French 100/101 Essay feedback Classicism and Phèdre

TITLE ‘In what ways can Jean Racine’s Phèdre be seen to epitomise the qualities associated with French classicism? Discuss and illustrate’

DO… Make sure that you… Address the title in your introduction Plan your argument carefully before writing Write short, simple sentences which build on each other Use language which you understand Respect the rules of punctuation including the use of italics Use adjectives and adverbs sparingly Focus on one topic in each paragraph Vary your vocabulary Be relevant and concise Allow your argument to speak for itself Relate your conclusion to your introduction Revise and reduce your draft at least once

DO NOT… Over-extend your sentences or paragraphs Use elaborate language which you do not understand Repeat words and phrases except for deliberate effect Use familiar language Use commas instead of full stops or semi-colons, especially before ‘however’ at the beginning of a sentence Employ negative abbreviations (n’t instead of not) Include irrelevant information Exaggerate or overstate Express ideas as your personal belief Rely exclusively on secondary sources Quote unnecessarily or at excessive length

Examples (1) 'The genre of the play could be argued to perfectly epitomise the idea of French classicism, because Phèdre is a tragedy which is a genre that originated in the late 6 th century BC and was performed in an open-air theatre (theatron) such as that of Dionysos in Athens and seemingly open to all the male populace (the presence of women is contested) the plot of the tragedy was almost always inspired by episodes from Greek mythology, which we must remember were often part of Greek religion.'

Examples (2) 'Classicism has also been seen in many other cultures such as German and English, however, I would agree with André Gide in arguing that "Classicism is to such an extent a French invention that I would almost be inclined to treat 'classical' and 'French' as synonymous”'.

Examples (3) 'Another important quality of French classicism is the prescriptive rules, and can be described as the rules that decide the way that people are supposed to live and the rules they have to follow. Nonetheless, it can be argued that Racine used this characteristic in such a way to show that these rules were impossible not to be broken and that perhaps this is not the way we should be living our lives. The rules that were broken included incestuous love and disobeying one's father…'

A possible introduction… 'The concept of 'classicism' is generally associated with a widespread cultural movement which emerged in Italy in the 15 th and 16 th centuries in the period known as the Renaissance. Over the following hundred years its influence spread to the rest of Europe and is thought to have been most comprehensively articulated in France in the second half of the 17 th century during the reign of Louis XIV ( ). 'Classicism' aspired to imitate the societies and cultures of ancient Greece and Rome. In aesthetic terms, it gave pre-eminence to order and harmony of expression in art, architecture, design and social behaviour and to the centralisation of power. In human terms, it focused on the relationship between morality, convention, religion, nature and individual psychology. As an art form, theatrical performance, and tragedy in particular, was a medium through which the defining principles of classicism were most clearly demonstrated. It corresponded to a Greek tradition which reflected fundamental moral and political issues in dramatic terms and which sought deliberately to have a transformative psychological impact on its audience. In 17 th century France, as in classical times, the defining features of tragedy were rigorously codified and regulated accordingly. As such, it was highly valued by the King and the court and was a genre adopted by some of the greatest writers of the age. The playwright Jean Racine ( ) is universally recognised as the finest exponent of French classical tragedy. His lasting reputation derives from his unique ability to combine perfection of aesthetic form with the expression of deeply felt emotion based on authentic human responses to intensely difficult situations. The tragedy Phèdre (1677) is commonly regarded as his greatest achievement. The objective of this essay is to review the elements which have contributed to the play's success and to assess the extent to which these reflect the tenets of 'classicism' as defined above. These elements can be summarised in three parts: the core ideas behind the plot of the play, including its origins and originality, its dramatic structure, and the perfection of Racine's language.

A possible plan 1Ideas: the balance between reason and emotion – humans and animals (instinct versus control) - idealism and reality - the role of fate - gods and religion - the combination of the moral and the political - pagan and Christian - the universality of the issues (humanism) 2Formal Structure: the application of the unities – simplicity - the role of the confidant – the focus on actions and symmetries – the intervention of external events – timing and progression. 3Language: economy and style – the aesthetic principle – the containment of emotion and the resulting tension – versification and the use of the alexandrine – the power of Racine (purple passages) Conclusion Agreement with title – contrast with Shakespeare – a pinnacle of civilisation – hence adaptation of Greek originals and their transformation into a uniquely French art form whose legacy is still alive today.