO. Indici dei Principia Philosophiae di René Descartes. Florence: Leo Olschi, 1996.

Review: J.-R. Armogathe in EP (1998), 257–8: A. commends the appearance of this and Katsuzo Murakami's (see below) new "instruments de travail lexicographique sur le corpus cartésien", but notes with regret the absence of any statistical analysis in the Japanese authors' work, commenting that the manner of presentation of the data makes formal analysis difficult.

MURAKAMI, KATSUZO , SASAKI MEGURU AND NISHIMURA TESUICHI. Concordance to Descartes' Meditationes de Prima Philosophia. Zürich/New York: Olms-Weidmann/Hildesheim, 1995.

RODIS-LEWIS, GENEVIEVE. Descartes. His Life and Thought. Trans.Janet Marie Todd. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1998.

Review: Roger Ariew in Isis 90 (1999), 362–63: More than 20 years in the making, ultimately "shows great erudition and a fundamental good interpretative sense." Extensively corrects Baillet's biographical account. Accurate and fluent translation.

Review: M. A. Bertman in Choice 36.3 (1998), 534–535: Book "focuses on the character and contacts of the great 17th-century philosopher. As such, it is most interesting, full of information and a reliable guide to Descartes. What it is not is an intellectual biography ... [B]ut for those who wish to gain a view of the life and character of a great and intriguing man of the highest influence in the philosophy of his time, this is an extraordinarily good book."

Review: Stephan Gaukroger in TLS 4999 (22 Jan. 1999), 29: Reviewer gives a brief tribute to the pioneering work on the passions as a naturalistic account of affective states and reference to the TLS review of the French version (21 June 1996).

RODIS-LEWIS, GENEVIÈVE. Descartes. Biographie. Paris: Calmann-Lévy, 1995.

Review: Jean Bernhardt in RdS 119.2/3 (1998), 378–380: La source principale est l'abbé Baillet, auteur d'une Vie de M. Descartes en 2 vol.(1691) ainsi que d'un Abrégé sur le même sujet (1692). Généralement bien documenté. En ce qui concerne les éditions modernes du philosophe, il note la grande édition Adam-Tannery, mais il ne cite pas l'éditeur de "La Pléaide" (André Bridoux).

ROZENOND, MARLEEN. Descartes's Dualism. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1998.

Review: Stephen Gaukroger in TLS 4999 (22 Jan. 1999), 29: Tries to explicate D.'s account of perception and union of mind and body in terms of his quasi-scholastic metaphysics, crucially of the notion of substance, essence, made to fill out his conception of mind. Reviewer disagrees on approach and asks for added awareness for different approaches "that do not hinge on metaphysical issues at all."

SANHUEZA, GABRIEL, La pensée biologique de Descartes dans ses rapports avec la philosophie scholastique: le cas Gomez-Péreira. Paris: L'Harmattan, 1997.

SOUAL, PHILIPPE. "Res cogitans et res extensa dans les Méditations métaphysiques et physiques chez Descartes." RMM (Apr-June 1999), 231–60.

Demonstration that the "self-asserting ego implies the consideration of the 'nothing exists' hypothesis." Asks for a distinction between the order of hypothesis (supposito) and that of truth (positio).

SUTTON, JOHN. Philosophy and Memory Traces: Descartes to Connectionism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.

Review: Neil Mansion in TLS 5001 (5 Feb. 1999), 28: Finds the "animal spirits" of D.'s De 1'homme (via David Hartley) among the models of brain activity and mental processing vibration that can be viewed as formal ancestors of contemporary parallel-distributed processing models of cognition and memory (as opposed to the static archive model).

DUPUY, CHRISTOPHE

WOLFE, KATHRYN WILLIS, and PHILIP J WOLFE, eds. Humanisme et politique. Lettres romaines de Christophe Dupuy à ses frères (1646–1649). PFSCL/Biblio 17, 103 (1997).

Review: Pierre Ronzeaud in RHL 99.1 (1999), 124: This project represents the continuation of the Wolfes' 1988 work where they published 46 of Dupuy's letters. Prior of the Ordre des Chartreux in Rome, Dupuy recounts the conflict experienced in Franco-Vatican relations after the election of Innocent X. According to R., this study is also important in terms of the historical, cultural, and political perspective it gives on Mazarin's use of power and his response to the Fronde. Of note also are the extensive bibliography and index nominum.

D'URFE

HEMBREE, JAMES. Subjectivity and the Signs of Love: Discourse, Desire and the Emergence of Modernity in Honoré d'Urfé's L'Astrée. New York: Peter Lang, 1997.

Review: Nathalie Grande in RHL 99.1 (1999), 122: Reviewer gives a summary of Hembree's work, stating initially that H. seeks to show how d'Urfé contributed to "une nouvelle conception de l'individu et de l'ordre social au début de l'ère moderne." D'Urfé's novel becomes "une quête de sens" which creates new forms of subjectivity and self-representation. Outlining a dialectic based on the tension between idealism and experience, H. relies on Montaigne and Descartes to provide the philosophical background for his argument. Questions of experience are applied to each of the main characters in the novel, with Céladon's liberation from the "caverne de la Mémoire" arising from a "rectification" of signs that lead simultaneously to "l'exercice spirituel et le voyeurisme érotique."

HENEIN, EGLAL. Protée romancier. Les déguisements dans L'Astrée d'Honoré d'Urfé. Fasano/Paris: Schena/Nizet, 1996.

Review: Jean Serroy in PFSCL 25 (1998), 615–616: "...la minutieuse approche d'Eglal Henein ... éclaire de façon minutieuse ... tout le réseau thématique, métaphorique, stylistique même du roman...".

MEDING, TWYLA. "Adamas, Alexis, and the Fashioning of the Androgyne in L'Astrée." PFSCL 25 (1998), 571–580.

Meding shows how Adamas' aesthetic principles regarding the theatrum mundi guide him in creating Celadon's feminine identity, Alexis, creation which ends in failure since "Celadon becomes forever lost in representation" and "androgynous representation seems to signal the passing of the pastoral."

FENELON

LE BRUN, JACQUES and IRENE NOYE, eds. Correspondence. Vols. XVI, XVII. Geneva: Droz, 1999.

LEDUC-FAYETTE, DENISE. Fénelon et l'amour de Dieu. Paris: PUF, 1996.

Review: Denis Thouard in RMM (Apr-June 1999), 270–71: Well informed and thoughtful presentation of Fénelon's systematizing of "pur amour" with an historical contextualization going from Molinos to the quietism quarrel. Effort is to show the equal claims of the subjective ("amour") and the theocentric. Anti-eudemonism is minimized; parallel with St. Thoman is made.

LEDUC-FAYETTE, DENISE, ed. Fénelon, philosophie et spiritualité. Geneva: Droz, 1996.

Review: Denis Thouard in RMM (Apr-June 1999), 270–71: Sorbonne conference papers (1994) in alphabetical arrangement. Studies of Ramsay (Bruno Neveu), Mme Guyon (J.-F. Marquet), Télémaque (J. Le Brun, A. Lanavère), four studies on different aspects of spirituality, the opposition Leibniz-Fénelon, on problems of dating and manuscripts by Père Noye. Together, ample evidence of the tension, within Fénelon philosopher and spiritual leader that may continue to prompt questions.

MOREL, RENÉE. "Sight Unseen: Fénelon and the Myth of Invisibility." NFS 37.2 (1998), 1–11.

A study of the opposing themes of invisibility and spectacularity in Fénelon's Fables et opuscules pédagogiques. Morel shows how Fénelon exploits the motif of the magic ring of invisibility to convey important psychological and political lessons to the young duc de Bourgogne, while suggesting the same motif reflects something of the essential ambiguity of Fénelon's character: "the opposite connotations of obscurity and spectacularity, both contained in the topos of the invisible, mirror the complex personality of this tormented man, torn between ambition and saintliness."

PEROTTI, GABRIELE. Il tempo e l1amore. Metafisice e spiritualità in Fénelon. Naples: Bibliopolis, 1994.

Review: Denis Thouard in RMM (Apr.-June 1999)o 269–70: Part I formulates the metaphysical position: conceptions of God, self, relationship of intellect/will and existence/ possibility; II, the practical response of the doctrine of "pur amour," speculatively as concentration on present time. Original thesis is that F. thinks contingency, whereas contemporary metaphysicians tend to reduce it away. "Etant dans un état de complète dépendance, le sujet, qui n'est même pas en même de s'assurer de soi, ne s'éprouvera que dans un écoulement continuel. Il ne peut échapper à l'angoisse de devenir qu'en acceptant radicalement par avance son caractère d'événement." Important study that puts Fénelon as a philosopher in dialogue with Descartes and Augustine, Malebranche and Leibniz, also for his "réticences" vis-a-vis Mme Guyon.

FONTENELLE

MARCHAL, ROGER. Fontenelle à l'aube des Lumières. Paris: Champion, 1997.

Review: Alain Niderst in RHL 99.3 (1999) 540–41: Though Niderst does challenge some of M.'s claims concerning the dates certain of Fontenelle's texts were written, N. states that M.'s work "constitue une bonne, parfois une stimulante introduction à la lecture de Fontenelle." M.'s research incorporates that of Niderst and Jean Dagen, and deals with Fontenelle's literary contributions, his critical and philosophical essays, as well as his scientific contributions.

Review: D.C. Potts in FS 52.3 (1998), 343: "Marchal's book is the only available medium length study of Fontenelle's oeuvre and, despite possessing no index and only a brief bibliography, will be a useful companion, especially for newcomers to the field, since it does not reduce the author's significance to his role in the crise de la conscience européenne, but includes his poetry, prose fiction and drama, and covers the whole of an active career which lasted into the 1750s. . . . Marchal's method is traditional, focusing on context and ideas rather than their literary mise en forme, and he often reduces contextual references to mere points on an established literary-historical map."

FRANÇOIS DE SALES

LEGROS, PHILIPPE. "Approche iconologique de l'oraison dédicatoire du 'Traité de l'amour de Dieu' de François de Sales." DSS 196 (1997), 479–93.

Review: A. Arrigoni in SFr 42 (1998), 561–2: Legros's "detailed analysis" of the iconographical aspects of the "oraison dédicatoire" sets forth as a goal to underline certain stylistic aspects of Salesian writing, and in particular the evocative imagery that resembles a process of visualization, in which the movement of "le regard" and the sources of light are exploited so that text seems to become painting.

MELLINGHOFF-BOURGERIE, VIVIANE. François de Sales (1567–1622). Un homme de lettres spirituelles. Genève: Droz, 1999.

Livre très intéressant qui, par l'examen de la correspondance, nous permet d'arriver à mieux comprendre les livres de l'écrivain. Contient aussi un "Registre des lettres autographes" de l'écrivain. Bonne bibliographie.

FURETIERE

FURETIERE, ANTOINE. Dictionnaire universel. Paris: Editions Zulma, 1998.

Review: C. Arnaud in Le Point 1362 (1998), 122–123. "[L]es éditions Zulma se distinguent en publiant un florilège extrait du Dictionnaire universel, de Furetière (1690). Le charme suranné de l'ouvrage ne doit pas faire oublier que son auteur fut chassé de l'Académie française pour subversion." Brief history of Furetière and his dictionary; article suitable for undergraduates.

GOURNAY, MARIE DE

BEAULIEU, JEAN-PHILIPPE et HANNAH FOUNIER, eds Les Advis, ou les Presens de la Demoiselle de Gournay (1641). Volume 1. Amsterdam/Atlanta: Rodopi, 1997.

Review: Jean Vignes in RHL 99.2 (1999), 302: Volume is the first in a set of three whose goal is to present the Advis "sous sa forme définitive." Describing the work's contents, V. emphasizes that the essays of Montaigne's "fille d'alliance" have much in common with those of the original Essais. Among the themes mentioned are pedagogy, politics, morality, and religion. Reviewer finds that the introduction and bibliography are especially useful, but that the volume lacks both references to variants and systematic research into Gournay's sources.

VENESOEN, CONSTANT, ed. Textes relatifs à la calomnie. PFSCL/Biblio 17, 113 (1998).

Edition of texts about "calomnie" by Marie de Gournay, such as L'Adieu de l'ame du Roy de France, Avec la Defence des Peres Jesuistes (1610), De la Mesdisance et qu'elle est principale cause des Duels, and Considération sur quelques contes de Cour, together with an anonymous anti-Gournay, titled Le Remerciment des Beurrieres de Paris, from 1610, inspired by the events surrounding the assassination of Henri IV.

GUYON

BRUNEAU, MARIE-FLORINE. Women Mystics Confront the Modern World: Marie de l'Incarnation (1599–1672) and Madame Guyon (1648–1717). Albany: State University of New York, 1998.

Review: M. Lichtmann in Choice 36.3 (1998), 535: "B. ... enters into a dialogue with American feminist scholars by introducing the French scholar of mysticism Michel de Certeau. De Certeau traces the progressive decline of mysticism from the 13th century, when it appeared as a response to the decline of God as the unique object of knowledge, to the 17th century, when an epistemological shift represented by the scientific revolution hastened its decline. Although few American scholars would accept this etiology, B.'s study ... offers a valuable new feminist perspective. B.'s emphasis is on the female mystics' limited attempts to resist being defined by modern patriarchal institutions."

HUET

POULOUIN, CLAUDE, ed. Huet, nouveaux mémoires pour servir à l'histoire du cartésianisme. Rèze: Séquences, 1996.

JACQUES, JACQUES

COSTA, CLAUDINE, ed. "Jacques Jacques, Le Faut Mourir et les excuses inutiles qu'on apporte à cette nécessité. Le tout en vers burlesques." Paris: Champion, 1998.

Review: Raymond Baustert in PFSCL 26 (1999), 210–213: "...le travail de Claudine Costa comble les historiens à tous les niveaux."

