Pierre Corneille, Suréna

Christopher Semk (Yale University)

Ed. by Julia Prest, University of St Andrews
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.03: French Writing and Culture of the Seventeenth Century: Classical and Baroque, 1600-1700.
Vol. editors: Heather Kirk (University of Western Ontario), Kathrina LaPorta (New York University), Polly Mangerson (DePaul University), Julia Prest (University of St Andrews), Allison Stedman (University of North Carolina, Charlotte), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), David Williams (University of Sheffield)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1674 - 1674

Places

France (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Drama

Resources

Pierre Corneille’s last play, Suréna, général des Parthes, was performed at the Hôtel de Bourgogne during the 1674-75 season and published in January 1675. The tragedy was not especially successful and Corneille soon turned his attention towards preparing an edition of his collected theatre, which he published in 1682. Although Corneille’s later tragedies are rarely read or studied today, Suréna is an exception and many modern critics consider it one of his finest plays. George Steiner has even suggested that it may be Corneille’s masterpiece: not quite a great play according to neoclassical standards, but exceptionally ahead of its time in its muted, lyrical …

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2806 words

Citation: Semk, Christopher. "Suréna". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 December 2016 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35709, accessed 20 April 2024.]

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