Originally published in 1973 and 1977 respectively, these two volumes, now available together for the first time examine the history of French drama. The first traces tragedy, from its origins in the sixteenth century through to the last years of Louis XVI’s reign. The second covers comedy, from the Renaissance, extending beyond Louis XVI into the eighteenth century and right up to the eve of the Revolution. Accessible to the general reader they would also be particularly useful for students of French drama.
1. French Tragic Drama in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries Geoffrey Brereton (1973)
2. French Comic Drama from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century Geoffrey Brereton (1977)
Biography
Geoffrey Brereton (1906–1979) was educated at Shrewsbury School and at the Universities of Oxford and Paris. His early career was divided between teaching and political journalism, and later, both during and after the second world war, he worked for the BBC. He subsequently specialised in books predominantly concerned with French literature, in criticism for various reviews and periodicals, and other literary work, including translation and editing of plays.