JURIEU

NEGRONI, BARBARA DE, ed. Jurieu, Des Droits des deux Souverains en matière de Religion. Le Philosophe de Rotterdam. Paris: Fayard, 1997.

Review: Elisabeth Labrousse in BSHPF 145 (1999), 212–13: The first work is an answer to Bayle's Commentaire philosophique; the second, published at the time of Bayle's death is Jurieu's "meilleure attaque à l'encontre de Bayle."

LA BRUYÈRE

ESCOLA, MARC. Bibliographie des écrivains français: Jean de La Bruyère. Paris: Memini, 1996.

Review: L. Benatti in SFr 42 (1998), 572–3: The latest volume in a collection of bibliographical essays that offer the reader "une vision synoptique toujours actualisé de l'objet bibliographique, tout en élargissant, grâce notamment à l'introduction d'un index thématique par mots clés, les frontières des études comparées." B. notes that although there are no descriptive notes, the subdivisions within the bibliography highlight certain aspects of La Bruyère studies that bear further investigation.

ROUKHOMOSKY, BERNARD. L'esthétique de La Bruyère. Paris: SEDES, 1997.

Review: L. Benatti in SFr 42 (1998), 573: The most recent volume in a series of esthetic studies of French authors, carried out in this case with "great scientific rigor."

Review: Marc Escola in RHL 99.1 (1999), 126–27: Favorable review which first defines the notion of an esthétique as "l'ensemble des principes qui régissent l'invention et la composition [d'une] oeuvre." With respect to La Bruyère, the sense of the aesthetic is divided into chapters on rhetoric (with emphasis on the model of the entretien), the burlesque, and the theatrical. To a significant degree, the "theatricality" of La Bruyère's work is characterized by "deux types moliéresques: Timon, ou le misanthrope, [et] Onurphe ou le vrai caractère du faux dévot." Despite the book's failure to deal with "la leçon théophrastienne," E. views the work as "une solide introduction à la pratique de La Bruyère, une voie d'accès originale au monde des Caractères."

Review: Philippe Hourcade in IL 51.2 (1999), 63: Reviewer favorably receives the book, and admires R's contention that La Bruyère's aesthetic sensibility resides not in the more traditional "esthétique du salon," but in a "style cruel" which refutes the "politesse du salon." For R., La Bruyère's aesthetic "tend à focaliser l'attention sur les contrastes, le bizarre, le grotesque: il se campe dans une atmosphère de carnaval et de foire pour...montrer une humanité déshumanisée." Other elements of La Bruyère's sense of the aesthetic emphasize the visual and the comic. The work closes with an anthology which mainly consists of chapters from Les Caractères, but includes some peripheral texts as well. For H., the "boldness" of this book comes in its ability to offer "le portrait d'un La Bruyère hors norme, ou plutôt paradoxal et un brin schizophrène." In light of R.'s approach, H. suggests that future research link itself to La Bruyère and Saint-Simon, as well as the Condés who, in their own way, "cultiv[e]nt avec joie le bizarre et le mauvais goût."

VAN DELFT, LOUIS. La Bruyère ou du Spectateur. PFSCL/Biblio 17, 96 (1996).

Review: E Moles in MLR 94.1 (1999), 200: "Louis Van Delft's urbane essay on La Bruyère, the spectator 'au balcon pour tout voir', places him unapologetically within the Graeco-Christian moralizing tradition, admirably reflected in the wit and wisdom of Theophrastus and Montaigne, reminding us that in this century of Calderón's Grand théâtre du monde, 'Le Spectateur par excellence est Dieu' . . . ."

See French 17 (1998).

VAN DELFT, LOUIS, ed. Les Caractères. Paris: Imprimerie nationale Editions, 1998.

Review: Bernard Chédozeau in IL 51.2 (1999), 62–63: Quite favorable review in which Van Delft, according to C., seeks to underscore "la consanguinité entre Les Caractères et l'art du théâtre." This edition builds on Van Delft's earlier work, but the originality of the volume lies in its "principes d'édition" which, according to Van Delft, "place[nt] le lecteur d'aujourd'hui, autant que faire se peut, dans la situation des premiers lecteurs." A complement to Emmanuel Bury's 1995 Livre de poche edition, Van Delft's work uses as its texte de base the ninth edition of La Bruyère's text. Among the mechanical considerations discussed are white spaces, capitalization, and punctuation. C. cites Van Delft's overall conclusion about the Caractères as a work "...[qui] tient organiquement d'un texte de théâtre, d'une partition." Of note also are the Commentaires Van Delft adds at the end of the text, which deal with some of the major themes evoked in the Caractères. In general, C. commends Van Delft for "...[un] travail original, solide, et élégant [qui] renouvelle la lecture d'une oeuvre majeure."

Review: Bérengère Parmentier in DSS 202 (1999), 199–201: "L'édition elle-même se démarque des ouvrages déjà disponibles par la fermeté de son projet éditorial. La reproduction fidèle de la présentation du texte original (dans le dernier état revu par l'auteur) ne vaut pas seulement par sa rigueur érudite. Elle témoigne d'un enrichissement réciproque de l'étude critique et de la pratique éditoriale." Van Delft restores the original punctuation as well as the original appearance of the remarques. Reviewer concludes "la modernisation de l'orthographe, l'allégement de l'annotation savante au profit du commentaire en rendent la lecture agréable et plaisante."

LAFAYETTE

CAMPBELL, JOHN. Questions of Interpretation in La princesse de Clèves. Amsterdam-Atlanta: Rodopi, 1996.

Review: L. Benatti in SFr 42 (1998), 134–5: B. compares this study to the similar one by A. Green and concludes that Campbell's is the superior, both from the standpoint of the organization of the material and from that of the exposition of ideas. The risk of generalizing too much (typical of Green) is avoided by Campbell thanks to his decision to focus on a single work. Campbell describes and compares different readings of the "nouvelle" with the goal of reevaluating the work (a goal that succeeds).

DENIS, FRANÇOISE. "La Princesse de Clèves: Lafayette et Cocteau, deux versions." FR 72 (1999), 285–96.

Argues that the idealizing film scenario tends, by fantomatic masculine treatment of the woman's powers, to reduce the complex socio-political signification of the narrative. Outlines the pedagogical value of such a comparison.

GEVREY, FRANÇOISE. L'esthétique de Madame de Lafayette. Paris: SEDES, 1997.

Review: L. Benatti in SFr 42 (1998), 134: Dedicated to the aesthetic aspects of La princesse de Clèves, this essay analyzes the characteristics of the "nouvelle" as the quest for a style which is adequate to perfectly depict the esprit of a society and of a century.

GREEN, ANNE. Privileged Anonymity. The Writings of Madame de Lafayette. Oxford: Legenda, 1996.

Review: L. Benatti in SFr 42 (1998), 135: A "highly readable" essay which is aimed at university students. Proposes a reading of the corpus based on the ambiguities that the lexical choices of the author seem to reveal. Green points out the conflictual position of Mme de Lafayette (who is aware of her status as a woman and as an intellectual) and emphasizes a "deep division that exists between the needs of the writer and the reality of a code of values that negates these needs and forces the writer to choose strategies of expression that are characterized by reticence and mystification." B. concludes that this study doesn't go beyond the limits of an academic exercise, and adds little new to the rich critical corpus on Mme de Lafayette.

PAULSON, MICHAEL G. Facets of a Princess: Multiple Readings of Madame de Lafayette's La Princesse de Clèves. Washington/Bern/Paris: Peter Lang, 1998.

Review: John Campbell in FS 53.2 (1999), 204–205: This collection of P.'s unpublished conference papers contains items on the role of women, voyeurism, the Valois court, religion, history, morality, society, as well as two pieces comparing La Princesse de Clèves with Andromaque and George Sand's Valentine. It would have benefited from more attentive editing which might have picked up some apparent contradictions. Reviewer concludes that "it would be unfair, however, to expect new insights or sustained analysis from what remains an artificial collation of occasional pieces."

Review: Nathalie Grande in RHL 99.3 (1999) 535–36: Rather than develop a study that seeks a "synthetic" interpretation of La Princesse de Clèves, the author presents varied analyses which address the various "facets" of the work. Among the issues covered are "le moi féminin, la question du voyeurisme, la place de la religion, [et] le traitement de l'histoire chez Mme de la Fayette."

SUNG, KIM. Les récits dans La Princesse de Clèves: Tentative d'analyse structurale. Saint-Genouph: Nizet, 1997.

Review: Nathalie Grande in RHL 99.1 (1999), 124–25: The focus of the book is La Fayette's "digressions," or "histoires intercalées." According to G., Sung "s'attache à analyser l'ensemble des récits et des discours qui composent la structure si particulière de ce roman qui nie le romanesque." Of special interest to G. is the author's depiction of La Fayette's "analyse des événements." She states, "l'analyse, au lieu de suivre les événements pour les expliquer, est constituée par les événements qui la suivent et en assurent la cohérence." Sung's conclusion deals with how La Fayette disrupts the traditional complicity between author and reader by thwarting the reader's desire to see the "two heroes" together at novel's end.

TRZEBIATOWSKI, PEGGY. "The Hunt is on: the Duc de Nemours, Aggression, and Rejection." PFSCL 25 (1998), 581–593.

An analysis of Nemour's characterization in La Princesse de Clèves as a hunter adopting a strategic approach to love (love is war metaphor) and reciprocally of his female quarry's response to his game ("women are not the prize," and as an "opponent", she may prove to have no interest in the playing of the game).

LA FONTAINE

ALBANESE, RALPH JR. "Le discours scolaire au dix-neuvième siècle: le cas La Fontaine." FR 72 (1999), 824–39.

Charts precisely how the Republican ideology emblematized the text culturally as the embodiment of wisdom and normalcy that could serve for the proper formation of youth.

ANTON, DENIS et DENIS LEJAY, eds. Fables. Livres VII à XII. Paris: Nathan, 1997.

Review: Ludivine Goupillaud in IL 51.1 (1999), 58–61: According to reviewer, the need for this edition came from the reform, several years ago, of the French épreuve for the baccalauréat. G. outlines the goals of the edition, i.e., to establish a close link between the text and commentary, and to propose a "rich and varied" set of exercises to accompany La Fontaine's work. Unfortunately, states G., the edition fails to achieve its aims. Despite an interesting introduction, and a valuable discussion of La Fontaine's source material, the edition often presents more problems than it solves by employing a rather pedantic methodology and vocabulary given its lycéen public. In addition, much of the edition's critical apparatus is unnecessarily "elliptical and abstract," as the link between fables frequently consists of vague cross-references. Nonetheless, the edition in commended for its crisp layout and vivid incorporation of imagery.

BABY, HELENE. "Du sens et du sensible à 1'âge classique: Psyché entre les mots et les choses dans les Amours de Psyché et Cupidon de La Fontaine." SCFS 20 (1998), 139–51,

Finely constructed and persuasively argued case for the retelling of the "fable" become myth as a cautionary enactment of a needed apprenticeship in reading, speaking, and laughter on Psyché's part, which would become the "lecture savante" proposed in the Préface.

BÉGUELIN, MARIE-JOSÉ. "L'usage des syntagmes nominaux démonstratifs dans les Fables de La Fontaine." LFr 120 (1998), 95–109.

This study highlights a set of writing habits related to the use of demonstrative noun phrases in La Fontaine's poetry and tries to account for their major stylistic effects.

BIRBERICK, ANNE L. Reading Undercover. Audience and Authority in Jean de La Fontaine. Lewisburg, PA/London: Bucknell University Press, 1998.

Focusing on the Fables and the Contes, B. shows how La Fontaine is both subversive and yet part of the conventional system of the day.

BURY, EMMANUEL. L'esthétique de La Fontaine. Paris: SEDES, 1996.

Review: Roseann Runte in FR 72 (1999), 750–51: The readership for the anthology included in the series format of this volume is not clear. The 120pp. of introduction welcomely includes all of the major writing across genres. Publishing history, humanistic bent, generic overviews cover an amazing amount. For the specialist, texts are combined in a fresh way; for the beginner, a good intro.

See French 17 (1997).

DUCHÊNE, ROGER. Bonjour ... Jean de la Fontaine. Marseille: Editions Autres Temps, 1998.

Review: Maya Slater in PFSCL 26 (1999), 216: "Ce petit livre permet au lecteur d'entrevoir toute la portée de l'oeuvre lafontainienne — à nous d'en approfondir l'étude."

FUMAROLI, MARC. Le poète et le roi. Jean de la Fontaine en son siècle. Paris: Livre de poche, 1998.

Review: E. Pieiller in QL 759 (1999), 26: "Cet essai est, sourdement, bouleversant. C'est inattendu. D'abord, parce qu'on ne partage pas toujours les choix de M. Fumaroli. Ensuite, parce que La Fontaine ne suscite pas d'emblée la ferveur.... Or, merveille, on découvre une réflexion, érudite et flâneuse, qui se dédie à éclairer ce qui, dans le lyrisme, à partie liée avec la liberté, la liberté de se reconnaître mortel parmi d'autres mortels, et d'en jouir, et d'en pleurer. Ce que F. analyse ici, ce sont les enjeux spirituels d'une époque à la faveur de la 'crise Fouquet,' qui signe, en 1661, le triomphe de l'absolutisme, et l'apparition de cette 'faille moderne' que représente désormais en chacun l'apparition d'un 'for intérieur' dissocié de la vie commune du royaume.... Se met alors en place la monotonie de la 'machine à gloire,' la littérature devient le lieu du refus de la 'pensée captive,' le domaine où pourra se maintenir, dans l'ironie, le libertinage oblique, le jeu des codes contrariés, l'aspiration à l'art d'exister, souverainement, dans le secret des inquiétudes surmontées. La Fontaine, doué de la double grâce d'avoir 'son centre en lui-même,' et d'être merveilleusement en retard sur son époque, apparaît alors, au plus loin du 'bonhomme' de la caricature, comme le dernier poète de la Renaissance, et le premier de nos temps ... modernes."

