Clarke, Jan (1988) The Guénégaud Theatre 1673-1680 and the machine plays of Thomas Corneille. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

The Guénégaud theatre was in operation in Paris from 1673 to
1680 - from shortly after Molière's death to the foundation of the
Comedie-Frangaise. Although the first home of both the Paris Opera and
the Comedie-Frangaise, the Guénégaud has attracted little attention, and
no previous study has been devoted entirely to it, despite the fact that
the Guénégaud account books are preserved in the Archives of the
Comedie-Francaise. These have provided a wealth of information on the
day-to-day running of a seventeenth-century French theatre and the
preparation of productions. What is more, a study of the records of
ticket sales they contain has been found to make possible not only an
analysis of the tastes and, to a certain extent, the composition of the
Guénégaud's audiences, but also a reconstruction of the theatre building
itself.
In 1673, the Guénégaud company was in a highly vulnerable
position. Just seven years later, however, it was so powerful and in
possession of a theatre so well-equipped, - that it was the ancient and
prestigious Hotel de Bourgogne company that was closed down and its
actors transferred to the Guénégaud to form the Comedie-Francaise. This
thesis, therefore, further examines how the Guénégaud company succeeded
in effecting this reversal in their fortunes.
One major contributing factor was the Guénégaud company's
series of machine plays by Thomas Corneille and Donneau De Vise.
Concentrating on Circe, the first and most successful of these, as a
single representative production, this thesis, is also, therefore, a
study of the adaptation and final demise of a genre where music was of
primary importance in the face of implacable opposition from Lully,
desirous of protecting his privilege on the production of operas.
Finally, the thesis attempts to show that if there is any
justification in the tradition by which the Comedie-Frangaise is known
as the 'Maison de Moliere', this is entirely due to the Guénégaud
company's success in ensuring their own survival and, in so doing,
maintaining and transmitting their inheritance from Moliere's troupe,
and that this same survival was in no small part thanks to the machine
plays of Thomas Corneille.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN2000 Dramatic representation. The Theater
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Guénégaud Theatre, Theaters -- France -- History -- 17th century, Corneille, Thomas, 1625-1709. Circé, Musicals -- France -- History -- 17th century, Comédie-Française -- History -- 17th century
Official Date:	March 1988
Dates:	Date Event March 1988 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of French Studies
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Hall, H. Gaston
Extent:	x, 357 leaves
Language:	eng

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