1st Edition
Literary Sociability and Literary Property in France, 1775–1793 Beaumarchais, the Société des Auteurs Dramatiques and the Comédie Française
By Gregory S. Brown
Copyright 2006
196 Pages
by
Routledge
196 Pages
by
Routledge
196 Pages
by
Routledge
Also available as eBook on:
The first full-length, scholarly study of the Société des auteurs dramatiques (SAD), this book describes the form, the meaning, the achievements, and the failures of the first professional association for creative writers in European history. Founded by the well-known playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais in 1777 under the protection of prominent aristocrats at the court of King Louis... Read more
Contents: Preface; Introduction: Men of letters and literary sociability in 18th-century France; An association of men of letters: the formation of the Society of Dramatic Authors; Beaumarchais at court: on the civility and cultural power of Gens de lettres; Playwrights, print and publicity: the success and failure of the SAD in 1780; Literary sociability and the Revolution: social interests, politics and literary property, July 1789-January 1791; From liberty to patriotism; Conclusion: copyright, community and enlightenment; Select bibliography; Index.
Biography
Gregory Brown is Associate Professor of History at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA. He is author of A Field of Honor: Writers, Court Culture and Public Theater in French Literary Life from Racine to the Revolution and The French Revolution: Cultures in Conflict.
'An important, enormously intelligent book, grounded in exhaustive original research, that will make a major contribution to more than one field. A model of cutting-edge cultural history.' Professor David A. Bell, Johns Hopkins University, USA 'Gregory S. Brown's challenging interpretation of the Société des auteurs dramatiques provides a new, convincing analysis of this fascinating institution and writes a new chapter in the biography of Beaumarchais, the most important playwright of the late Old Regime.' Professor Jeffrey S. Ravel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA ’[Gregory Brown's] detailed treatment of eighteenth-century institutions, society, and attitudes is a valuable contribution to the literature and one that writers and librarians will find useful and interesting.’ Libraries and the Cultural Record ’Brown's study will be essential reading for everyone interested in Beaumarchais the man, French theatre history, and the development of the status of the author in society.’ Modern and Contemporary France ’Brown has uncovered a wealth of new material on the activities of the Society of Dramatic Authors, which enables him to offer an original interpretation of its cutural role.’ H-France Review ’Brown's study is solidly documented and sheds much light on the role of sociability in the cultural politics of late eighteenth-century France.’ Journal of Modern History