Review: Marie-Odile Sweetser in PFSCL 25 (1998), 604–607: According to the reviewer, the readers will find in Fumaroli's book "un autre siècle de Louis XIV, grand sinon par le roi, du moins par les écrivains qui ont su garder leur indépendance dans une 'République des Lettres' échappant, dans la mesure du possible, à l'Etat culturel."

GALLARDO, JEAN-LUC. Le spectacle de la parole. La Fontaine: Adonis, Le songe de Vaux, Les amours de Psyché et de Cupidon. Orléans: Paradigme, 1996.

Review: L. Benatti in SFr 42 (1998), 132: The essay is divided into 3 long sections, each devoted to one of the three plays. Although B. sees moments of critical originality in the last section (a discussion of the role of Psyché as metaphor of the representation of the soul), she concludes that the work is not particularly innovative in the realm of La Fontaine studies.

GRIMM, JURGEN. "Le dire sans le dire." Etudes lafontainiennes II. PFSCL/Biblio 17, 93 (1996).

Review: Hermann Linder in ZFSL 109 (1999), 183–86: Detailed résumé of contents and appraisals of their contributions to the "état présent" of studies on La Fontaine.

GRISÉ, CATHERINE M. Cognitive Space and Patterns of Deceit in La Fontaine's Contes. Charlottesville: Rookwood Press, 1998.

Review: Anne L. Birberick in PFSCL 26 (1999), 474–475: "...a substantial contribution not only to La Fontaine studies but also to the genre of the "conte en vers."

LANDRY, JEAN-PIERRE, ed. Présence de La Fontaine. Actes de la Journée La Fontaine (21 octobre, 1995). Lyon: U. Jean Moulin, C.E. D.I.C., 1996.

Review: J.-P. Collinet in SFr 42 (1998), 569: A collection of nine papers given at the Université de Lyon in 1995. C. notes the variety of approaches to La Fontaine, some purely traditional, others "audacieusement novatrices" and lists among the subjects of discussion "les discours pluriels sur la féminité", "la retraite", and "le rêve" (La Fontaine as a precursor of surrealism).

MEERHOFF, KEES and PAUL J. SMITH, eds. Fabuleux La Fontaine. Atlanta: Rodopoi, 1996.

Review: Roseann Runte in FR 72 (1999), 752–53: Collection of 12 essays gracefully arranged and handsomely presented with 12 illustrations: Paul Pelckman on death; Maya Slater on "dieu/dieux"; J.-P. Collinet on Chimera (as illusion); Dan Russell and Lawrence Grove on the transition from Carrouzet; S. Houppermans, a close reading of the conte "Les Lunettes"; Paul Smith on linkages with Commire and Ogilbey; Gabrielle Parussa on Pierre de Saint Glas's continuation; Kees Meerhoff on the l8th-century reception.

See French 17 (1998).

LA MOTHE LE VAYER

MCBRIDE, ROBERT, ed. La Mothe Le Vayer. Lettre sur la comédie de l'Imposteur. Durham: Durham UP, 1994.

Review: L. Benatti in SFr 42 (1998), 136: A new critical edition of the text which was first published anonymously in 1667. It is an important text, because it contains one of the main keys to understanding Le Tartuffe. The edition includes a "rich" introduction, and notes which are "remarkable for the philological rigor and extreme accuracy of McBride's work." Two appendices outline the differences between L'Imposteur and Le Tartuffe, and offer a portrait of La Mothe Le Vayer.

LAMY, GUILLAUME

BELGRADO, ANNA MINERBI, ed. Discours anatomiques: Explication méchanique et physique des fonctions de l'âme sensitive. Paris: Voltaire Foundation, 1996.

Review: Ann Thomson in FS 53.2 (1999), 205–206: This volume, which provides the text of the first edition of two medical books by Lamy, aims to show the importance of his works for the history of free thought. The notes provide the sources for a certain number of developments, points out parallels with other works and attempt to situate Lamy's position in relation to contemporary philosophical debates. The whole provides the modern reader with a clear understanding of the implications of Lamy's works as well as makes them available to a wider public.

LARIVEY

BELLENGER, YVONNE, éd. Pierre de Larivey (1541–1619). Champenois, chanoine, traducteur, auteur de comédies et astrologue. Actes des sixièmes Journées rémoises et troyennes—25–27 janvier 1991—organisées par le Centre de la Recherche sur la littérature du Moyen-Age et de la Renaissance de l'Université de Reims. Paris: Klincksieck, 1993.

Review: J.-C. Margolin in RBPH 76.2 (1998), 597: "Ensemble varié, érudit, intelligent, qui apporte des lumières non seulement sur le Champenois et son oeuvre, mais sur les rapports culturels de la France et de l'Italie."

See French 17 (1996, 95).

LA ROCHEFOUCAULD

CAMPION, PIERRE. Lectures de La Rochefoucauld. Rennes: Presses Universitaires de Rennes, 1998.

Review: Philippe Hourcade in IL 51.2 (1999), 61–62: Favorable review of a work which H. describes as "tournée vers la philologie, l'herméneutique, et la philosophie." H. devotes quite a bit of space to breaking down the book into its chief components, of which the first half constitutes an analysis of the Maximes, while the second is composed of an "anthologie de textes de référence." Among the questions asked and answered are those surrounding 1) order and coherence in the Maximes, 2) the poetics of the maxim, 3) the religious, political, and aristocratic subtexts of the work, and 4) La Rochefoucauld's "anthropologie," which is at once "positive, critique, et philosophique." Reviewer is impressed by Campion's conclusion that La Rochefoucauld manages to overcome the "pessimisme noir" of the work's tone by creating an image of the "honnête homme" whose primary traits are "les valeurs d'adaptabilité, de prudence, et de calcul."

CULPIN, D. J., ed. La Rochefoucauld. Maximes. London: Grant and Cutler, 1995.

Review: L. Benatti in SFr 42 (1998), 132: Edited with a didactic goal in mind, this short essay by Culpin is dedicated to a presentation by theme of the Maximes. B. concludes that it does not particularly distinguish itself from the very large array of publications that try to present the Maximes in a more "popular" fashion.

HARTWICH, KAI-ULRICH. Untersuchungen zur Interdependenz von Moralistik un höfischer Gesellschaft am Beispiel La Rochefoucaulds. [Recherches sur les relations entre littérature morale et société de cour. L'exemple de La Rochefoucauld.] Bonn: Romantischer Verlag, 1997.

Review: Marc Escola in RHL 99.1 (1999) 127–28: Book deals with the concept of "la moralistique," which is defined as "un phénomène historique lié à la société de cour, et plus exactement à ce moment de transition qui voit une 'structure fonctionnelle' complexe succéder à une organisation 'par strates'." H.'s approach is interdisciplinary, as he combines literary criticism, historical inquiry, and psycho-analysis. Apropos, E. notes a chapter where H. "s'intéresse aux rapports—et aux différences—que la pensée de La Rochefoucauld entretien avec Freud." In this regard, the criticism E. levels at H. concerns the author's failure to cite at length the Mémoires, a text that could have shed light on 1) the psycho-social element of La Rochefoucauld's work, and 2) the public(s) for whom the work was destined. Nonetheless, the issue of audience is taken up to a certain extent in the fifth chapter which centers on "le concept original de 'remoralisation'-concept qui rend compte de l'entreprise éthique tout autant que du programme esthétique du recueil de La Rochefoucauld et de la 'structure conversationnelle' de la maxime.

HODGSON, RICHARD. Falsehood Disguised. Unmasking the Truth in La Rochefoucauld. West Lafayette: Purdue University Press, 1995.

Review: Werner Helmich in ZFSL 109 (1998), 284–87: Although "frighteningly ambitious," a well written and carefully organized book that is a useful research guide to the present state of academic research. Finds occasional signs of an uncritical use of the authority of secondary literature; some reductiveness in tracing LR through the readers Lautréamont, Nietzsche, Lacan, as well as in establishing a hypothetical "baroque discourse." Objects to characterization of the epigram as a fixed form.

See French 17 (1998, 1997).

LE MOYNE

BANDERIER, GILLES. "Du Saint Louis à la Louisiade: note sur la réception du P. Le Moyne au XVIIIe siècle." PFSCL 25 (1998), 595–599.

Bauderier has discovered an anonymous "remaniement" of Le Moyne's Saint Louis, titled La Louisiade, which permits a better assessment of the reception of the Saint Louis in that century.

LULLY

HERNANDEZ, BRIGITTE. Performance review of Lully's Phaëton. Le Point 1400 (1999), 94.

"L'audacieuse Karine Saporta" presents a choreographed version of L.'s Phaëton in the Jardins du Palais-Royal, July 1999.

PORTER, ANDREW. "A Natural Revelation." TLS 4985 (6 Nov. 1998), 31.

Review of the Barbican Center's presentation of Lully's Thésée in William Christie's production. Superb singing and conducting but less enthusiastic on Pinon's understated setting and direction that "avoided grandeur of demeanour and gesture."

TUBEUF, A. Performance review of a concert at the Granges de Port-Royal, May 1–2, 1999. Le Point 1389 (1999), 129:

"Niquet au clavecin et dirigeant son Concert spirituel offre la rare 'Idylle sur la paix' et le prologue de Roland."

MAIRET

TOMLINSON, PHILIP, éd. Le Marc-Antoine ou La Cleopatre: Tragedie. Durham: University of Durham, 1997.

Review: D. Clarke in MLR 91.3 (1999), 826: Useful edition with "exemplary establishment of the text." C. finds that the "real substance of Tomlinson's introduction . . . lies in a closely argued examination of characterization and 'inventio' in Mairet's pursuit of an elusive but desirable combination of pathos and moral exemplarity. This is followed by a convincing demonstration of Mairet's ingenuity in increasing the emotional charge of his tragedy, notably by introducing the tragi-comic motif of deceit." Bibliography "serviceable" with few works from the last decade.

Review: C. Rolla in SFr 42 (1998), 563–4: R. praises the "very interesting" introduction to this critical edition which is divided into three sections: a history of the play's performances and publication; a discussion of the criteria for the "établissement du texte" (which is based on all three extant editions, but particularly the 1637 edition); and a "rich" bibliography.

MAYNARD

CAHIERS MAYNARD 19 (1998).

Review: C. Rizza in SFr 42 (1998), 562: A collection of four papers (by M.-O. Sweetser, C. Grisé, A. Manseau, W. Roberts) with a brief introductory essay (detailing the goals of the Association des amis de Maynard). R. makes special note of the concluding documentation and accompanying illustrations.

MOLIERE

BASCHERA, MARCO. Théâtre dans l'oeuvre de Molière. Tübingen: Gunter Narr Verlag, 1998.

Review: L. Benatti in SFr 42 (1998), 568–9: A very "readable" study (which owes much to the earlier studies of G. Dandry) of the influence of certain theatrical forms (and in particular the commedia dell'arte) on Molière. An analysis of Molière based on the evolution of "le comique" within the plays, citing the characters as the most evident demonstration of this evolution.

BILLARD, PIERRE. Performance review of Molière's Tartuffe in Le Point 1362 (1998), 123.

Mise en scène de Jean-Pierre Vincent au théâtre des Amadiers à Nanterre, automne 1998. "Le comique s'évapore et le dramatique se dilue dans la perte de sens."

BILLARD, PIERRE. Performance review of a "Création collective" on Molière's Dom Juan by the Footsbarn Travelling Theatre, January 1999, at the Théâtre-Athénée-Louis-Jouvet. Le Point 1375 (1999), 91.

"Le miracle, c'est que Molière sort indemne de ce cirque, si belle est sa santé, si forte est sa pièce, si généreuse et cohérente la vitalité de la troupe."

BILLARD, PIERRE. Performance review of Molière's Georges Dandin, mise en scène de Catherine Hiegel at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier, January, 1999. Le Point 1376 (1999), 101.

"Bref, c'est Molière, mais au ralenti, à petit feu." Overall, a negative review.

BILLARD, PIERRE. Performance review of Molière's L'Avare, mise en scène de Jérôme Savary, au Théâtre national de Chaillot, printemps 1999. Le Point 1387 (1999), 142–143.

L'Avare as farce, first and foremost. Negative review.

BLOCH, OLIVIER. "Littérature, théâtre et philosophie: à propos de Molière." PFSCL 25 (1998), 451–460.

The author, who has beeen working on a book to be titled "Molière/Philosophie" or "Molière et philosophie" to be published in 1999, studies the link Molière/Cyrano, and, in the Bourgeois gentilhomme, the role of the "maître de Philosophie", as well as Molière's "philosophèmes" in Dom Juan and Amphitryon.

CALDICOTT, C.E.J. La carrière de Molière: Entre protecteurs et editeurs. Amsterdam: Rodolpi, 1998.

Review: Maya Slater in TLS 5004 (26 Feb. 1999), 4–5: Urges revaluation of Molière as a great courtier whose career should be shorn, in its reconstruction, of populist assumptions and needs to be focused on his abilities to provide divertissements for the king.

CARSON, JONATHAN. "On Molière's Debt to Scarron for Sganarelle, ou le Cocu Imaginaire." PFSCL 25 (1998), 545–554.

The author studies Molière's borrowings from Scarron's Le Jodelet duelliste (version of 1652) in terms of character traits, stage situations and discourse structures.

CHAE-KWANG, LIM. "Du texte écrit au texte joué: réception scénique comme valorisation de la logique du caractère chez Molière à travers L'Ecole des femmes." PFSCL 26 (1999), 389–404.

The author measures, through the example of L'Ecole des femmes, the radical distance and the complementary relationship existing between readerly and scenic receptions.

CLARKE, JAN. "Moliere's Double Bills." SCFS 20 (1998), 29–44.

Preliminary analyses, with charts, of Molière's doubling up of his own plays, that forms part of a larger project of synthesis of everything known about doublebilling in theatrical programming, ultimately in all possible detail the choices available to the spectator at any given moment.

