Um dos exemplares está em ArmEscr2Bmeio

Hugo posits three eras in poetry: First, poetry theocratic , like Genesis; next antiquity, Homer, the epic and the tragedies based on Homer; Third, "temps modernes" and Christian, which includes "la grotesque" (ridicule, satire), the contrast of the human beast and "la sublime de l'ame" purified by Christian morals. Ariosto, Cervantes and Rabelais attest to its fecundity, Shakespeare its full expression. "Le drame" is the poetry of modern times, poetry complete, which welcomes "La grotesque à côté du sublime"(20). Hugo notes tht the poetry of "our time," the modern, is born of Christianity, poetry complete is reality, in the harmony of contrasts (60).

As for the earlier ages, Hugo avers that the Bible, that divine lyric monument, includes both the second-age epic in draft, Kings, and "un drame en germe, Job"(56). He also sees epics as filled with the remains of lyric, and: "une reste de poésie lyrique et un commencement de poésie dramatique." Voltaire undertook an epic Henriad, but was advised by the critic de Malézieux, "les Française n'ont pas la tête êpique"(56 n 138).

All literature in the Third Age participates in drama, even "Parodise Lost" and "La Divina Commedia" are dramatic as well as epics. Cambien continues, Drama mixes and contrasts genres: "L'âme et le corps, le terrible et le bouffon, le sublime et le grotesque" which Hugo himself states on page 60.

Victor Hugo begins the preface to his play, "What you are about to read has nothing to recommend it to an audience's good-will: neither political opinions, nor the benefit of being censored (reimposed a year ago, 1827), nor the honor of having been officially rejected by faultless judges (at the Théâtre Francaise)"(27). Despite this preface, Hugo doubts that most prefaces and notes are padding, to thicken books for raising sale price, as army generals increase the apparent size of their army:
"c'est une tactique semblable à celle de ces généraux d'armée, quyi, pour rendre plus imposant leur front de bataille, mettent en ligne jusqu'à leurs bagages." Then, to arrive at the actual text, the reader must escape the padding, much like an army freeing itself, caught between the vanguard and the rear-guard: "comme une armée qui se tire d'un mauvais pas entre deux combats d'avant-posts et arrière-garde."(28)

He describes retiring from the world to compose, less from good taste than from good faith, perhaps even with "défaut de talent, des études à défaut de science." The defense of his work is less important for himself than maybe for others. Also he avoids attacks, "les luttes personelles ne lui conviennent pas." It is always a poor spectacle to see scraps of self-love: "C'est toujours un spectacle misérable que de voir ferrailer les amour-propre"(29). (Contrast the U.S. Trumpster, who prominently displays almost only his vanity and self-love.)

Nineteenth-century Hugo stands influenced by the Romantics, since he doubts the influence of models, even learning by imitation (as Shakespeare certainly did, of Plautus as well as his contemporary French imitators). With his French rational analysis, VH divides models into two: those made following the rules, and those who made the rules. He compares models to academics, isn't it a thousand times better to give lessons than to receive them?(75) Art gives wings, and not crutches: "L'art done des ailes et non des béquilles"(76). Moreover, consider Voltaire's destruction of models, neither Shakespeare nor the Greeks, who made dramas "no less revolting than ours": Oedipus, covered in blood from what remains of his eyes, complains of gods and man; Electra cries out to the audience, "Hit them, don't spare your father" (rather as our Trumpster enlisted an audience questioner to be hit). Art was in its infancy at the time of Aeschylus, as in London at the time of Shakespeare, Voltaire says (75).

Devastating of his countrymen Hugo sums up, Abbé D'Aubignac has followed the rules, and Campistron has imitated models. What does it avail? Campistron* built his palace over ants; he let them build an anthill, "Il les laisse faire leur fourmilière, sans savoir si elles viendront appuyer sur sa base cette parodie de son édifice"(76). An anthill, without knowing if it would support on such a base his parody building.

* I feel compelled to offer, though no dramatist of note, Campistron had a couple lyric successes, including "Acis and Galatea" set to Lully's music for the Dauphin.

Read in 1972 edition, intro and notes by Michel Cambien, purchased at Atticus Books, New Haven. ( )