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theses

Corneille's tragedies enunciate the following paradox: the hero needs recognition to exist as such, yet he faces an increasing impossibility to turn his heroism into something visible. My dissertation examines the quest of the Cornelian hero to find recognition, and thereby affirmation of his heroic identity, in a dramaturgical universe in which he progressively becomes unable to mobilize a persuasive image of himself. Contrary to what critics usually admit, I claim that the Cornelian hero is ultimately capable of asserting his dramaturgical role despite not obtaining the recognition that he seeks. Relying on close-reading analyses as well as on rhetorical, philosophical and dramaturgical studies, from both seventeenth-century and contemporary authors, I analyze how other characters perceive heroes and how heroes attempt to assert their identity based on these perceptions. In order to convey the tragic implications of a crisis of heroic representation and the dramatic force of the search for a solution, my outline is divided into three parts: the staging of the self (la mise en scene de soi), the malfunction of theatrical representation, and the development of interiority.
In the first part, I analyze the effectiveness of representation in Nicomede in order to understand the theatrical strategies that heroes in the early tragedies of Corneille put into effect to project a dazzling image of themselves on the stage. I demonstrate how Corneille's theatricality, in order to be persuasive, relies mostly on an act of faith in the image on both the actor and the spectator's side. I argue that the ideal hero in the early Corneille is in fact subservient to the idea of a perfect representation. However, I also show that theatrical representation is never perfect in Corneille, for even when it operates efficiently at the denouement, it remains unstable and precarious throughout the action.
In the second part, I focus on Sertorius in order to examine the malfunction of representation that characterizes Corneille's late tragedies. I show that those around the eponymous character see him as being dazzling and heroic despite him never showing any signs of courage or trying to impress them. As a result of being associated with an image that surpasses him, the hero becomes paralyzed, unable to act without compromising his reputation. Studying Sertorius's case shows that external recognition does not necessarily function as evidence of heroism in the Cornelian dramaturgy. It also suggests that what makes the hero heroic is actually what he needs to do on stage to prove (and show) his exceptional value.
In the final section of the dissertation I study the emergence of a new kind of hero in Cornelian dramaturgy, one that steps out from the gaze of the other and relies entirely on his subjectivity to assert his heroism. Focusing on Corneille's last play, Surena, I show that the last of the Cornelian heroes represents himself, precisely, as a non-representable figure. I ultimately argue that, before ending his career, Corneille announces the birth of the complex self-possessed individual, grounded in interiority that will become the hallmark of 18th century conceptions of the self.

ETD_10066

Ph.D.

Includes bibliographical references

doi:10.7282/t3-tamw-ky39

ETD doctoral

The author owns the copyright to this work.