DANDREY, PATRICK. La médecine et la maladie dans le théâtre de Molière. Tome 1: Sganarelle et la médecine, ou De la mélancolie érotique, Tome 2: Molière et la maladie imaginaire, ou De la mélancolie hypocondriaque. Paris: Klincksieck, 1998.

DUCHENE, ROGER. Moliere. Paris: Fayard, 1998.

Review: Maya Slater in TLS 5004 (26 Feb. 1999), 4–5: A well researched, general biography, that deals with all the documents of the life and becomes more lively in treating the career in all its aspects from 1658–59. "Sound, full, readable ... a useful re-evaluation of many assumptions."

Review: Marie-Odile Sweetser in PFSCL 26 (1999), 216–218: "Cette somme indispensable, présentée de façon claire et attrayante, deviendra l'ouvrage de référence pour les chercheurs, les spécialistes du théâtre, les fervents de Molière au XXIe siècle."

ERSKINE, ANDREW. "Good and Bad Scepticism in Amphitryon and Le Mariage forcé." SCFS 20 (1998), 17–27.

Nicely and convincingly sets the crucial comic difference between Sosie's pure doubt that develops logically from a Charronian context (explicitly Christian) for dealing with new information and Marphurius's departure from it in an attitude of literal faith in the impossibility of knowledge.

FINN, THOMAS P. "Manipulating Identity Across the Pyrenees." FR 73 (1999), 60–70.

Analysis of La Princesse d'Elide in relation to Moreto's El Desdén con el desdén (1654) suggests that Molière learned from Spain a lesson in identity construction. Convincingly argues that the individual and its need for certification by the collectivity in "Molière's less definitive conclusion is a compromise that is not always within reach."

FLECK, STEPHEN H. Music, Dance, and Laughter: Comic Creation in Molière's Comedy-Ballets. PFSCL/Biblio 17, 88 (1995).

Review: S. Bamforth in MLR 94.1 (1999), 199–200: "The major difference between Fleck and his predecessors is that this is a study the emphasis of which is as much musical as literary, and in which musical examples are as abundant as textual citation. Fleck's book presupposes a musically literate reader, but even the non-musician may appreciate that the integration between music, song, and dance in terms of its contribution to the dramatic action is here analysed with a degree of thoroughness that has not previously been attempted."

See French 17 (1996, 95).

GAINES, JAMES F. "Dandin on the Big Screen of History." PFSCL 26 (1999), 309–317.

Communication delivered during the 1998 MLA convention conference on "The Seventeenth-Century in the Media: Cinema, Television, World Wide Web, CD-ROM." Examination of Roger Planchon's film relationship to Molière's play. Gaines asserts that Planchon has recontextualized the play "in such a way that it heralds the metamorphosis of society on both the collective and the individual scale."

GAINES, JAMES F. and MICHAEL S. KOPPISCH, eds. Approaches to Teaching Molière's Tartuffe and Other Plays. New York: Modern Language Association, 1996.

Interesting and helpful studies.

GATES, ANITA. "After Three Centuries, A Comedy Remains Up to the Minute." NYT (19 Nov. 1998), B5.

Excellent review of Devid Schecter's ebullient direction of L'Avare at the Pearl Theatre. "Shows off all the comedy's best features."

HERNANDEZ, BRIGITTE. Performance review of Molière's Les Précieuses Ridicules in Le Point 1398 (1999), 110.

Mise en scène de Jérôme Deschamps. Théâtre de l'Odéon. Été 1999. "Molière ... l'emporte et avec panache: les comédiens le saluent et lui rendent grâce."

HERNANDEZ, BRIGITTE. Performance review of Molière's Le Misanthrope, mise en scène de Jacques Lassalle à la MC93 à Bobigny, mars 1999. Le Point 1381 (1999), 109.

Review negative overall: Alceste is too campy, Célimène too lightly false.

HERNANDEZ, BRIGITTE. Performance review of Molière's Tartuffe, mise en scène de Dirk Opstacle, Théâtre de Sartrouville, printemps 1999. Le Point 1389 (1999), 129.

Cites "le jus des intrigues, la saveur de la langue. Chaque acte dure dix minutes...."

KYLANDER, BRITT-MARIE. Le vocabulaire de Molière dans les comédies en alexandrins. Gothenburg: Acta Universitatis Gothoburgensis, 1995.

Review: Julia Prest in FS 52.4 (1998), 466: K. offers a statistical analysis of Molière's vocabulary in his eleven 'comédies en alexandrins.' A large part of the book is devoted to graphs and tables showing, for instance, the average word or phrase length, prepositions or proper nouns in each play. The results are enlightening to the extent that they demonstrate how Molière's vocabulary varies from one work to another and in what ways. The seventy-page 'Dictionnaire des fréquences,' in which K. notes the number of times a term appears in each of the eleven comedies, is a potentially useful tool for researchers of linguistics and literature alike.

LE ROUX, MONIQUE. "Performance review of Tartuffe, ou l'Imposteur, directed by Jean-Pierre Vincent at the Théâtre de Nanterre-Amandiers, November 1998." QL 749 (1998), 25.

"Jean-Pierre Vincent voit manifestement dans la société française des raisons suffisantes pour continuer à s'intéresser à la pièce: la permanence d'une tendance représentée au XVIIe siècle par la Compagnie du Saint-Sacrement de l'Autel et ses resurgences contemporaines à travers divers groupes de pression." La scénographie "ajout[e] à la référence classique, tout en libérant le jeu d'encombrants attributs... Jean-Pierre Vincent renoue avec une tradition violemment comique, voire farcesque, des origines...". Exemple: Rémy Carpentier en Madame Pernelle. Quelques anachronismes voulus.

MALANDAIN, PIERRE, ed. Molière. Théâtre complet. Paris: Imprimerie Nationale Editions, 1997. Trois volumes parus sur cinq prévus.

Review: D. Monda in SFr 42 (1998), 342–3: First volume is a "beautiful, extremely refined edition" of the first 8 plays including an excellent general introduction, a clear and complete chronological table and a short critical introduction to each specific work. It does not include any variants of the texts.

Review: Y. Le Pestipon in RSH 249 (1998): P. Malandain "met en scène ... dans les formes et sans formalités, la fraîcheur entière de cet illustre metteur en scène de soi, du roi, du monde, des savants et des spectateurs.... Editeur conscient, ardent à faire lire une étonnante fraîcheur, usant d''une main prompte à suivre un beau feu qui la guide,' il se poste avec Molière et Mignard. ... Notes et préfaces créent la perspective. Quelques remarques promptes, qui font songer, par miroitements divers, comme dans une galerie des glaces, ouverte au monde, et donc à la littérature, aux mises en scène, à Dario Fo, sans oublier Molière, sa vie, sa troupe. Les références essentielles sont données, la chronologie est construite, des arabesques sont aventurées.

MALLINSON, JONATHAN, ed. Le Misanthrope. London: Bristol Classical Press, 1996.

Review: W.D. Howarth in FS 52.4 (1998), 465–466: A stimulating aid for today's students. Teachers will be able to profit from a "thoughtful presentation of the play, which draws judiciously on the abundant post-Rudler secondary literature on Molière, as well as doing justice to influential interpretations of Le Misanthrope from earlier periods." M offers a comprehensive six-page bibliography and tackles the question of theatrical interpretation from the seventeenth century to the present day. He provides excellent commentary on the text. "Altogether, this is an impressive contribution to Molière studies."

Review: Nancy Mc Elveen in FR 72 (1998), 334–35: Thorough and up-to-date intro., extensive biblio., scene-by-scene analysis. Focus is kept constantly alert to ambivalences that unsettle and disturb assumptions about society, wisdom and folly, and about comedy itself. "Useful resource for teachers and students.

See French 17 (1998).

MCBRIDE, ROBERT et NOEL PEACOCK, eds. Le nouveau Moliériste III (1996–1997) Glasgow: Universités d'Ulster et de Glasgow, 1997.

Review: Marco Baschera in PFSCL 26 (1999), 229–30: "Il s'agit en somme d'un volume riche d'informations pratiques et théoriques pour quiconque s'occupe de l'oeuvre de Molière."

MELEHY, HASSAN. "Molière and the Value of the Image: Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme." PFSCL 26 (1999), 29–38.

The author shows how the bourgeoisie is represented in the play as "involved in a machinery of representation" which is becoming its own mode of self-assertion aver the aristocracy.

NOBUKO, AKIYAMA. "Les comédies-ballets et les autres pièces de Molière." DSS 201 (1998), 595–611.

Argues that comédies-ballets stage topoï that remain "refoulés" in Molière's other plays; focuses specifically on the diverse permutations of the father figure and theatricality in the two genres.

REY-FLAUD, BERNADETTE. Molière de la farce. Genève: Droz, 1996.

RIGGS, LARRY W. "Dom Juan and Harpagon: Molière's Symbiotic Twin Archetypes of Modernity." PFSCL 26 (1999), 405–423.

This essay is a reading of Dom Juan and L'Avare which shows how the two plays "thematize two central myths of liberal capitalist modernity: the myth of the sovereign individual and that of the superiority of universal convertibility and exchange, mediated by money, over a pluralism of ethically bounded, localized exchange relationships."

SERROY, JEAN, ed. Le Tartuffe. Paris: Gallimard, 1997.

Review: Michael Hawcroft in FS 52.4 (1998), 465: Good edition for students. "The text of the play is preceded by Molière's preface and three placets au roi and followed by a detailed chronology, a level-headed discussion of the play's sources, accounts of its evolution from 1664–1669 and of its performance history up to 1997, a bibliography, a summary and, most useful of all, notes, which are not interpretative, but which systematically quote definitions from the dictionaries of Richelet, Furetière and the Académie française."

Review: Bénédicte Louvat in RHL 99.1 (1999), 125–26: Largely favorable review of S.'s edition which continues his work of editing Molière's plays for the "Folio/Théâtre" collection. L. applauds S. for "la quantité des informations et des analyses qu'elle comporte en sus du texte lui-même." Of special note is the link between the preface, which highlights the political, esthetic, and moral controversy surrounding the play, and the "notice" which examines the "sources et l'histoire du texte." Despite her favorable evaluation, L. does regret, "l'absence d'une analyse dramaturgique précise de la pièce."

Review: Nathalie Négroni in PFSCL 26 (1999), 237–238: "Le lecteur est enthousiasmé par l'orientation originale de Jean Serroy: montrer le 'travail de l'oeuvre,' le cheminement organique des voies de la création, qui sont mieux fondées que ces 'voix mystérieuses' que les critiques ont cru déceler dans les entrelacs du texte, et en Tartuffe."

SERVIN, MICHELINE B. "C'est bien ça." TM (Juillet-Septembre 98), 234–237.

Review of Jean-Pierre Vincent's production of Molière's Tartuffe ou l'Imposteur, at the theater of Nanterre-Amandiers. The author mentions Vincent's vague suggestion of a homosexual relation between Orgon and Tartuffe, as well as his view that Tartuffe is "fabriqué par Orgon" who needs to be dominated by the former, although Servin thinks this approach would have been better served by a Tartuffe truly hypocritical and truly an impostor, who would have "occupé le haut du plateau."

SHAW, DAVID. "Legal Elements in Le Misanthrope." NFS 38.1 (1999), 1–11:

Shaw notes the frequency with which the discrepancy between Alceste's ideals and the moral ambiguity of the society in which he lives is expressed through legal references, and illustrates the manner in which such legal references "constantly underpin the comedy" of the play.

SWEETSER, MARIE-ODILE. "Théâtre du monde et monde du théâtre: Le Misanthrope." Le Nouveau Molièriste 3 (1996–97), 57–71.

S. démontre la qualité théâtrale de cette pièce souvent considérée une comédie de salon.

SWEETSER. MARIE-ODILE. "Reprises, variations, récriture sur un thème comique chez Molière," in Le Labyrinthe de Versailles, ed. Martine Debaisieux (Amsterdam/Atlanta: Rodopi, 1998), 33–51.

S. montre comment Molière reprend, varie, et récrit certaines idées et sujets dans plusieurs de ces pièces.

VENESOEN, CONSTANT. Quand Jean-Baptiste joue du Molière, essai. PFSCL/Biblio 17, 94 (1996).

Review: L. Benatti in SFr 42 (1998), 135–6: Venesoen's ability to read the plays of Molière from new perspectives is "brilliantly demonstrated" in this essay, "in which the critic undertakes to describe Molière's personality starting from the corpus of his oeuvres, seen as a true mirror of his complex psychology and his multifaceted personality as well as of his way of looking at his contemporary society." To lead us step by step in this rediscovery, Venesoen does not hesitate to make use of psychoanalytic works of Jung and Freud, while at the same time remaining skeptical about the use of such tools in literary analysis. B. concludes that this work is "destined to open new critical paths within the already vast bibliography dedicated to the life and the works of Molière."

VILAR, JEAN. "A propos de Don Juan." RHT 50.4 (1998), 305–311.

Le texte de Jean Vilar, inédit dans son intégralité, examine la scène de Don Juan.

WHITTON, DAVID. Molière, Don Juan (Plays in Production). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995.

Review: W. Howarth in ThR 23.3 (1998), 284–285: Traces the production history of Molière's play, which disappeared from the stage from 1665 to 1847, then suffered poor treatment by theater troupes until 1947, when L. Jouvet staged a sympathetic interpretation, followed in 1953 by J. Vilar's exploration of the play as a "social problem." According to this reviewer, W. doesn't treat all productions with an even hand and is occasionally reductive in his approach. However, his treatment of the Jouvet and Vilar productions is "rewarding."

WYPLOSZ, JEAN. Performance review of the Compagnie de l'Escalier's "Molière et ses médecins" at the Théâtre du Tambour Royal, summer 1999. Le Point 1402 (1999), 84.

