French Literature Reviews - 2026
B. Norman, Quinault, Lully’s Librettist. The Poet of the Graces (French trans.)
Theatre and Performance
Quinault, Lully's Librettist: The Poet of the Graces
Buford Norman
Thomas Vernet (Translator), Jean Duron (Translator)
Published: 11/06/2009
Publisher: Mardaga Editions
ISBN: 978-2-87009-995-7
EAN: 9782870099957
Number of pages: 383 pages
Publisher's price: 38.00€
Literary history has largely neglected Quinault’s work, much as it has overlooked lyrical theatre in general. Yet the popularity of the operas he wrote for Lully once eclipsed Racine's tragedies, and Quinault was both the most frequently performed and the highest-paid playwright of Louis XIV's reign.
Consequently, our understanding of French classicism remains incomplete. The purpose of this book—the first devoted exclusively to Quinault's librettos—is to shed light on these texts, which delighted audiences for over a century. The introduction examines *tragédie lyrica* within the broader context of classical theatre and modern opera, while outlining the key theoretical concepts necessary for its appreciation.
The first chapter focuses on the prologues, while each of the eleven subsequent chapters is dedicated to a single libretto. They first explore its history and traditional literary elements (sources, plot, characters, structure, etc.), and then examine in greater detail specific aspects of this novel form of musical theatre, such as the *galant* style, the juxtaposition of diverse sections, and political and romantic rivalries.
The conclusion revisits several key theoretical concepts, such as representation, imitation, and the perception of emotions.
Buford Norman, who earned his Ph.D. from Yale University with a dissertation on Pascal, has taught as a professor at Iowa State University and subsequently at the University of South Carolina.
His recent research explores the intersections of music and literature in the seventeenth century. A renowned specialist on Quinault, he is the author, among other works, of Touched by the Graces (Summa Publications, 2001)—here translated into French, revised, and expanded—and is currently preparing a book on Racine and music.
* * *
An article discussing this book can be read on C. Kintzler's blog, Mezetulle.org:
We also recall the publication in January 2009 of another study on the playwright:
BROOKS, William, Philippe Quinault, Dramatist, Oxford, Bern / Berlin / Bruxelles / Frankfurt am Main / New York / Wien, Peter Lang (Medieval and Early Modern French Studies), 2009.
During the reign of Louis XIV, Quinault was both the most frequently performed and the highest-paid playwright, and the popularity of the operas he wrote for Lully once eclipsed Racine's tragedies. Literary history has largely neglected Quinault’s work, much as it has overlooked lyrical theatre in general, meaning that our understanding of French classicism remains incomplete. Examining these texts helps researchers understand the broader context of classical theatre and modern opera, as well as the historical reception of works that delighted audiences for over a century.
This volume, written by Buford Norman and translated by Thomas Vernet and Jean Duron, is the first devoted exclusively to Quinault's librettos. The author has taught as a professor at Iowa State University and subsequently at the University of South Carolina, and his research explores the intersections of music and literature in the seventeenth century. Readers interested in French literature and seventeenth-century theatrical traditions may find this study relevant to their exploration of the period's dramatic output.