Routledge Revivals Jean Racine Racine the practising dramatist had been in some danger of being crowded out from the numerous books on his psychology and style. In this critical study of the man and his work, first published in 1951 and this slightly revised edition originally in 1973, Dr Brereton’s guiding prin- ciple has been to make the factual basis as accurate as it can be in the light of modern research. The result is the portrait of a sensitive and attractive figure which is none the worse for being shorn of certain legends. Jean Racine A Critical Biography Geoffrey Brereton Firstpublishedin1951 byCassell&CoLtd Reprintedin1973byMethuen&CoLtd Thiseditionfirstpublishedin2022byRoutledge 4ParkSquare,MiltonPark,Abingdon,Oxon,OX144RN andbyRoutledge 605ThirdAvenue,NewYork,NY10017 RoutledgeisanimprintoftheTaylor&FrancisGroup,aninformabusiness ©1973GeoffreyBrereton All rightsreserved.No part ofthis bookmaybe reprintedor reproducedor utilisedin any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublishers. Publisher’sNote Thepublisherhasgonetogreatlengthstoensurethequalityofthisreprintbutpoints outthatsomeimperfectionsintheoriginalcopiesmaybeapparent. Disclaimer The publisher has made every effort to trace copyright holders and welcomes correspondencefromthosetheyhavebeenunabletocontact. ALibraryofCongressrecordexistsunderISBN:0064707032 ISBN:978-1-032-25311-4(hbk) ISBN:978-1-003-28265-5(ebk) ISBN:978-1-032-25317-6(pbk) BookDOI10.4324/9781003282655 JEAN RACINE A CRITICAL BIOGRAPHY BY GEOFFREY BRERETON with 8 pages of half-tone illustrations LONDON METHUEN & CO LTD BARNES & NOBLE BOOKS NEW YORK RACINE IN HIS THIRTIES. Muse"e de Versailles, School of Mignard. Portrait re-discovered in 1949. First published by Cassell <$L Co Ltd in 1951 This edition reprinted in 1973 by Methuen & Co Ltd 11 New Fetter Lane London EC4P 4EE and Barnes & Noble Books, New York 10 East 53rd Street New York NY 10022 (a division of Harper & Row Inc.) Printed in Great Britain by Whitstable Litho, Straker Brothers Ltd Methuen SBN 416 78400 3 Barnes &. Noble SBN 06 470703 2 CONTENTS Page Principal Dates . . . . . . . . . . vii Introduction . . . . . . . . . . ix PART I THE VARIED PROSPECT Chapter I. Boyhood and Pott-Royal . . . . . . 2 II. Paris and the Vitarts . . . . . . 14 III. Uzes 27 PART II THROUGH THE JUNGLE IV. The Theatre in 1663 . . . . . . $o V. Racine's Debut: La Thebaide and Alexandre 61 VI. The Break with Port-Royal .. .. 7^ VII. Andromaque . . . . . . . . 86 VIII. Life and Death of the Du Pare. Les Plaideurs . . . . . . . . 9£ IX. The Challenge of Corneille . . . . no X. The Assault on Corneille: Britannicus . . 119 XI. The Defeat of Corneille: Berenice .. 131 XII. Patrons, Friends and Lovers . . . . 144 XIII. A Turkish Interlude: Bajazet .. .. 170 XIV. The Fruits of Success. Mithridate, Iphigenie 185- XV. The Quarrel of Phedre 20£ XVI. Phedre 221 [v]