La pièce "se veut un patchwork [des] diatribes antimédicales [de Molière], assorties de choréographies buffonnes."

NAUDE

BIANCHI, LORENZO. Rinascimento e libertinismo: Studi su Gabriel Naudé. Naples: Bibliopolis, 1996.

DAMIEN, ROBERT. "Gabriel Naudé et la critique des romans." PFSCL 25 (1998), 442–449.

The author questions the exclusion by Naudé, the modern theoretician of the "Bibliothèque publique et universelle," of "romans, fables, narrations fictives, récits extravagants."

PASCAL

EARNETT, RICHARD-LAURENT. "Pascal's Prescripts: The Semiotics of Suspension." ZFSL 108 (1998), 241–58.

Dense and challenging development of author's earlier studies of aphoristic discourse, concluding that in Pascal "It is cartographer of the un-navigatable, normalizer of the inaccessible and poetic conduit of the un-narratable."

FORCE, PIERRE. "Pascal et la philosophie: problèmes de réception." PFSCL 25 (1998), 431–439.

Study of the philosophical status of Pascal's work through the examination of its reception from the 17th century (Madame de Sévigné, "lettre à Madame de Grignan", 9 août 1671) to the 20th century.

KOCH, EREC. Pascal and Rhetoric: Figural and Persuasive Language in the Scientific Treatises, the Provinciales and the Pensées. Charlottesville, VA: Rookwood Press, 1997.

Review: Bruce Edmunds in PFSCL 26 (1999), 224–227: "Indeed, Pascal and Rhetoric testifies to meticulous research and careful reading, and offers discussion that is often nothing less than brilliant."

Review: E. Moles in MLR 94.2 (1999), 539–40: "Erec Koch's learned book takes demolition of Pascal's meaning beyond Derrida, de Man, Marin, and Melzer in order to posit catachresis as the ultimate master-strope [sic]designating a blank at the heart of Pascal's linguistic predicament." Reviewer acknowledges irritation at K.'s "condescension towards the author" and finds that "a glossary of modern semiotic terms might usefully replace the lengthy annotations."

See French 17 (1997)

LEDUC-FAYETTE, DENISE. Pascal et le mystère du mal. La clé de Job. Paris: Cerf, 1996.

Review: Philippe Ducat in RMM (Sept. 1999), 430–31: Analyses move from the social assimilation of the story of Job to evidence of Pascal's to its sign—as a Christian category—of a "philosophie eucharistique" unifying the question of "liberté, le mal, le péché." Praises analyses of detail (e.g. on contemplation, the confrontation Pascal/Berkeley, on causality, the rapport of meditation and incantation, the language of evil, the "angoisses de Bayle") as well as the overall contribution made to consideration of the status of philosophizing for Pascal.

See French 17 (1997).

MEURILLON, CHRISTIAN. "Oubli de soi, oubli de Dieu: écriture et oubli chez Pascal." RSH 252 (1998), 23–36.

Chez Pascal, "l'écriture de l'oubli, au lieu ... de seulement se substituer à celle du contenu perdu de la pensée ... se développe en réflexion sur soi, qu'il conviendra ... de réitérer. L'oubli est ainsi récupéré par l'apologiste au profit d'une rémémoration de la faiblesse humaine, bien nécessaire à qui veut apprécier avec justesse sa condition véritable." Many links to "l'oubli" in Montaigne. "Je me propose ... d'envisager l'écriture pascalienne comme feux contre l'oubli." Analyzes letter by Blaise and Jacqueline to their sister Gilberte. "Chez Pascal aussi, le flux des mots donne une image de la continuité, tandis que la fragmentation et surtout l'inachèvement si fréquent dans son œuvre, reproduisent la fragilité de la vie humaine. Mais, chez lui, le contrôleur est également celui qui peut offrir au passager sans titre ni mérite le billet justificatif."

MEURILLON, CHRISTIAN, ed. Pascal: l'exercice de l'esprit. Lille: Université Charles de Gaulle Lille III, 1996.

Review: David Wetsel in PFSCL 26 (1999), 488–492: "In his introduction, C. Meurillon describes this important new collection of essays on Pascal as 'un parcours orienté où chaque article est le théâtre d'un exercice de l'esprit.' These essays ... certainly live up to this promise."

STRAUDO, ARNOUX. La fortune de Pascal en France au XVIIIe siècle. Oxford: Voltaire Foundation, 1997.

Review: François Bessire in RHL 99.2 (1999) 304–05: Favorable in which B. describes "Le livre d'Arnoux [comme] une impressionante somme érudite sur les lectures de Pascal au XVIIIe siècle. L'ampleur de l'enquête et sa rigueur, la présence des notices biographiques, d'une très large bibliographie et d'un copieux index en font un ouvrage de référence irremplaçable." Reviewer devotes much space to S.'s discussion of Voltaire's reaction to Pascal. In general, Voltaire is quite critical of Pascal, labeling his seventeenth-century predecessor as a "misanthrope" whose style of fragmented writing produces mainly "galimatias." Nonetheless, S. points out moments where Voltaire's writing shows a certain similarity to Pascal's. The eighteenth-century author who bore the greatest admiration for Pascal was Condorcet, who "transformed" Pascal "en protagoniste de l'histoire et du progrès de l'esprit humain."

WETSEL, DAVID. "Pascal on death." PFSCL 26 (1999), 195–203.

True to his title, the author studies Pascal's various pronouncements on death, from his letter to his sister on the occasion of their father's death, to the constant preoccupation with the inevitability of death in the Pensées.

PERRAULT

SAUPÉ, YVETTE. Les Contes de Perrault et la mythologie: rapprochements et influences. PFSCL/Biblio 17, 104 (1997).

Review: Jacques Barchilon in PFSCL 26 (1999), 232–234: "C'est en vérité un excellent ouvrage de consultation, que l'on soit d'accord avec l'auteur ou non. Nos réserves de professeurs pédants ne sauraient en aucune manière diminuer le fait que cette étude est une très utile contribution à la riche bibliographie critique des contes de Perrault."

Review: J.-P. Collinet in SFr 42 (1998), 570–1: C. summarizes the goal of this study (first begun under the auspices of M.-T. Hipp) as an attempt to situate "la place tenue dans les Contes... par la mythologie des Anciens" and states that this exercise is based on "le postulat que mythe et conte ne représente que les deux faces d'un même genre narratif, dont l'une, sacralisée, se laïcise dans la seconde." C. is generally favorable in his review, but criticizes the tendency of Saupé to weaken the focus of her study by indulging in detailed analyses of aspects of the Contes which are only peripherally related to the concept of mythology.

Review: Nathalie Grande in RHL 99.1 (1999), 129: Saupé's critical point of departure is summarized in the phrase, "le mythe et le conte ne sont que deux aspects d'une même narration." S. begins with the paratexts which shed light on "les intentions esthétiques du partisan déclaré des Modernes que fut Perrault." Textual analysis centers on "les lieux privilégiés des récits, le symbolisme moral des animaux, [et] les mythes héroiques." These themes and motifs help uncover "un romanesque du récit pris entre sérieux et dérision, dans le mélange des tons." For S., the burlesque dominates the tone of the Contes, and in so doing, brings about a "transposition malicieuse de l'épopée en conte, à la manière d'un 'Homère travesti.'"

Review: Felizitas Ringham in FS 52.3 (1998), 342: The wealth of information along with the ambiguities in the definition of key concepts (mythology, conte) confuse the argument rather than strengthen it. "Despite commendable attention to textual wording and close analysis of lexical fields, and despite a great number of definitions and questions raised, there is lack of rigour in the methodological approach as well as overall excessive repetition. If anything, the study would seem to illustrate the literary and generic confusion that marked the end of the seventeenth century, emblematic itself of 'influences' and 'rapprochements' in the contes."

VAN ELSLANDE, JEAN-PIERRE. "Parole d'enfant: Perrault et le déclin au Grand Siècle." PFSCL 26 (1999), 440–454.

The author focuses on the figure of the child, characterized by sweetness and innocence, which allows a shaking of hierarchical modes and evinces the greatness inherent in smallness, as it is staged in Perrault's Contes which, claiming to be the work of a child, adressed to and speaking of children, become the locus of a redefinition of human relations in a period when traditional aristocratic values are in crisis.

POIRET, PIERRE

CHEVALLIER, MARJOLAINE, ed. La paix des bonnes âmes. Geneva: Droz, 1998.

Review: Elisabeth Labrousse in BSHPF 145 (1999), 213–16: Important edition of a work ultimately aimed polemically at Bayle by the author of the Avis Charitables, sometimes of real originality, always witness to profound desire for an irenic future.

QUINAULT

MCINTYRE, BRUCE. "Armide ou le monologue féminin." AJFS 36.2 (1999), 157–72.

Examen de cette pièce considérée "comme le point culminant" de la carrière de Q. et dans laquelle "Armide se rapproche surtout de la Phèdre racinienne."

NORMAN, BUFORD. Philippe Quinault, les livrets d'opéra. Toulouse: Société de Littératures Classiques, 1999.

Première édition critique des onze livrets pour les tragédies de Lully qui offre une meilleure compréhension de l'esthétique galante et du baroque somptueux de l'époque.

RACINE

AUCOUTURIER, MICHEL. "Mandelstam traducteur et Racine acméiste." RLC 73,2 (1999), 213–22.

A. propose que les efforts de M. de traduire Racine ont résulté en l'inclusion de quelques vers et idées de Racine dans l'oeuvre poétique de M.

BARNETT, RICHARD-LAURENT. "Poétique et marginalité: les interstices du tragique racinien." SCFS 20 (1998), 153–62.

Racine's textual universe is ordered by a "perilleuse scission: l'échec patent du dire accapare la seule substance du discours, se substitue à elle. Le paradoxe s'avère interminable." Contains a useful biblio (including a complete listing of the author's previous studies of Racine and those currently in press).

BILLARD, PIERRE. "Les fêtes." Le Point 1405 (1999), 72:

Summary of commemorations of the tricentenary of Racine's birth, in France, in Africa, and in the United States.

BONZON, ALFRED. Racine et Heidegger. Paris: Nizet, 1995.

Review: N. Frogneux in ECl 66 (1998), 140: F. notes that this volume is a summary of a course given in 1977 at the U. of São Paulo and summarizes the main thrust of that course as follows: "L'hypothèse qu'il défend est que la pensée de Heidegger, quoique liée intimement à la langue allemande et à la poésie de Hölderlin, ne se limite ni à l'un ni à l'autre et les considérations heideggeriennes peuvent s'appliquer non seulement aux poètes modernes et contemporains de langue française, mais aussi aux classiques," but notes that this hypothesis is not adequately demonstrated.

BURY, EMMANUELLE. "Les Antiquités de Racine." OeC 24.1 (1999), 29–48.

"Le titre voudrait plutôt suggérer la pluralité des 'Antiquités' à l'oeuvre chez Racine, et proposer une réflexion sur les diverses modalités de l'usage des sources antiques par le dramaturge, et l'utilité de leur étude, pour mieux comprendre ce qui fait la spécificité de sa création."

CALDER, RUTH. "'La seule pensée du crime...': The Question of Moral Rigor in Phèdre." SCFS 20 (1998), 45–56.

The first of two articles considering the combination of conditions of the last stage of Racine's spirituality, this one examining the end of his Préface as a bid for reconciliation with the Jansenists and Arnauld in particular.

CALDICOTT, C.E.J. "L'ironie de Racine en anglais: l'exemple de Phèdre III.2–3." RLC 73.2 (1999), 177–84.

C. suggère que les traducteurs luttent avec les vers et avec la difficulté de garder "la précision de l'ironie racinienne," qui "est un élément indispensable de sa [Racine] vision tragique, tout aussi important que ses vers."

CHEDOZEAU, BERNARD. "La dimension religieuse dans quelques tragédies de Racine: 'Où fuir?'." OeC 24.1 (1999), 159–180.

"Reprise dans sa complexité, revivifiée dans sa puissance, la dimension 'religieuse' inséparable de son socle de 'sacré' signale un des axes majeurs de l'anthropologie racinienne. Après des pièces que l'on dira profanes apparaissent des tragédies lourdes d'un puissant sacré, et Phèdre en est l'aboutissement; ce sacré s'interprète et prend finalement sens dans un religieux teinté d'augustinisme."

CONSTANDOULAKI-CHANTZOU, IONNA. "Traduire Phèdre en grec moderne." RLC 73.2 (1999), 205–12.

Par un examen de la traduction de Stratis Pascalis, l'auteur montre le succès de cette traduction qui "a réussi à recréer en grec l'idiolecte de l'héroïne ainsi que l'atmosphère de la tragédie de Racine."

DELACOMPTEE, JEAN-MICHEL. Racine en Majesté. Paris: Flammarion, 1999.

Review: N. Casanova in QL 756 (1999), 6: "Le miracle de cette alliance entre un roi et un poète, c'est que l'un offre justement ce que l'autre est le plus apte à désirer, recevoir et goûter. L'un, le roi, recourt 'au principe de plaisir' ... pour 'aliénier l'autonomie des nobles' .... Racine, nous dit l'auteur, souhaite avant tout 'l'infini bonheur de la proximité du roi'." Plus tard, vers la fin de sa vie, "Racine exprime toutes les affres de l'amant passionné devant le désamour du partenaire." Histoire d'amour racinienne où Racine lui-même souffre le plus.

Review: O. Mongin in Esprit (mai 1999), 249: "En s'intéressant à Racine, il [D.] ne s'aventure pas sur le terrain miné de la biographie et ne cherche pas à faire le lien entre la vie et l'oeuvre. Il se contente d'observer que le tragédien, annobli en 1693, etait assoiffée de reconnaissance royale et que l'écrivain ne pouvait se concevoir que proche du roi au risque de se condamner lui-même au silence de l'écriture."

