La Grande Mademoiselle, 1627-1652 . ing upon social duty, upon politics, andupon the part played, or to be played, by the aris-tocracy in the general movement. The people ofParis loved the play because it exhibited openly, indifferent, but always favourable lights, everythingin which they had any interest. In it they sawtheir own life, their aims, their needs, their longingto be great and admirable in all Theysaw depicted all that they had dreamed of being,all that they had wished to be; and somethingmore vital than love of literature animated theirtransports and lighted the fond glan
La Grande Mademoiselle, 1627-1652 . ing upon social duty, upon politics, andupon the part played, or to be played, by the aris-tocracy in the general movement. The people ofParis loved the play because it exhibited openly, indifferent, but always favourable lights, everythingin which they had any interest. In it they sawtheir own life, their aims, their needs, their longingto be great and admirable in all Theysaw depicted all that they had dreamed of being,all that they had wished to be; and somethingmore vital than love of literature animated theirtransports and lighted the fond glances fixed onthe magic mirror reflecting the ideals they soardently caressed. The people listened to Cor-neilles plays and trembled as they now tremble atthe sound of La Marseillaise. It has been saidthat they did not understand Racine; if they didnot, their lack of comprehension was was of another generation, and he wasnot in sympathy with his forerunner. Mme. de 1 Corneille, Lanson. 8 Cyrano de Bergerac, E. RACINE FROM A STEEL ENGRAVING La Grande Mademoiselle 183 Sevigne was accused of false judgment in her crit-icism of Bcjazet^ but she also was of another had little sympathy for Racines heroes. Sheunderstood Corneilles heroes, and could not listento his verses without the tremor of the heart whichwe all feel when something recalls the generousfancies of our youth. The general impression wasthat Corneille was inspired by the image of Montpensier when he wrote Pulcherie (1672),an heroic comedy in which an empress stifles thecries of her heart that she may listen to the voiceof glory. The throne lifts the soul above all tenderness. It it not impossible that Corneille had some suchthought in his mind. Certainly Mademoiselle wasa model close at hand. One day when her boldpoltroon of a father told her, in the course of asharp reproof, that she was compromising herhouse for the pleasure of playing the heroine,she answered haughtily and tr
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectmontpen, bookyear1902