DOSMOND, SIMONE. "Phèdre: tragédie païene ou tragédie chrétienne?" IL 51.2 (1999), 27–36.

Article seeks to determine whether or not the religious dimension of Phèdre is chiefly pagan or Christian in nature. D. suggests arguments in favor of each thesis, as the first centers on 1)the play's mythological references, and 2) the relationship between God and humanity, while the second thesis is grounded in 1) Judeo-Christian tradition, and 2) the influence of Jansenism. Giving a third option, D. explains what she terms an "impious Phèdre" by describing her as "le personnage de la réprouvée," and as a figure afflicted with "la fascination du péché." D's textual references span the entire work, but she pays particularly close attention to Acts IV and V, where Phèdre's self-awareness and self-loathing seem to be at their most intense. It is also in these passages that the theme of confession bears witness to a "pessimisme métaphysique," which, according to D., brings together the pagan and Christian subtexts of Racine's ninth tragedy.

DUBU, JEAN. "Mithridate, pourquoi?" RHL 99.1 (1999), 17–40.

Article divides itself into several sections, the first being the "dangereux détours" Racine constructs for the principal characters of the play. Among the "détours" discussed are the betrayal of Xipharès's mother, as well as the false news of Mithridate's death. D. also devotes much space to the circumstances under which the actress la Champmeslé was chosen for the role of Monime, and how this role corresponds to her interpretations of Hermione and Phèdre. What these dramatic parts have in common is their insistence of the "femme unique." The article then passes to a comparison of the situational similarities between Mithridate and Corneille's dramaturgy, most notably Le Cid and Horace. Ultimately, D. sees the amity between Xipharès and Monime as the most noble, if not redemptive feature of the play. He concludes by suggesting that, "...[chez] Monime et Xipharès, [on voit] la protestation discrète du coeur, de la jeunesse et de l'innocence recouvrée." It is this innocence that triumphs over the specter of war and cynicism that characterizes the play's depiction of political intrigue.

ELTHES, AGNES. " 'Eh bien, Antiochus, es-tu toujours le même?' Deux traductions hongroises du monologue d'Antiochus." RLC 73.2 (1999), 241–56.

Comparaison qui démontre que les difficultés de traduction ne sont pas limitées aux différences des systèmes linguistiques et de versification.

EMELINA, JEAN. "Les tragédies de Racine et le mal" OeC 24.1 (1999), 95–114.

". . . du malheur au 'mal' il n'y a qu'un pas; 'mal,' non point dans le sens subjectif de souffrance particulière—ce 'mal' ou ces 'maux' dont souffre, par exemple, l'héroïne éponyme de Phèdre (v. 146, 186, 269)—mais dans un sens général et déjà métaphysique d'imperfection naturelle qui règne dans l'univers, de principe, de force nuisible: Les Fleurs du mal de Baudelaire. Peindre les passions publiques ou privées avec leurs ambitions, leurs violences, leurs crimes et leurs désastres, c'est peindre en priorité le mal humain."

ETIENVRE, FRANÇOISE. "Racine instrumentalisé dans L'Espagne des Lumières. Trois variations sur la tirade de Théramène." RLC 73.2 (1999), 223–30.

Etude d'une traduction en castillan (José Cadalso) qui suggère les fins patriotiques qui font partie du but de modifier le gôut des Espagnols en présentant des traductions d'oeuvres étrangères.

FORESTIER, GEORGES, ed. Œuvres complètes. Théâtre et poésie. Tome I. Paris: La Pléiade/Gallimard, 1999.

Review: N. Casanova in QL 760 (1999), 13: Cette nouvelle édition "nous donne les tragédies de R. telles que les spectateurs du XVIIe siècle les entendirent pour la première fois, avant les corrections tardives du poète." Le but de la modification: "ce sont ... les causes du désordre qui vont changer, passer en quelque sorte du psychologique au métaphysique.... Royalement revêtu de toutes les préfaces successives, d'explications sur les rapports de la ponctuation, de la prononciation et de la rime, ce volume nous permet une exploration fantastique, nous dirions presque hantée—des tragédies raciniennes. En outre il brouille heureusement en nous l'image d'une œuvre fixée pour toute l'éternité. On la voit vivre, bouger...."

FRANCE, PETER. "Andromaque chez les Britanniques." RLC 73.2 (1999), 137–52.

Une étude de deux répliques tirées de l'Acte I, sc. iv, dans quatre traductions différentes (Cairncross, Korn, Dunn, Raine).

FRANCE, PETER. "Racine Britannicus." OeC 24.1 (1999), 248–263.

"J'esquisserai d'abord un tableau peu réjouissant de la réception de Racine outre-Manche pendant plus de deux siècles avant d'aborder, avec un certain soulagement, une période plus propice à l'appréciation de ses tragédies."

GENNARO, ROSARIO et FRANCO MUSARRA. "La musique et les mots. Notes sur Ungaretti traducteur de Phèdre." RLC 73.2 (1999), 195–204.

Etude qui propose que ce poète applique sa propre poétique et met au point son propre langage en traduisant Racine.

GRANGAUD, MICHELLE. "L'interjection dans Britannicus." OeC 24.1 (1999), 23–28.

Exercice de compression des oeuvres dramatiques (voir Racine/Roubaud). G. "est arrivée à extraire de Britannicus les interjections, dont la liste . . . donne à lire une version radicalement fragmentée, et d'autant plus passionnelle, du chef-d'oeuvre racinien."

GUENOUN, SOLANGE M. "La passion Racine—sous le lierre de la psychologie et la résistance à la psychanalyse." OeC 24.1 (1999), 115–135.

"Matrice de l'invention, la passion est ce qui lie la faiblesse dramaturgique, psychique, et politique. Ce lien exige une esthétique adéquate, l'invention d'un noeud poétique, une forme d'où émaneraient des effets de 'sens'."

HARMSEN, A. J. E. "Mithridate dans le théâtre néerlandais." RLC 73.2 (1999), 165–76.

Trois traductions en 1679 qui indiquent la popularité de Racine dans ce pays.

HAWCROFT, MICHAEL. "Le langage racinien." OeC 24.1 (1999), 49–74.

"Certes, le langage racinien est poétique, mais il est simultanément dramatique, théâtral. C'est l'union si importante des aspects poétiques et dramatiques de son langage qui le rend si efficace sur scène et qui constituera notre perspective."

HERNANDEZ, BRIGITTE. Performance review of Racine's Phèdre, mise en scène de Luc Bondy, Théâtre de l'Odéon/Rennes, 1998. Le Point 1368 (1998), 92.

Controversial representation praised by reviewer.

JOY, JEAN-CLAUDE. Méditations raciniennes. Seize ouvertures en forme d'oratorio intérieur. Bern: Peter Lang, 1996.

Review: André Vanocini in ZFSL 109 (1999)0 85–87: Summary of the treatment of the speeches of characters that "aborde le texte racinien avec une sensibilité, un savoir remarquables." The author "sait surtout écouter le vers, lui faisant rendre une à une les significations cachées...:" in all, "une pierre exceptionnelle au diadème formé par les commentaires raciniens."

LAGARDE, FRANÇOIS. "1939, année racinienne." OeC 24.1 (1999), 292–314.

"En 1939, 'Racine' aurait dû 'arriver' en largeur, dans le concours de la célébration française, et en profondeur, au fond de l'âme mimétique. Mais à mesure qu'on s'éloigne de ces centres de gravité, le signifiant magique est sans effet: Racine au Mexique, ce n'est rien; Racine à l'école, ce n'est rien non plus. Aussi une contradiction mine-t-elle toute cette publicité: célébrer Racine est quasi impossible puisqu'il faudrait faire partager par le grand public une expérience mimétique, ontique, qui est le fait d'un recueillement privé. 'Racine' ou l'impossible 'intimus' universel. L'année racinienne, ou beaucoup de bruit pour rien. Mongrédien avait raison de se méfier des célébrations."

LEMAIRE, J.-P., ed. Cantiques spirituels et autres poèmes. Paris: Gallimard/Poésie, 1999.

Review: E. Pieiller in QL 769 (1999), 26: "Ces Cantiques ainsi que les Hymnes qui, avec quelques textes de Port-Royal, complètent l'ouvrage, sont des 'transpositions' de passages de la Bible, des paraphrases: il n'y a pas là d'éclat mystique à la Jean de la Croix, en revanche, l'ensemble de ces écrits religieux est très éclairant, et sur les inquiétudes du siècle, et sur les obsessions raciniennes, hanté, comme Saint Paul, par les 'deux hommes en lui.' Une lettre à Boileau explicitant son travail achève de rendre cet ouvrage précieux."

LEVILLAIN, HENRIETTE. "La Bérénice infidèle de Thomas Otway." RLC 73.2 (1999), 153–64.

Une version abrégée qui démontre les modifications au profit de l'action pour plaire au gôut britannique.

MAZOUER, CHARLES. "Racine et la comédie." OeC 24.1 (1999), 216–232.

M. propose d'examiner Les Plaideurs, "en la confrontant aux traditions comiques anciennes ou contemporaines de Racine par rapport auxquelles il se situe et marque son originalité."

MULLER, DAVID G. "Phèdre, Britannicus." Performance review of Racine's Phèdre and Britannicus, both mounted by the Almeida Theatre Company, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Majestic Theatre, New York City, January 1999, Director Jonathan Kent. TJ 51.3 (1999), 327–331.

Diana Rigg in the role of Phèdre. Performances judged "both disappointing and revealing in turn. Both performances resisted the temptation of setting the plays in the same neoclasssical nowhereland... of Racinian myth.... Maria Bjornson designed an excellent alternative to the myth of Racinian neutrality: a scenographic diptych with settings unified in their compositional configuration but clearly defining a specific locale for each tragedy...." However, Phèdre could not overcome "stock Racinian folklore [cf. Barthes]." "[I]ntelligent performances by fine actors... could not overcome the production's monumental proportions and frequently overbearing self-consciousness... [T]he production seemed rushed.... Kent's monumental approach seemed curiously at odds with Ted Hughes's free-verse translation.... Britannicus, on the other hand, was much more satisfying. Robert David MacDonald's translation, in rhymed hexametric couplets, is a joy to hear.... The Almeida ensemble found a particularly effective approach to its production by transferring the action from the confines of Roman history to a mythic locale within contemporary resonance... a corporate waiting room just beyond the corridors of real power."

NIES, FRITZ. "Le 'premier poète moderne' ravalé au rang de 'farce bigarrée'? Prologomènes à un Racine allemand." OeC 24.1 (1999), 264–280.

"Pour nous autres Allemands, Racine a-t-il jamais été des nôtres, l'est-il de nos jours? Et suppose qu'on puisse répondre par l'affirmative à ces deux questions, il en resterait toujours une troisième: notre Racine à nous est-ce bien celui qu'on suppose parler de manière si familière à ses compatriotes?" L'auteur passe rapidement sur les éditions et traductions, la scène, la critique, l'école, et la recherche et l'enseignement universitaires.

NIES, FRITZ. "Schiller, Werle et les autres: Racine en langue allemande." RLC 73.2 (1999), 185–94.

N. propose ces deux interprétations, parmi deux centaines de versions allemandes, comme versions qui méritent notre considération.

NORMAN, BUFORD. "Remaking a Cultural Icon: Phèdre and the Operatic Stage." Cambridge Opera Journal 10.3 (1998), 225–245.

Article examines relationship of Simon-Joseph Pellegrin's libretto for Hippolyte et Aricie (1733) and Racine's Phèdre. B.N. asserts the "coexistence of two forms of tragedy [tragédie lyrique and spoken tragedy] within the same aesthetic," and supports "the study of the libretto as an autonomous text." He then summarizes Pellegrin's justifications for the choice of the Phaedra myth, particularly in light of the play's reputation as "perfect" in 17th-century terms. B.N. discusses the fundamental differences between the two works, asserting that even Phèdre herself is a very different character in Pellegrin's piece. The article contains a lengthy and careful comparison of the vocabulary of Racine and Pellegrin, and in particular cites the changes Pellegrin made to Racine's lines, and their location in the libretto. B.N. concludes that "there seems to be little correlation between the number of words that a line from Hippolyte et Aricie and a line in Phèdre have in common and their likelihood of being used in the same context, much less in exactly the same situation. Hippolyte et Aricie is not a remake of Phèdre. It uses many of the same elements, and [Racine's] phrases are redistributed with considerable freedom." Moreover, "the larger elements of Racine's play (plot, characters, motivation, divine intervention, etc.) are similarly borrowed but modified and rearranged." Thus, "it is more accurate to see Hippolyte et Aricie, not as an operatic Phèdre, but as a version of a classic myth that borrows from Racine when his words — but rarely the situation, the characterisation and the multiple meanings that lie behind them — are suitable to the lyric stage." Appendix I contains an extended analysis of certain borrowings; Appendix II reproduces the beginning of Pellegrin's Preface to the 1733 libretto.

POMMIER, RENÉ. Etudes sur Britannicus. Paris: SEDES, 1995.

Review: J. Filée in ECl 66 (1998), 140: Pommier's book contains three studies concerning Racine's Britannicus and presents a critical rereading of Goldmann and also (incidentally) of C. Mauron. F. summarizes, "Si les vues de l'auteur paraissent convaincantes, certains pourront regretter le ton polémique qu'il adopte à l'égard des analyses de Goldmann."

REILLY, MARY. "Racine's Visions of Violence: The Case of Bajazet, Britannicus and Bérénice." NFS 38.1 (1999), 12–23.

Reilly closely analyses "the images evoked by offstage violence" and illustrates how they form part of a complex "psychological means of tyranny" by which various characters seek to control the thoughts and actions of the other characters, in "dramatic and repressive power relationships."

RINGER, LOREN. "Phèdre." Performance Review of Phèdre, mise-en-scène by the Théâtre Vidy (Lausanne) at the Théâtre National de Bretagne, December 1998. TJ 51.3 (1999), 331–332.

"[S]ome stunning visual effects in set design and lighting and a beautiful interpretation of the lead role by Valérie Dréville. Unfortunately, a problematic Œnone and weak Hippolyte marred the performance."

RIZZA, CECILIA. "Fortune et infortunes de Racine en Italie." OeC 24.1 (1999), 233–247.

Présence de Racine en Italie étudiée sous l'angle de la traduction et des tendances actuelles de la critique italienne.

ROHOU, JEAN, ed. Jean Racine, théâtre complet. Paris: Livre de Poche, 1998.

Review: Bernard Chédozeau in IL 51.1 (1999), 60–61: Favorable review in which C. envisions that this "ouvrage excellent" will become "un manuel à l'usage des élèves du secondaire, et des étudiants d'université." The work consists of two parts: the plays themselves as well as a grouping of "notices" dedicated to each play. Rohou's introduction discusses the evolution of Racine's tragedy from historical and political drama to "la passion tragique." The introduction also addresses issues of spelling, punctuation, and other technical matters. In his "notices," Rohou presents information about the genesis, reception, and sources of the works in question. Among the notices C. highlights are those to Andromaque, Bérénice, and Bajazet. Undergirding Rohou's thématique is the idea of an "anthropologie augustinienne" which unites the interpretation and presentation of Racine's dramaturgy.

Review: E. Pieiller in QL 753 (1999), 31: "Splendide édition. Rohou, dans une très belle et simple préface, propose de voir dans le tragique racinien une 'version particulière de l'anthropologie augustinienne,' ... puis dans les notices qui accompagnent chaque pièce, précise les intentions, raisons, et conditions de son écriture, ainsi qu'une synthèse des interprétations. Un bonheur."

Review: Ronald W. Tobin in PFSCL 26 (1999), 496–497: "...nous ferions bien de remercier Jean Rohou d'avoir rendu disponible le théâtre complet de Racine dans le format le plus commode et le plus utile qui soit sur le marché au seuil de l'Année Racine."

Review: Marie-Odile Sweetser in FR 73 (1999), 127–28: Concise general intro. in individual notices, good biblio, modernized orthography and accommodated punctuation. The lines of the general introduction follow by in large those established in author's L'évolution du tragique racinien (1991).

RÖHL, MAGNUS. "Quand Phèdre parle suédois." RLC 73.2 (1999), 231–40.

Etude de quatre versions (1797, 1906, 1986, 1990) qui propose que la version du dix-huitième reste le plus fidèle à Racine.

RONZEAUD, PIERRE. "Racine et la politique: la perplexité de la critique." OeC 24.1 (1999), 136–158.

"Que conclure, en effet, à l'issu de ce parcours dans la critique racinienne? Que la politique environne le Racine de l'existence, homme pris dans le monde de son époque, que la politique figure dans ses tragédies, thématisée ou dramaturgiquement instrumentalisée, comme elle constitue l'horizon culturel de sa poésie encomiastique. Mais aussi que l'on peut découvrir une étroite complicite entre la politique monarchique de Louis XIV, . . . et la politique scénique exhibée dans des tragédies qui . . . mettent en scène une conception identique de la valeur de l'absolutisme."

ROUBAUD, JACQUES. "Codécimation de Phèdre." OeC 24.1 (1999), 11–22.

Exercice de compression des oeuvres dramatiques (voir Racine/Grangaud): "La décimation supprime un individu sur dix; la codécimation n'en laisse survivre qu'un. Cette version de Phèdre a 165,4 vers, chaque vers étant compté selon son nombre de syllabes et le total converti en alexandrins." R. "explore les manières dont on peut adapter la tragédie classique aux nécessités de notre temps—c'est-à-dire en particulier à notre manque de temps."

SCHMITT, MICHEL P. "L'hyperclassique (Racine à l'école)." OeC 24.1 (1999), 281–292.

"Présence de Racine à l'école? Evidemment, d'autant plus remarquable que la concurrence sur le marché des auteurs scolaires est plus redoutable que jamais. L'inquiétude des raciniens devrait en fait se porter sur la présence de l'école dans Racine, sur l'impérialisme scolaire qui règle le dispositif littéraire, culturel et donc social mis en place sous le nom de 'Racine'."

SCHNEIDER, MICHEL. "Racine clair et obscur." Le Point 1405 (1999), 68–70.

Article summarizes Racine's career, with an emphasis on Racine as "énigme" during certain "périodes enfermées." "Quel fut le vrai Racine? Le vil arriviste, qui sombra dans une ultime disgrâce dont peut-être il mourut en 1699? Le pieux et secret janséniste, élevé à Port-Royal, où, selon ses désirs, il fut enseveli près de son maître, M. Hamon? Le moraliste déchiré par la souffrance et les humiliations, qui trouvait aux ors de Versailles un reflet de sang? Un peu des trois, sans doute, et à la vérité un tout autre personnage: le plus violent des écrivains, le plus orgueilleux et le moins vaniteux, voulant comme disparaître dans son œuvre. Il a réussi."

SCHRODER, VOLKER, éd. Présences de Racine. OeC 24.1 (1999).

Présentation de Volker Schröder suivie de 17 contributions: J. Roubaud, "Codécimation de Phèdre"; M. Grangaud, "L'Interjection dans Britannicus"; E. Bury, "Les Antiquités de Racine"; M. Hawcroft, "Le Langage racinien"; F. Sick, "Dramaturgie et tragique de l'amour dans le théâtre de Racine"; J. Emelina, "Les Tragédies de Racine et le mal"; S. M. Guénoun, "La Passion Racine—sous le lierre de la psychologie et la résistance à la psychanalyse"; P. Ronzeaud, "Racine et la politique: la perplexité de la critique"; B. Chedozeau, "La Dimension religieuse dans quelques tragédies de Racine: 'Où fuir?'"; C. J. Spencer, "Impasse du discours: Racine, Port-Royal et les signes"; M.-O. Sweetser, "Les Femmes dans la vie et l'oeuvre de Racine"; C. Mazouer, "Racine et la comédie"; C. Rizza, "Fortune et indortunes de Racine en Italie"; P. France, "Racine britannicus"; F. Nies, "Le 'Premier poète moderne' ravalé au rang de 'farce bigarée'? Prologomènes à un Racine allemand"; M. P. Schmitt, "L'hyperclassique (Racine à l'école)"; F. Lagarde,"1939, année racinienne"; V. Schröder, "Racine-cliché: petit dictionnaire des idées reçues."

SCHRODER, VOLKER. "Racine-cliché: petit dictionnaire des idées reçues." OeC 24.1 (1999), 315–316.

S. remercie "les raciniens, racinisants, racinologues et racinolâtres dont les écrits . . . ont permis de compiler ce répertoire . . . ." dont l'exemple suivant: "Passion—Toujours suivie de déstructrice."

SICK, FRANZISKA. "Dramaturgie et tragique de l'amour dans le théâtre de Racine." OeC 24.1 (1999), 75–94.

"Si l'on étudie la dramaturgie de Racine, il faut pourtant poser la question du rapport entre le sujet et la forme. Il faut, en d'autres termes, examiner de quelle façon Racine associe le sujet de l'amour au genre tragique, voire au tragique tout court. Racine n'intègre pas seulement un sujet nouveau—l'amour—dans un genre bien établi—la tragédie—, il écrit des tragédies d'amour au sens fort du terme, c'est-à-dire des pièces où l'amour est la source du tragique."

SPENCER, CATHERINE J. "Impasse du discours: Racine, Port-Royal et les signes." OeC 24.1 (1999), 181–192.

"Comment le texte racinien, oeuvre de langage s'il en est, travaille-t-il (sur) la représentation? et quel rapport a ce travail avec la réflexion sur le pouvoir qui sous-tend l'ensemble des tragédies?" S. propose une lecture de Bajazet "en parallèle avec la théorie du signe telle que la formulent les logiciens."

SWEETSER, MARIE-ODILE. "Les femmes dans la vie et l'oeuvre de Racine." OeC 24.1 (1999), 193–215.

S. tente "de montrer la diversité et la richesse des interprétations suscitées par un aspect important de la création racinienne, celle des personnages féminins, de Jocaste et Antigone à Athalie, la préminence des rapports de filiation, évidente d'un bout à l'autre de la carrière."

THEIS, LAURENT. "Du côté de Port-Royal." Le Point 1405 (1999), 71–72.

Brief history of Racine's relationship with Port-Royal, suitable for undergraduates.

TOBIN, RONALD W. Jean Racine Revisited. New York: Twayne, 1999.

Review: D. A. Collins in Choice 36.11/12 (1999), 1952–1953: "T.'s 'revisit' of Racine's life and work follows a format identical to its predecessor, Claude Abraham's Jean Racine..., in the same series. T. ... oft-published scholar on 17th-century French theater, produces what he modestly calls 'an accessible portrait of the dramatist,' enriched by a 'synthesis of Racine scholarship since ... 1977.' After a chronology, a biography, and a characterization of neoclassical French tragedy, the author devotes a chapter to each of Racine's 11 tragedies and one comedy. A brief conclusion, notes and references, and selected bibliography complete this eminently readable study. All quotes are in English and, when taken from the French, are T.'s own translations. He presents clear, rich analyses of all the plays; especially good is his discussion of Britannicus, where his cross-dipping into comic possibilities and comparison with sources suggest imaginative, multifaceted views of the tragedy.... T.'s is a first-rate piece of work worthy of any academic or public library."

RETZ

BERTIERE, SIMONE, ed. Mémoires, précédées de la Conjuration du Comte de Fiesque. Paris: Le livre de poche/Classiques Garnier, 1999.

Review: E. Pieiller in QL 766 (1999), 29: "Le remarquable travail de B. permet de se repérer dans les troubles de l'époque, de cerner la pensée politique de R., d'en apprécier ce que se déploie là d'arrogance mousquetaire, d'inquiétude janseniste, dans le cadre lucidement reconnu de Theatrum mundi. Lire R., c'est redonner sa vivacité et ses troubles au XVIIe siècle, c'est mettre dans une perspective nouvelle Corneille et Pascal, c'est une sacrée cure de jouvence."

ROTROU

VUILLEMIN, JEAN-CLAUDE, ed. L'Hypocondriaque ou le mort amoureux, tragi-comédie (1631). Geneva: Droz, 1999.

SAINT-AMANT

SILVER, SUSAN K. "Questioning Taste: Saint-Amant and the Poetic Grotesque." PFSCL 26 (1999), 159–173.

Study of two works of Saint-Amant, poet of the "grotesque": "Le Fromage" and "Le Melon" within the framework of early modern, and 20th century "théories du goût." "These stylistically complex food poems became textual monuments, serving to commemorate the poet's artistry while immortalizing his 'magnificent bad taste'."

TONOLO, SOPHIE. "La recherche esthétique dans la poésie de Saint-Amant." IL 51.2 (1999), 21–26.

Article discusses the influence of music, and especially painting, on Saint-Amant's literary aesthetic. Of particular concern to T. is Saint-Amant's "désir de plaire au lecteur par des effets visuels." Author emphasizes the "materialité de la langue," in defining the "volonté plastique" that shapes Saint-Amant's poesis. After discussing the seventeenth-century preference for "l'Expression et l'Invention" over the "Imitation de la Nature et des Anciens," T. highlights Saint-Amant's concept of "l'artiste comme un créateur indépendant" in the preface to Moyse Sauvé. Saint-Amant's aesthetic is closely tied to the ethos of fifteenth-century Italian painting as described by Alberti, who based his theory on the principles of "circonscription, composition, et distribution." Among the other key elements of the article are Saint-Amant's relationship with Poussin, as well as the choice of themes and genres which find expression both in Saint-Amant's lyric, and in Baroque painting.

SAINT AUGUSTINE

MAYER, CORNELIUS et al., eds. Augustinus-Lexikon. Volume I, Fascicles 5/6: Bellum — Civitas dei; 7/8: Civitas dei — Conversio. Basel: Schwabe&Co, 1992, 1994.

Review: Dom David Foster in DownR 116 (1998), 307–309: "Contributions here cover a wide range of materials archaeological and prosopographical, as well as offer introductions to works of Augustine and to his language and ideas."

ROTELLE, JOHN E., ed. The Confessions by Saint Augustine. Introduction, translation and notes byMaria Boulding. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1997.

Review: Dom David Foster in DownR 117 (1999), 75–77: Boulding "combines accuracy and facility in rendering into modern English Latin words which carry more than their fair share of loaded meaning" and "is concerned to mark the clear water between Augustine's emerging Christian experience of God and faith and the various other influences on him." Introduction deals with the conversion story as well as "the structure and nature of the work."

SAINT-EVREMOND

ANDRIVET, PATRICK. Saint-Evremond et l'histoire romaine. Orléans: Paradigme, 1998.

Review: L. Benatti in SFr 42 (1998), 568: A study of the historical aspects of the Réflexions sur les divers génies du peuple romain dans les divers temps de la république (c. 1665). Andrivet highlights the stylistic characteristics, descriptive strategies and the ideologies of the text. B. notes the large critical bibliography as being of special interest, as well as the exhaustive and critically rigorous notes at the conclusion of each chapter.

Review: Alain Niderst in PFSCL 26 (1999), 207–08: Niderst finds Andrivet's conclusions "fort intéressantes, acceptables dans leur ensemble, pas toujours aussi originales qu'on le croirait, auxquelles en tout cas on pouvait parvenir sans distribuer à droite et à gauche les coups de férule et sans nous entraîner dans une lecture suivie si longue et parfois si rude."

HOPE, QUENTIN. Saint-Evremond and His Friends. Geneva: Droz, 1999.

LEVINE, JOSEPH M. Between the Ancients and Moderns: Baroque Culture in Restoration England. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999.

Contains major section on Saint-Evremond.

SAINT-SIMON

LE ROY LADURIE, EMMANUEL, with JEAN-FRANÇOIS FITOU. Saint-Simon, ou le Système de la cour. Paris: Fayard, 1997.

Review: R. Briggs in London Review of Books 20.23 (1998), 32–33: "[T]his is a characteristic Ladurie work — lively, discursive, engaging, sometimes a little rapid or allusive. Passages where he seems to be coasting along, relying on his enviable stylistic facility and sense for the telling detail, are suddenly interrupted by sharp original comments. He is particularly good at picking up the repeated contradictions in Saint-Simon's own thought, while avoiding any condescension at his expense.... I find the book's title puzzling, when it is more in the style of a collection of overlapping yet distinct studies; if there is a system of the Court presented it is a distinctly elusive one — the elements of a future synthesis rather than the thing itself: the single vision is lacking. Perhaps that is no bad thing.... It may well be that the whole notion of 'systems' is inappropriate in this context." Posits L.'s book as a corrective to N. Elias's The Court Society. "One great virtue of Le Roy Ladurie's recent work has been a much more detached attitude to the rulers and statesmen of the Ancien Régime, who are seen as fallible human beings doing their best in difficult circumstances, rather than as monsters of greed and egotism. This clever and attractive work treats Saint-Simon with indulgence, yet is never prepared to take him on trust. At the end we still don't quite know whether the Court had a system or not, but we are left with little excuse for allowing the wool to be pulled over our eyes about its denizens, even by so expert a practitioner of the deceptive arts as le petit duc."

STEFANOVSKA, MALINA. "Un voyeur à la cour de Louis XIV: curiosité et écriture dans les Mémoires de Saint-Simon. PFSCL 26 (1999), 289–298.

Communication delivered at the 1997 MLA convention conference on "La curiosité au XVIIe siècle." Introduction by Martine Debaisieux. Stefanovska's article studies Saint-Simon's opus as a collection of "curiosités historiques" and shows how the memorialist awakens the "curiosité" of the reader who thus becomes a spectator of the "singularités étranges" Saint-Simon had accumulated.

SCHOMBERG, JEANNE DE.

WINN, COLETTE H., ed. Règlement donné par une dame de haute qualité à M*** sa petite-fille, pour sa conduite, et pour celle de sa maison: avec un autre règlement que cette dame avoit dressé pour elle-mesme. Paris: Champion, 1997.

Review: N. Clerici Balmas in BHR 60.3 (1998), 893–94: "L'édition critique, très soignée, proposée par Colette H. Winn reproduit le texte de 1698, et respecte la division originale des chapitres. A la fin du volume, on trouve quelques poèmes de Jeanne de Schomberg, déjà inclus dans un recueil de vers publiés par le P. Bouhours en 1693, et une liste, très utile bien que non exhaustive, des ouvrages éducatifs à l'usage des femmes du XVIIe au XVIIIe siècle."

Review: C. Hampton in MLR 94.1 (1999), 198–99: "Jeanne de Schomberg, Duchesse de Liancourt (1600–74), was, as Colette Winn explains in her introduction to this edition, a prominent and admired figure within the seventeenth-century French court . . . ." The two Règlements were initially published in 1698 and republished five times to 1881. "Winn argues that this relative popularity is due to the unchanging tenor of texts celebrating the 'idéal féminin' over several centuries; she traces Jeanne de Schomberg's female standpoint, especially in relation to marriage, back to Christine de Pisan, and her attitudes to female education and motherhood through Erasmus and Vivès to seventeenth-century educators such as Fortin and Coustel."

Review: Valerie Worth-Stylianou in FS 52.4 (1998), 467–468: The Règlement(1698)was published 24 years after the death of its author, Jeanne de Schomberg. W. sets the work in its original context by drawing on her knowledge of seventeenth-century pedagogic treatises and devotional literature. She recognizes that the author is not a femme forte likely to appeal to latter-day feminists. Rather, the author seeks to inculcate traditionally 'feminine' Christian virtues. Subjects which are passed over in silence are illuminating. "All of this adds up to a valuable document for the social historian."

SCUDÉRY, GEORGES DE

PELLEGRINI, ROSA GALLI et CRISTINA BERNAZZOLI, eds. Georges de Scudéry, Alaric, ou Rome vaincue. Paris-Bari: Schena-Didier Erudition, 1998.

Review: Alain Niderst in PFSCL 26 (1999), 472–473: "...cette édition rendra de grands services et permettra en tout cas de mieux connaître la poésie héroïque française du XVIIe siècle si longtemps ignorée et méprisée."

SCUDERY, MADELEINE

DENIS, DELPHINE. La muse galante. Poétique de la conversation dans l'oeuvre de Madeleine de Scudéry. Paris: Champion, 1997.

Review: J.-P. Collinet in SFr 42 (1998), 567–8: C. congratulates the author on the success of what initially seemed a risky enterprise (a linguistic analysis of the numerous conversations in Mlle de Scudéry's oeuvres), although he notes that Denis's very "modern" analysis, far from questioning our understanding of Scudéry's work, merely serves to confirm the findings of earlier, more traditional studies. Still, he notes that Scudéry herself would be the first to applaud the sight of "une personne de son sexe [qui choisit] hardiment de se placer, pour l'étudier, à l'extrême pointe de la modernité pour ce qui regarde les recherches savantes sur des questions touchant à la littérature."

MORLET-CHANTALAT, CHANTAL. Bibliothèque des écrivains français: Madeleine de Scudéry. Rome-Paris: Mennini, 1997.

Review: R. Galli Pellegrini in SFr 42 (1998), 341–2: A "very precise and exhaustive bibliography", divided into 13 thematic sections which make it easy to consult. Morlet-Chantalat underlines in her introduction the problem of the attribution of the works and indicates that a joint bibliography might have been more appropriate.

MORLET-CHANTALAT, CHANTAL. Madeleine de Scudéry. Paris/Rome: Editions Memini, 1997.

Review: Nathalie Grande in RHL 99.1 (1999), 123–24: G. cites the need for this work by saying that before C.'s book, there had been no extensive bibliographical record of Madeleine de Scudéry's oeuvre. Part of the series entitled, "Bibliographie des écrivains français," the volume includes sections on manuscripts, editions, translations, and biographical studies. From a thematic standpoint, the book covers topics such as "sources, traditions, preciosity, and the feminine condition."

SEVIGNE, MADAME DE

PICH, EDGARD. Passion amoureuse et système épistolaire. Les débuts de la correspondance de Madame de Sévigné et sa fille. Lyon: ALDRUI.

Review: L. Benatti in SFr 42 (1998), 133–4: A systematic analysis of a very limited portion of the epistolary production of Mme de Sévigné. B. notes that the lack of a concluding chapter, while it does not limit the intrinsic value of the study, is disappointing to the reader.

MONFORT, CATHERINE R. and RIMA LANNING,. "Les méchancetés de Madame de Sévigné." PFSCL 26 (1999), 131–158.

Study of Sévigné's "folies", and of the various "méchancetés" found in the Correspondance; of the specific targets of this "méchanceté" (for example Bussy-Rabutin); and of the evolution of the author as to this specific aspect of her self-characterization.

RACEVSKIS, ROLAND. "Dynamics of Time and Postal Communication in Mme de Sévigné's Letters." PFSCL 26 (1999), 51–59.

The author studies the reform of the French postal system in the 1660's and 1670's and the correspondance of Mme de Sévigné, made possible by that very reform, in relation to each other. In doing so, he examines the modern construction of time and, ultimately, how the individual becomes subject to the institutions of the State.

ZOBERMAN, PIERRE. "Epistolarité et intertextualité: Madame de Sévigné et l'écriture de la lettre." DSS 200 (1998), 433–452.

Z. studies the intertextual network in which the Marquise's text is inscribed and demonstrates how the text derived meaning and constituted itself against other texts. Z. concludes that knowledge of this intertextual network is essential to reading the correspondance.

SOREL

MORGANTE, JOLE. Il libertinismo dissimulato. L'Histoire comique de Francion di Charles Sorel. Fasano: Schema Editore, 1996.

Review: Nathalie Grande in RHL (1999), 122: G. emphasizes the author's thesis that the 1623 version of the Histoire comique contains, "...[des] valeurs libertines qui auraient été gommées par les continuations de 1626 et 1633. Morgante focuses on variants in different editions and finds that, according to G., "tout en effaçant certains traits de vulgarité, les corrections que Sorel a apportées à son texte ont su néanmoins préserver sa portée libertine." The first part of the work looks at the "contenu libertin de la narration," while the second part examines "libertinage" as a "technique d'écriture."

Review: C. Rizza in SFr 42 (1998), 562–3: Morgante develops the work of previous critics such as J. Dejean, I. Bugliani, A. Adam and R. Pintard in order to examine in detail the originality of the polemical and libertine aspects of Francion.

SPINOZA

CHAMLA, MINO. Spinoza e il concetto delle tradizione ebraica. Milan: Franco Angeli, 1996.

Review: Adriano Palma in Isis 90 (1999), 593–94: Identifies all the strands, from distrust of literalism and legalism to orthodoxy, that link S. to the Jewish tradition. Without wanting to blunt the originality that defies restrictive thought, Chamla's intent appears to be to describe a complex dialectic within S.'s work between the traditions themselves and interpretation that ended up destroying them. Invaluable massive biblio.

GULLAN-WHUR, MARGARET. Within Reason: A Life of Spinoza. London: Cape, 1999.

Review: Frederick Beiser in TLS 5021 (25 June 1999), 4–5: The first complete, full-length biography in English. Uses archival material and is sensitive to S's Iberian, Jewish, and Dutch backgrounds. Foregrounds the personality. Makes interesting hypotheses to the extent that the biography is a "tour de force," a remarkable blend of imagination and erudition. Marred by some "political correctness point-scoring" (e.g. accusations of misogyny and intellectual narcissism) and a less than vigorous elaboration of the legacy. But a "great step forward."

NADLER, STEVEN. Spinoza: A Life. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999.

Review: Frederick Beiser in TLS 5021 (25 June 1999), 4–5: Uses new archival material to illuminate especially S.'s place in the Marrano community in Amsterdam, before and after his exclusion. "Refuses to engage in intellectual biography" and disappointingly leaves aside questions of intellectual influences. But excellent situation of the Tractatus and its polemical context. Overall reveals a mastery of the philosophy and is a rewarding biographical advance over Daniel Levin's Spinoza (1970).

TRISTAN

BERREGARD, SANDRINE. "Le caractère autobiographique des Lettres meslées." CTH 21 (1999), 37–45.

Mise-au-point,of the problems involved in distinguishing the personal, autobiographical elements, from the purely social, conventional ones in the published letters. Generally, the letters afford the writer an "espace de parole," a place to denounce the servitude of court life and the "mécénat" and at the same time to hide behind the conventions it imposes.

BRAY, BERNARD. "Tristan L'Hermite, écrivain par lettres." CTH 21 (1999), 26–36.

In the contexts of published letters, since the 1620s, Bray places the two groups of literary epistles—love letters and "lettres héroïques" of the Lettres meslées: the former collection "detourne son lecteur de toute indulgence à l'égard des femmes, de toute faiblesse envers les séductions de 1'amour"; the latter "réussit à communiquer à son lecteur sa haute représentation de la dignité et de la noblesse d'âme dont sont capables les meilleurs des humains." In both appears "la 1iberté de l'écrivain."

CAHIERS TRISTAN L'HERMITE 21 (1999).

News of the Association des Amis and yearly biblio. Articles are entered spearately in this volume of French 17.

DESILES, EMMANUEL. "La dimension metalangagière du Page disgrâcié.' CTH 21 (1999), 17–24.

Careful and suggestive examination of the ways distance is established between the protagonist and his language. The text becomes an apprenticeship in language rather than its simple assumption.

ISRAEL, MARCEL. "Quand Isaac Du Ruyer saluait l'avénement de Tristan." CTH 21 (1999), 58–62.

Presentation of two sonnets not figuring in any study of Tristan by Isaac Du Ruyer (father of Pierre) in which the elderly poet generously praises T.'s beginnings. Du Ruyer, a "douanier," is represented as one of the few l7th-century poets whose nonliterary primary occupation nourished his "veine poetique."

PREVOST, JACQUES, ed. Le Page disgrâcié. Paris: Gallimard, 1998.

Review: Jean-Pierre Chauveau in CTH 21 (1991), 61: Expands the commentary of the editor's previous edition in the FolioClassique series (1994). The intertextuality established by inclusion of the text within this volume will enhance the individuality of T.'s prose and raise significant questions concerning the nature of the reasons for its inclusion in this company.

THIOLLET, CATHARINE. "Variations sur la disgrâce dans le Page disgrâcié de Tristan L'Hermite." CTH 21 (1999), 7–15.

Dense and highly suggestive examination of the ways in which T.'s narrative gives rise to allegorical value of the title's "disgrâcié" and by way of "aventures féminines" and especially "le jeu" emblematic in value for "le perdant."

TOURNON. ANNE. "La conception tristanienne de la justice dans les Plaidoyers historiques." CTH 21 (1999), 47–55.

Welcome analysis of this little-studied and difficult work in which T.'s retelling of his source dramatizes human interest, calls for the compassion of magistrates, and sets into conflict ambiguity and reticences of the language of the law and its mouthpieces in respect to the language of the pleadings. "Ce n'est pas la loi qui fonde la distinction du juste et de l'injuste, c'est la disposition naturelle à suivre le bien qui fonde la loi."

VIAU, THÉOPHILE DE.

SABA, GUIDO. Fortunes et infortunes de Théophile de Viau. Histoire de la critique suivie d'une bibliographie. Paris: Klincksieck, 1997.

Review: Jean-Pierre Chauveau in PFSCL 25 (1998), 621–622: "Nul doute que le monument d'érudition et d'attention patiente et éclairée que nous offre aujourd'hui Guido Saba ne contribue à relancer et à éclairer les études théophiliennes à venir."